Utopia PR

by Adam Bender Narrated by Tristan Wright

Overview

IndieReader Discovery Awards 2021 Winner for Humor

Utopia PR is a sci-fi satire about seeking work-life balance while doing public relations for an authoritarian president.

PR extraordinaire Blake Hamner (the n is silent) put off his honeymoon for his big break: joining a major political campaign for president. Now, the "Hammer" struggles to make time for his marriage as Crisis Communications Manager for Our Leader, who since taking power has become increasingly mad and totalitarian.

The Hammer starts to reconsider his career choices when one of Our Leader's savage steel hounds attacks the Comms team at a press conference. He'd love to talk about his erratic job with his wife, Triple-N news anchor Maria Worthington, but they have a rule: the broadcast journalist doesn't ask Blake for inside information about his work, and the spin doctor doesn't use their relationship as leverage on what Maria reports. They say you shouldn't keep things from each other in a marriage, but it's OK-the only secrets between Blake and Maria are professional.

When a revolutionary levels grave allegations against Our Leader-and accuses Blake of distributing disinformation and propaganda to cover it up-the PR rep who thought he could talk his way out of any crisis finds himself utterly trapped in a dystopian job.

"In a tale that's reminiscent of political farces such as the HBO TV series Veep, Bender employs a smooth, amusing, and straightforward prose style that's briskly paced," says Kirkus Reviews. "Its tone is irreverent, and readers looking for a quick chuckle will likely enjoy Bender's winking comedy, which is punctuated with genuinely sweet, sincere moments."

"Sharp and witty, the novel Utopia PR is a free range political send-up set in a chaotic, perplexing, and familiar future world," says Foreword Reviews (Clarion).

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"In a tale that's reminiscent of political farces such as the HBO TV series Veep, Bender employs a smooth, amusing, and straightforward prose style that's briskly paced ... Its tone is irreverent, and readers looking for a quick chuckle will likely enjoy Bender's winking comedy, which is punctuated with genuinely sweet, sincere moments." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Sharp and witty, the novel Utopia PR is a free range political send-up set in a chaotic, perplexing, and familiar future world." -- Foreword Reviews

"It is a fun and efficient book, but also scary: like all good fiction, it uses sarcasm to make readers think about the world outside." -- IndieReader

"Philadelphia writer Adam Bender's new novel Utopia PR, a political satire set in a dystopian Washington, DC, offers a brisk and entertaining sendup of politics and the media, two machines driven by capitalism and ambition." -- Broad Street Review

"Utopia PR is extremely well-written with humor, wit and imagination, and it's a lighthearted, uplifting vision into the dark times we're facing." -- IndieMuse

"A dystopian novel laced with intrigue, science fiction, romance and humor ... I recommend this book to fans of dystopia who would appreciate a comedic writing style and the underlying themes of marital challenges, finding your purpose, diversity and manipulation through social media." -- Reedsy Discovery

Product Details

BN ID:	2940175643733
Publisher:	Adam Bender
Publication date:	07/01/2022
Edition description:	Unabridged

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