“Zone 23,” by C. J. Hopkins (ISBN: 9781648211447, Kindle, Publication Date Jul 15, 2025, Skyhorse Publishing | Arcade) earns one star. Having departed life on 14 January 1898, Lewis Carroll never had the opportunity to read this novel, but has he done so, his review might have been his well-known admonition, “If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there." It certainly is mine. Candidly, I came to this book with some trepidation, but I was attracted by words such as darkly comic, critique, and hilarious. Sounds a bit like the ingredients found in a stew, but then I like stew. What I didn’t care for was the flow, its overly (unnecessarily) graphic content, its lengthy, meandering sentences, and frankly the fact that I just found no joy in reading it. Thanks to Skyhorse Publishing | Arcade for making it possible to read this Advanced Reader Copy (ARC).

This was a fantastically unique read in both plot and writing style. I have never experienced a book so thorough and a brilliantly satirical take on the modern American utopia. It follows two people who are living through this age. Taylor who lives out zone, where the undesirable and anti-social people live. He sees the utopia for what it is. Valentina is a Normal, who desperately wants to live life as a Normal the way this society has deemed acceptable. The scene is set so incredibly detailed and has beautiful layers of world building unlike any dystopian novel I have read. It does come as a difficult read in some areas, the harsh language and sensitive topics make some scenes hard to finish but adds what is necessary to encapsulate the terror of the world. Nothing is as difficult though, as the style of writing. Incredibly detailed but sometimes to a fault leading the story in another direction every page or so, often left me clutching at the main plot points and rereading areas that left me confused. This book would honestly be a 4/5 star if not for the pure fact the style of writing is not something I enjoy. Definitely worth a read if you enjoy the winding narratives.