The plausibility of Neon Empire is a bit scary. This Eutopia could happen, not immediately, but eventually. This story is a mirror of what society values, and the truth is just sad. Who are we becoming? It's well written and an interesting fast read. Thought provoking for sure! Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Having just finished another book with an interesting but underdeveloped social media element, I liked the sound of Neon Empire and hoped Drew Minh would have more thought provoking things to say than my previous read. Definitely more thought provoking, I liked Neon Empire a lot. It is a fairly short, engaging novel, very well paced and executed.

The setting – a Las Vegas/theme park-style city, Eutopia, conceived and developed by a media network to make maximum profit from social media is very well done, vivid and pulsating with (often seedy) energy. Inside Eutopia are mini capital cities of Europe - augmented, more experiential and interactive, since Europe itself has, due to populist uprisings, become unsafe for tourism. Wannabe influencers, tourists, wealthy Europeans (meta-style) and 'Transcational' youth (post millennial generation) visit Eutopia seeking thrills and hoping to become social media stars themselves. Neat concept. Only now, in its fourth year of existence, Eutopia is slightly past its prime as rival cities crop up across Asia and the exhaustive need for globally trending hashtags, media coverage and revenue becomes harder to achieve and maintain.

Minh has interesting things to say about fame, thrill-seeking and our obsession with danger and violence in particular and how all of these can be monetised for profit. There are no ethical considerations, Eutopia itself is not subject to certain laws, its police department is privately run for example, questionable drugs are freely available to buy and widely advertised. Social media ethics is very much a current topic (in real life I mean) and the novel made me think about how far would individuals and companies go for popularity/ profit, what is a ‘real’ experience when related to social media and so on.

I really liked what Minh did with the concept – there are many current references and the technology itself is pretty much available now (or will be very soon) and while a city like Eutopia doesn’t exist (yet), it is not particularly unrealistic or far fetched. The plot and the characters come somewhat secondary to the concept but that’s not really a criticism, I think it actually works better that way. A timely novel.

E-arc provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

This book was beautifully written! I'm not a big fan of sci-fi novels but this one was really enjoyable. The world build did not disappoint me at all since It seemed like I was in there until the book ended.
After I read it I felt like I came back from an amazingly long journey. Loved it and I advise people to read it!

Neon Empire is a fine dystopian science fiction novel in line with Aldous Huxley and George Orwell. It’s inviting and vividly described.

What I like most about this book is the way the author envisions a world that takes social media to an even more overt level. It’s intriguing to think about and a welcome addition to a genre I love.

Neon Empire plays the right notes of character and plot, and the result is enjoyable.