Remote by Lisa Acerbo
Published by: Etopia Press
Publication date: November 20th 2014
Genres: Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult
When technology fulfills every dream, reality becomes a nightmare.
Below the streets of New State, the undergrounders fight to remain free of the technological control of the world above. Every night, Yara risks her life fighting New State’s deadliest weapons, the drones. Half human and half machine, their living half tortured until everything human is gone, the drones have only one objective. Kill. And they do it with exacting precision.
Yara is good at her job and committed to her raids on New State. Until one of those raids brings her face-to-face with Joshua, a New State citizen who doesn’t quite fit her preconceived expectations. After a couple of awkward encounters, he shows her the meaning of hooking up—a computer simulation that allows people to live out their fantasies—without the complication of emotional entanglements or physical reality. But what Yara feels for Joshua is very real. And it’s punishable by law.
As she and Joshua grow closer, she convinces him to leave New State for her underground cause. But as the unrest between New State and the underground escalates, and the drones move in to destroy her world, nothing goes as planned. Families are arrested, loyalties are strained, and Yara’s forced to choose between her people and her feelings. The wrong choice could mean the end of her people, and reality could slip away—forever…
Below the streets of New State, the undergrounders fight to remain free of the technological control of the world above. Every night, Yara risks her life fighting New State’s deadliest weapons, the drones. Half human and half machine, their living half tortured until everything human is gone, the drones have only one objective. Kill. And they do it with exacting precision.
Yara is good at her job and committed to her raids on New State. Until one of those raids brings her face-to-face with Joshua, a New State citizen who doesn’t quite fit her preconceived expectations. After a couple of awkward encounters, he shows her the meaning of hooking up—a computer simulation that allows people to live out their fantasies—without the complication of emotional entanglements or physical reality. But what Yara feels for Joshua is very real. And it’s punishable by law.
As she and Joshua grow closer, she convinces him to leave New State for her underground cause. But as the unrest between New State and the underground escalates, and the drones move in to destroy her world, nothing goes as planned. Families are arrested, loyalties are strained, and Yara’s forced to choose between her people and her feelings. The wrong choice could mean the end of her people, and reality could slip away—forever…
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Realities where they can be different people from who they are outside the grasp of technology. Technology has embedded itself into these people and people became dependent of them. They no longer want to leave their fantasies because for them, it's better.
Save for some people who think otherwise. The grounders.
Joshua 15111 and Yara are the main characters. Joshua lived in the New State, the part of the world dependent entirely on technology while Yara lived underground, where she gets by without it. Their camaraderie and relationship was something that could lead to both aspects of society coming close and one is about to go down.
Personally, there were instances that the characters remind me of Katniss and Peeta and yet they are unique. Yara has that stubborn, strong-willed, and a little bit of reckless personality that truly screams "rebel" or "non-conformist". Joshua 15111, or Josh, was the curious one. In a way, he also has a little bit in him that rebels against the system.
"I always got in trouble at school for talking. My teachers could never understand why I wouldn't post to the communication link or the classroom screen. I was considered antisocial for wanting to share my views verbally."
The parameters of the story are very believable particularly in this century with the betterment of technology as well as the role they play in the society. Electronics and especially the Internet has changed the way we live and communicate. The world that the characters live in makes me think that it can be quite possible in the future. Heck, we even now have augmented reality, the basics of the New State's fantasy-creating technology. Also, there is also the factor of those who hold power to have or display a superiority complex. In this case, they created what the people "hook up" to each night in order to avoid the people from leaving their homes at night. And, if things get a little out of hand, they have these grotesque drones to immediately stop the citizen's "destructing the peace".
I also liked how detailed the story is. The part I loved the most was the first part.
"Another nurse took the time to hook up Joshua15111's mother for the night. She pondered the virtual reality a new mother might create under the influence of all the medications.
Many miles away, deep below ground, another woman was in the throes of labor. She screamed with the pain, staring overhead at the high, cavernous ceiling of weathered rock that made up the underground infirmary."
This part showed just how different the condition between the New State and the underground is.
And yet, there were times that there was little to no action involved. Maybe it's because of how the grounders always kept a low profile until the very fate of the two protagonists intertwined. And that is where some of the action comes in.
Though there are slow moments in the book, it's a good YA book to read. If you're the type who's always into usurping the corrupt and lifting up those who are in need, I think you would truly jive well with the book's message. Remote has everything that made the past year's YA books awesome, and a lot more.
Lisa Acerbo is a high school teacher and holds an EdD in Educational Leadership. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, daughters, three cats, and horse. She is the author of Apocalipstick and has contributed to local newspapers, news and travel blogs including The Patch and Hollywood Scriptwriter.
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