Solo agers: Kakistocracy tells the story of a world in which the childless elderly are the enemy of a capitalist society.

The story and the premise had so much promise, but sadly it misses the mark in all the ways that matter. The synopsis compares this to The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, which frankly is an insult to the masterpiece that Atwood created.

The first mistake was making this novella multiple POV. At just over 60 pages this gives the author no room to develop their characters or the premise of the story.

The author is overly descriptive and seems to use similes in every other sentence. Or have utterly bizarre and out of context sentences like this one:

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and at this moment, it feels like this munchkin of a man is luring me down the Ho Chi Minh Trail to Hamburger Hill."

This makes the entire reading experience borderline unreadable. Despite the premise, the story we have lacks exploration and social commentary which is bizarre. The premise would suit better in a longer format, but it would also require extensive rewrites and that is not something I would enjoy reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory editing for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own

Although this is a short read, the book delivers! I was drawn in by this story – one that has a potential for a desperate future. In a society where we have a growing number of those retiring and lowered birth rates, this story takes these current-day facts and weaves them into a dystopian outcome for the future where those who are elderly and had no children must be sponsored by a person of a certain age. Dr. Reese, the main character, guides the reader through her story – one that is at times written as a diary, and at others, presents interactions that are charged with emotion and action. Throughout this short story the reader is presented with interesting characters, some who are very likeable and others who are instantly unlikeable. These various characters, coupled with a story that is fairly deep for one so short demonstrates the talent of the author, Mr. Ward. Although this was an interesting and enjoyable reading experience, I would like to see this story set into a series of novels that explore the lives of Ben and Stephanie Reese. I think they would be really captivating stories that reveal a darkness in our society that is not always able to remain hidden and one that at some point is fully revealed.

America is experiencing a collapse in fertility rates. The scapegoat is "Solo Agers," elderly people who never had children. They are rounded up by the government, using SWAT teams, and given a one-way trip to "retirement havens" (prison).

In sewer tunnels, one female doctor performs secret retinal modifications to help people avoid the regime. Each life she saves gets her closer to freeing her husband, and get them both to Indonesia, where Solo Agers are not considered criminals. The FBI is on the case, and in the sewer tunnels, this one doctor becomes an unintentional spark of resistance.

This is a short novel, about 65 pages, but it belongs on the same level as The Handmaid's Tale. It is very dystopian, very plausible and very much worth reading. I look forward to future books in this series.

Set in the future, this dystopian novella is set in a world where the elderly have become a burden to society. Too much debt and not enough people to pay for it has led to an era of “Solo-agers.” Elderly who don’t have children to help care for them, so they get sent to poverty level homes until the end of their days.

Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. I knew it was dystopian but it was so dark and depressing, there was really no story. It followed multiple people who all met either an untimely demise or who just utterly hated their lives and their jobs. Very depressing indeed. For these reasons, I only rate it as one star.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.

Solo Agers is a multi POV dystopian short story that sketches a future where childless elderly people are the enemy of the capitalist system.

"There are moments in history when the fabric of the world is quietly rewoven. Not by war, or fire, or plague, but by shifts so gradual that, at first, they go unnoticed."

The synopsis and premise set out in the prologue shows so much promise, but sadly Solo Agers was not an enjoyable read for me. While at times I enjoyed how descriptive the writing style, in the end most of the plot got completely taken over by a stream of seemingly non-sensical similes, which made the story borderline unreadable.

At the heart of a dystopian story we need a compelling plight. While I think the subject was well chosen in the current landscape of the loneliness epidemic among the elderly, Solo Agers at this point lacks meaningful social commentary. The seeds of ideas are there, but they never fully come to fruition. Which ultimately leaves the reader unsatisfied. While I don't expect everything laid bare in the first installment of a series, I needed more from Solo Agers in this department to be convinced to pick up the next part.

You might enjoy this book if you prefer ideas and style over execution. I would be interested in reading a different story from this author in the future since they have shown promise in certain areas, but I will not be continuing on with this series.

This book was so sad to me. What a way to treat the elderly.. It did get me to thinking about how we treat the older generations and how often they are seen to have little to no value. Shame on us. This book was very well written and very atmospheric, I could see the rooms as I read, that is always good to me. To be pulled into the story with all of your senses...great job. And, finding out the reason behind the writing of the book made it hit even harder...ugh!

Thank you Netgalley and Myron Ward for gifting me the ARC of the thought provoking book. I am leaving my honest review voluntarily and without coercion.

I'm not sure I understand what I just read. I know if was a short, quick story, but that's about it.

Sorry, but this one is not what I was hoping for.

#NetGalley #SoloAgers

This book has a badass cover and a great concept, but the execution fell flat for me. I found that for a short story it was extremely wordy, to the point where it was confusing and frustrating to try to follow the plot.

I was very intrigued by the premise of this book, but the execution wasn’t for me. I did not connect with the writing style. It’s a short story, so it may be worth giving it a try for others. Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Solo Agers: Book 1 presents a striking and provocative exploration of a future society where the elderly, particularly those without children, are criminalized for being perceived as a "burden" to society. The author paints a dystopian vision that I wish went more in depth as to why the elderly were a burden. I couldn't help but feel that the author missed an opportunity to dive deeper into the "why" behind society's harsh stance toward the elderly. Very short and quick read. Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing the ARC so I could review it.

This book was ok I like the aspect of this. I love handmaids tale its one of my fav books/ shows out there. I thought this would feel like that it was compared to that. There were things I liked but it was a hard read there wasnt enough explanation on what was going on and there was a lot of extra things and big words that felt not needed especially with a books that's under 100 pages. I am invested to see what happens so if there is a book two ill prob pick it up.