This Great Hemisphere is a speculative/sci-fi novel by Mateo Askaripour. It hits shelves on July 9th, 2024, suspiciously close to the 4th. Even the title seems like a nod to “Make America Great Again,” calling a government system great when it is, and always was, riddled with problems. We picked this book up because the concept of this book is compelling. This Great Hemisphere primarily follows Candace, also known as Sweetmint, in a world hundreds of years removed from our own. While many things have changed in this future world, the biggest thing is that some people have been born invisible. 
As you might guess there are advantages and disadvantages to being invisible. But the main advantage, moving in secret, has been taken away by government tracking. Invisables have been relagated to the status of second class citizens, rounded up and placed in their own communities. Candace, who is a skilled inventor, receives an internship with the world's foremost expert in the field, a man who is visible aka a DP (Dominant Population). She thinks she’s on the right track to proving that invisibles can do great things, when someone assassinates the leader of the hemisphere (basically a section of the world run as its own country). While a new leader is in the process of being elected and the invisible hope for someone to bring more equality to invisibles, Candace has bigger problems. The murder has been pinned on her brother who has been MIA for three years, now she needs to find her brother before anyone else can. 
We enjoyed this book, it kept our attention and made us think, two of the main things we look for in a novel. There are, however, a few things that kept it from being something we’d recommend to our friends (and fellow frivolous) without reservation. 
First, the things we liked:
Great world building - The slang and conventions of the future added layers and texture that made the whole story more realistic
Apart from the conventions of the people we loved hearing about futuristic inventions, (not quite as good as hoverboards and flux capacitors but we’ll take it)
The idea of invisible people and how they would experience life differently from visible people
The ways invisible people are kept under oppression, a powerful commentary on our own world
The writing style, two thumbs up from us

A few issues we had:
No talk of how people became invisible. This made me think the whole novel was more of a metaphor and kept us from becoming too immersed in the narrative. It always seemed a bit like the characters and themes were illustrating an issue rather than real fleshed out people.
The end was a bit ambiguous, it doesn’t seem as if certain plot points and motivations were full resolved
We’d really love to be in a book club that discusses This Great Hemisphere (someone invite us!), there are details that we would love to delve further into and viewpoints we’re sure we didn’t consider. This novel would be a great jumping off point for important conversations around race and the future of humanity. So if you read this book, let us know your thoughts, and maybe send a book club invite our way.
Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are our own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC!

Mateo Askaripour’s "This Great Hemisphere" is a YA-tinged piece of speculative fiction that gets bogged down in inconsequential world-building. The "Hunger Games" crowd will love it, so if that’s you, I think you’ll you have a great time, and you should probably just skip my review and read the book!

The premise brims with potential—in 2028, a child is born invisible; in 2529, we follow a society that has been racially segregated by “Invisibles” and the “Dominant Population.” Our protagonist, an Invisible woman named Sweetmint, is discovering some social mobility as an inventor until her missing brother is accused of murder. Sounds exciting, right?

Unfortunately, this speculative fiction doesn’t spend much time speculating, and it does very little else to make up for it.

There is power in defamiliarizing a subject to approach it in new ways, but I don’t think "This Great Hemisphere" does so successfully. It's just so literal. For example, there are fast food restaurants placed in Invisible neighborhoods to shorten the population’s lifespan. Elsewhere, we see transparently recognizable versions of police brutality. With such on-the-nose narrative moves, it's unclear to me why this was written as a sci-fi novel at all. “What if there were racism?” isn’t really a novel take, and when it merely re-labels many of the violent realities we currently witness, it almost feels flippant. These issues seem co-opted as window dressing because there’s no real commentary—the world is too similar to our own for the author to offer new perspectives. (To be fair, near the end of the book, there’s a comment that “everything is cyclical,” but it feels unearned).

Honestly, I wonder if we’ve just passed the cultural moment where this type of storytelling is effective.

