The Municipalists

October 29, 2018
Fried’s lackluster debut explores the relationship between users and technology in an urban thriller constrained by its narrow scope. After a terrorist cyberattack on the United States Municipal Survey (USMS) headquarters in Suitland, Md., investigator Henry Thompson, an introverted longtime employee of the organization, travels to the megacity of Metropolis, where he searches for the USMS employees behind the supposed inside job. Accompanying him is a hologram AI named OWEN, who creates limitless illusions and has a strange thirst for liquor. Murderous thugs pursue Henry, who shares their violent inclinations and easily accepts that he may have to murder and torture for his job. With OWEN as his primary confidant and weapon, Henry follows clue after clue to put a stop to the rogue faction. The relationship between Henry and OWEN is simple and repetitive, and with a small and male-dominated cast, the story is empty and quiet. The breadcrumb-trail plot and stiff protagonists undermine both the serious thriller concepts and the contrasting elements of the bizarre. Agent: Stacia Decker, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner.

Listeners will be instantly transported to Metropolis, a city of tomorrow full of promise, technological advancement, and imagination. Narrator Robert Petkoff pulls listeners right in, introducing Harry, a lifelong employee of the U.S. Municipal Service who is dedicated to improving infrastructure, and Owen, a projection of the agency's supercomputer "who" represents artificial intelligence in all its glory. The narration is fast paced and charming, just like the unlikely pair teamed up to try to save the city and protect its people. Laugh-out-loud funny, engaging, and thought-provoking, this story explores what makes us human, how technology changes our lives, and how we ultimately define progress. K.S.M. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine