Moneyland (Lockdown Book 1) by Michael Botur is YA dystopian fiction that surprised me. Think modern day dystopian Lord of the Flies meets the Maze Runner crossed with Hunger Games. With that said, I devoured the book. I was invested in the characters. Whether I liked them or hated them, I cared about them. I wanted them to survive.
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About Moneyland by Michael Botur
Moneyland takes place in 2037. AI has taken over the labor force leaving humans desperate for money. High schooler, Eden Shepard’s family is in that boat and so she is up for it when she is chosen to enter a 12-month experiment with a chance of winning big money. She is joined by eleven other students who enter a biodome that encompasses an abandoned suburb. Each one of them receive a million dollars on their first day along with a shipment of junk food. The euphoria of being rich dissolves quickly when they find they are cut off from the “real world” and their money isn’t useful. Store shelves are empty, no ready-made foods are available, they have no electricity, and no fresh water. They rifle through the abandoned houses to find nothing of much use is left in them.
The plot quickly turns to one of survival and greed. It doesn’t take long for the group of 12 to divide into two. The two groups develop their own set of rules and a system of survival. But the two groups clash. One group’s leader vies for dominance and things turn violent and even brutal. The basis for relationships shifts based on what they get out of the deal.
Moneyland Book Review
While this book is classified YA I really enjoyed it and found it hard to put down. It delivers timely reveals to keep you turning the page and offers plenty to figure out along the way. I couldn’t wait to see how things turned out. I give this book a strong four stars and am ready to read Payback, Book 2 in the Lockdown Series. I recommend Moneyland to people who enjoy future dystopian survival such as Hunger Games or the Divergent Series. In fact, I think fans of survival fiction like Stranded on Castaway Island by Amy Laundrie will also enjoy this read.
I received this book through Black Phoenix Book Tours and have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.
About Author Michael Botur
Michael Botur, born 1984, is a writer originally from
Christchurch, New Zealand, who now lives in Whangarei with his wife and two
kids. He is author of four short story collections and published Moneyland in
2017.
Botur holds a Masters in Creative Writing from AUT
University and a Graduate Diploma in Journalism Studies from Massey University,
as well as degrees in arts and literacy. He has been making money from creative
writing since the age of 21 and was in 2017 proud to be included in the
University of Otago collection 'Manifesto Aotearoa: 101 political poems'. Today,
he makes his living from writing as a columnist, corporate communications
writer, blogger, advertising writer and journalist. He has published creative
writing in international literary journals Newfound (US), Weaponizer (UK), The
Red Line (UK), Swamp (Aus) and most NZ literary journals including Landfall,
Poetry New Zealand, 4th Floor, JAAM and Tākahe. Botur has published journalism
in most major NZ newspapers including New Zealand Herald, Herald on Sunday,
Sunday Star-Times, as well as many magazines.
Botur has a long history of volunteering, including working
with Maori and Pasifika literacy, Youthline, ESOL refugee tutoring, and
assisting stroke patients, and in Whangarei is involved in improv theatresports
and performance poetry.
Botur’s books include 'Moneyland,' ‘Payback,’ 'LowLife,' 'Spitshine', 'Mean' and 'Hot Bible’ and all available on Amazon.com. Most of Botur's short fiction is offered for free at https://nzshortstories.com/
For information on Michael Botur’s writing services, head to http://www.michaelboturwriter.com/
.