It’s telling that the novel’s opening prelude—the birth of the first Invisible in 2028—is far more conceptually and narratively interesting than the main plot in 2529. There's a reason successful books of this ilk, such as "The Handmaid's Tale," take place in the near future—these stories find their catalyst in proximity, the way we teeter on the edge of even harsher realities if only a few things change. These stories allow us to analyze our current cultural circumstances by exploring their natural conclusions.

Similarly, the first chapter of "This Great Hemisphere" sets up an exciting novel, but it isn't the one we get to read. The Invisible child’s mother is Black, and we see her experiencing various forms of discrimination before giving birth. I think there’s a better story in that timeline about how race and identity would be understood if their physical markers were suddenly gone. In the 2529 plot, it doesn’t matter—we essentially just have the word “Invisible” substituted in each time “Black” would occur. If the book weren’t so exposition-heavy and keen on highlighting the world’s mechanics, I can imagine that something so simple would be make for a powerful novella. At over 400 pages, though, The Great Hemisphere undermines itself at every turn.

None of this would be an issue with great characters, but they are painted in the broadest strokes possible, archetypical in service of a frictionless story. If you’ve ever encountered YA dystopia, you know the drill. This issue is compounded by multiple POVs, a decision that seems intended to showcase the complexities of the book’s subject matter. As a side note, one character makes an anachronistic reference to "Pinky and the Brain" (yes, in 2529), which just feels like further evidence that this story shouldn’t have been set in the future.

Ultimately, I know "This Great Hemisphere" will probably really click with its dystopia-loving audience. If you’re a reader that finds comfort in the consistency of certain tropes, there’s enough fun world-building here that I’m sure you’ll have a great time; just don’t expect to see anything new.

A new work of speculative fiction by Mateo Askaripour. This is a hard pivot away from his first novel, Black Buck, which was heavy literary satire. I'm a fan of speculative fiction and was pleasantly surprised to see Mr. Askaripour pivot in this way.

The premise of the novel is that the world is divided among several hemispheres. Our protagonists - people who are invisible - live a hemisphere where light skinned, visible people - the dominant population, or DPs - rule. We follow the story of Sweetmint, an invisible, who is thrust into a role in both worlds as they collide. Although these events take place 500 years into the future, they could be happening in certain political spheres today.

Fans of Butler's Parable Series will enjoy this work. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the

THIS GREAT HEMISPHERE
Mateo Askaripour

This is my first experience with Mateo Askaripour. Unfortunately, THIS GREAT HEMISPHERE was a DNF for me. I couldn’t catch the rhythm that the author was writing, and I was lost. There were so many muddled details and I had trouble keeping it all together to make sense of the story.

This experimental writing did not work for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton | Dutton for the advanced copy and the opportunity to provide feedback!

THIS GREAT HEMISPHERE…⭐⭐⭐

This Great Hemisphere is an interesting read following an invisible woman living in a future world where invisibles are looked down upon - very closely resembling past/modern day racism. This story was so unique and the concept was so intriguing! The beginning of this book had me absolutely gripped, however, I felt as though it lost momentum throughout the story until the build up at the very end. At times, the skips between flashbacks to present were somewhat confusing. There were also multiple POVs to follow - I think it would’ve been helpful to have labels for each chapter stating the character from whose POV we’re reading from. The beginning & end were very strong, though! Overall, I definitely enjoyed this book & the overarching message behind it is so very important!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!!

This story could turn out to be amazing. I won’t know because I decided to DNF. I was intrigued, but found it moving too slow for my taste.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced eARC.

Black Buck was one of my favorite books from 2023. Mateo Askaripour has a fresh view of viewing the world, and I was so happy to see his feelings on paper.

However, as much as I loved Black Buck, i didn't love This Great Hemisphere as much. Not because it's not a good book, but because this genre just isn't my thing.
Sweetmint is on a manhunt to find her brother, accused of murder in this book set in the future, where people are delegated to citizenship - hers being a second class one.

The world he created is very similar to today's - wealth, class, privilege, race. However, I realize speculative fiction just isn't for me and i struggled through some of the scenes.

