Eutopia: A Novel of Terrible Optimism (The Book of the Juke Series) Paperback – May 5, 2011

An engaging historical horror story mixing Lovecraft, eugenics, and the Wild West, among other things. I found the ending a little too pat, given the tone of the book leading up to it, but I'll definitely be checking out other works from this author, and have ambivalent desires to see a film adaptation; it could be amazing, or terrible, depending who makes it.

The idea of this book was very interesting and it held up most of the way through. In the end, it wasn't believable anymore - which is fine- it's fiction -

EUTOPIA: A NOVEL OF TERRIBLE OPTIMISM is an astonishingly well written novel. I was horrified not only by the terrors conjured within the pages, but in my realization this morning that I was almost at the end of the book! Set in the early 20th Century, it brought the era and the eugenics movement to life in a way that reminded me of John Langan's The Fisherman (a very different story but...) I felt transported back in time. I don't want to give too much away, save that there are tremendously human characters contending with both human and inhuman darkness and the complex tale was resolved in a manner that left me muttering, "Damned good book," over and over until I sat down to write this review.

Average writing. Meandering plot. Ridiculous monsters. Not sure where all of the positive reviews are coming from. Won’t be bothering with the next book in the series

Eutopia is a great read. It works as science fiction, horror and an historical novel set in the early 1900s America. I read it at a single sitting - couldn't put it down - and I've been thinking about the plot ever since, playing it over in my mind, seeing how the elements work together.It's centered on the early Eugenics movement, and the terrible optimism of scientists and social reformers who thought they could create a better humanity. Eugenics sought to be hyper-rational, in line with the new scientific age and unfettered by old-fashioned sentimentality. It was a sort of religion that was suitable to modern times. But who was this religion really serving? That's where the horror comes in.I highly recommend this novel.

I may have to reread this....

A weird, creepy story--if this is what you are looking for (and I was), then you won't be disappointed.

I wanted to like this. I really, really did. I mean, there’s so much cool s*** going on: Mutant hill people. Eugenics. A deadly virus that wipes out an entire town. Pregnant women disemboweled by creatures that eat them from the inside out. And check out that eerie cover art!It took a while to really pick up, and then it was interesting and chilling for a little while. But there was just too much going on. It was too ambitious for its own good, and as a result it was confusing, infuriating and even boring.By the time I reached the last 50 pages, I couldn’t wait for it to end. I still have no idea how all the storylines connected and honestly, I don’t even care.It could have been so interesting, and that’s probably the worst part.

It has been a long, long time since I have read anything quite this weird. This novel pretty much has it all, there's evil conspiracies, bed sheet wearing ku klux klan members, giant god-like monsters whose hallucinations cause you to worship them, and oh yeah, evil faeries that wanna rip through your vagina. Wait, what?I like weird books, and I like something to come up with an original concept, and this novel definitely does both of those in spades. The story here concerns the idea of a landowner using his land to create the perfect Eutopia, filled only with people who they deem to be the top 5 percent of population. The story of this Eutopia is told through two different POV's. One from a newcomer to the compound, and the other, the compounds only black resident, and doctor.The issue of race is brought up pretty frequently throughout the novel, and with the ku klux klan within the compound, the n word is used pretty frequently so that may put off some readers. I wouldn't say it is in a sensationalist way though, just the author trying to represent the time the book takes place, which oh yeah, is 1911.The monsters in this book are slightly strange, they seem to be described as weird faerie/nymph things which supernatural powers that can lead to anyone coming into contact with them to worship them as gods. It's a different story to what I've read before and even has a few creepy moments before they are fully revealed. If the idea of a scalpel being used to cut open a hymen is too much for you. Don't read this book. Seriously.Despite liking it, the reason I'm giving this only three stars is that it was a little hard to get through sometimes. I found myself not really wanting to pick it up all that often, and there was a point in the middle where it just seemed to be prolonging the inevitable conclusion a little too much. Overall though, if you like weird books that make you pull a wtf? face, I would give this a go. I guarantee you probably haven't read anything like it before

I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't a very deep read and wasn't very convoluted as it seemed to drive at a steady pace. The characters were pretty straight forward and lacked motivation or background in areas. I would have also liked to have had a bit more of the monster's mythology expanded upon. I'm sure the author is trying to say something about religion and society but I missed it. Overall I wouldn't say it was one of the best books I had ever read but it was good enough to enjoy.

This kept me reading until it was done. Very interesting story and I just love the quality of these books. The cover art is best to none. Very much recommended for anyone.

This was not a bad book. It didn't go the way I expected, which is okay, and inspired me, maybe, to write the book I thought this was going to be. Interesting reading.