This Great Hemisphere by Mateo Askaripour is a sci-fi story that’s a lot different than the books I usually read. Reading this book took me back to how I felt when I loved and enjoyed reading dystopian stories in elementary/middle school. This book is set in the future in a world where a good amount of the population is literally invisible. An invisible (Sweetsmoke/Shanu) has been accused of murdering the Chief Executive Rhitel (the hemisphere’s leader) and his sister (Sweetmint/Candace) hasn’t seen him in years but is now working hard to find out the truth. Following along with all the twists and turns in this book was exciting, once it picked up, it had me on the edge of my seat until the last page. I’d love to see this on the big screen one day.

I really enjoyed Askaripour’s debut a few years ago so I was very eager to get my hands on this one - it is definitely quite a departure from Black Buck, set in a futuristic dystopian world where a breed of literally invisible people are integrated into society.

The synopsis leads you to believe there is a murder mystery aspect to the story, and while that is there it’s far from the focus of the story, so adjust expectations accordingly. It’s mostly about an invisible character Sweetmint, her apprenticeship, and the grappling with being literally invisible in this world and how they are treated as ‘less than’. It’s a stunningly written story although I admit I was confused at times as I’m not a big sci-fi reader in general, and felt like parts were overly long but it has a lot of interesting things to say and overall I would definitely recommend this one.

4.5/5 stars - A stunning foray into the realm of speculative/dystopian fiction.

Set centuries into the future in the year 2529, "This Great Hemisphere" focuses on young Sweetmint, a young woman with the official name of Candace. She's an Invisible in Forest 26 of the Northwestern Hemisphere, just one of many dealing with the repercussions following an environmental and societal upheaval that has split the world into hemispheres, where individuals are either in the minority, lower-class population known as "vizzers" or are part of the the D.P. (Dominant Population), or "dippies". However, Sweetmint has been given the opportunity of a lifetime: a chance to work with Croger Tenmase, a renowned inventor known as the Great Architect, and she eagerly accepts the internship. It's her first chance to enter the D.P. community, but one that gets threatened when a shocking event happens: Chief Executive Rhitel, the leader of the Northwestern Hemisphere, is murdered - and the lone suspect is her older brother who abandoned her three years ago.

In the events that follow, Sweetmint attempts to keep some semblance of normalcy despite the immediate suspicion she's placed under. The story jumps perspectives to a number of other individuals with key roles in the ensuing political tangle, including Local Manager II Stephan Jolis and Hemispheric Guard Director Curts, as they try to reassure their citizens that justice will be met. All the while, we find out more and more about what happened in the centuries in-between that have passed, the true identities of individuals, and what has truly unfolded over time.

This novel is such a jarring, thought-provoking work that handles the concepts of race and class in a way I've yet to encounter. Despite the complete transformation of the world, the new societal and political rules in place - it's clear that the concept of minority and majority populations, and those with versus those without continue to hold true over time, and there are strong criticisms on gender discrimination and politics as well. While the plot is driven forward by the events that follow the murder of the Chief Executive, it leaves room for the detailed world-building and we're able to learn more about each of the main characters in this novel; Sweetmint's character growth and development by the end of the story is impressively done.

I did struggle with the sheer number of characters and names that were part of the storyline however (especially tough as they frequently have more than one name) and the complexity of this future world, which not only had new rules and structures, but also new languages and terminology that took some time to understand. The first half or so of the novel was difficult to get through because of this, but once the plot picked up towards the second half it was difficult to put down.

Very much a recommended read when "This Great Hemisphere" is published in July!

I have been waiting to see what was next from Mateo Askaripour after reading the fast-paced and wildly entertaining novel "Black Buck" in 2021. This Great Hemisphere is a total departure and shows the range of this young author.
Set in the future, This Great Hemisphere is an illustration of the societal ills and the lust for power by (non-invisibles) the "dominant" class and those who are considered the marginalized class (invisibles). The main character Sweetmint is born an invisible, and strives to make all of the right decisions with her education and career, by getting into an apprenticeship with a non-invisible and notable inventor in the Northwestern Hemisphere.
Sweetmint's focus is pulled away when she learns the brother she believed to be deceased is not only alive but is also accused of killing an important figure.
I do not read much speculative fiction, so this was very different for me. However, I still like Askaripor's writing so I was able to finish the book.

A wonderful read- Askaripour delivers on a dystopian narrative which depicts a near-future reeling from environmental collapse coinciding with a technological reset as well. What results is an Apartheid society in which the dominant "pinks" have created a psuedo-theocratic regime structured to subjugate the invisibles.
The murder of the hemisphere's chief executive drives the mystery of the story, while larger questions of identity, allegiances, and bringing truth to power transcend the narrative. It's page-turner with an irresistable central character in Sweetmint. Well worth the read.

This book made me understand what people mean by “crackling prose.” It zips right along. It’s almost cinematic. The scenes tumble forward one after another. I’m not exactly the right audience for it in that I wished for more depth and nuance but that is not this book.

Thank you, NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for this advanced readers copy. Black Buck was fantastic so when I heard this author had another book coming out, I knew I had to read it. This book is just as good. It took me a minute to understand the concept and world building setup but then it pulled me right in and I couldn’t put it down. There are invisibles and non-invisibles and invisibles are second class citizens. Invisibles must paint themselves to be seen. Sweet-mint is the main character and is searching for her brother. Herein lies her question as she searches for her brother through the book- is her brother dead? Alive? Good? Evil? I’m not going to tell you. It’s so good. You have to read it to find out. And now I need to read it a second time to see what clues I missed.

Askaripour has written an extremely propulsive novel. I had no idea what was going to happen and how things would end up -- my jaw dropped in real life at several points because I did not anticipate the reveal. I was so interested in the world that he built too, which I found to be very original. At times, it reminded of Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah and Ted Chiang's works. I would've loved to have seen a map or a chart of the political hierarchy (maybe something that will be included in the final copy?).
What kept me from giving the book five stars was feeling that the allegories and real-world comparisons were a bit heavy-handed at times, and feeling that the pace could have been slightly slower as to allow the reader to really explore this world.

Over a hundred years from now in a world divided by forests, power, and conflict between the Dominant People (dippies) and invisibles (literally people with see through bodies, blood and bone, who are made visible with paint, contact lenses and tooth covering so that the dominant people know where they are). The invisibles are kept "in their place" by a society that needs them to act as servants, a workforce and subservient members of a blatantly unequal society. Sound familiar?

No really there are some similarities between the Hemisphere world and our own. The blatant racism may be more like the way things were during Jim Crow era America and the early 1900s where racism was just another day but in the Hemisphere people are not what they seem. Yes, there are men hiding their "relationships" with invisible women, as many men used to hide sexual abuse of Black women in America's past. Savior complex is prevalent with some dippies as they assure invisibles that they are allies. But the evolution of the hemisphere moving toward "the Great Re-Set" seems like a giant steep backward.

Incredibly strong characters populate the Hemisphere and the writing is intense and amazing. This Great Hemisphere is thought provoking, powerful and intelligent. I will be thinking about this book for a long time and talking about it with others too.

I absolutely loved Black Buck so I was excited to see Mateo Askaripour was releasing a new novel. One thing I loved about this futuristic book was how original it was. It didnt feel like anything else I’ve read before which was refreshing. The book was inventive and definitely lived up to if not exceeded his previous novel.

Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour was one of my favorite reads in the past few years. It was creative and inventive, like his new book The Great Hemisphere. Full disclosure: I do not gravitate towards books set far in the future, but I admire the work Mateo put into creating a world that was both different and yet similar to our world today. One of my favorite lines is, "The future forever echoes the past, growing distant from its source, but never without it." Race plays a pivotal role in the story that unfolds in the Hemisphere but takes on an exciting form that I did not see coming. This book is significantly different from anything I've read, which held my attention, but at times, the language, character names, and situations became distracting. Overall, this book will find an audience who can appreciate the book's inventive nature.