Release: March 16th, 2021
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Source: Suzy Approved Book Tours
Find it at Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, Kobo
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Imagine a secret, hidden city that gives a second chance at life for those selected to come: felons, deformed outcasts, those on the fringe of the Outside World. Everyone gets a job, a place to live, but you are bound to the city forever. You can never leave.
But, a monstrous figure called the “Man” rules its citizens. Also, he resembles a giant demented spider from the lifelike robotic limbs attached to his body. Everyone follows the man blindly, working hard to make their Promised Land stronger. They are too scared to defy him and be discarded to the Empty Zones.
Later, after ten years as an advertising executive, Graham Weatherend receives an order to test a new client, Pow! Sodas. After one sip of the orange flavor, he becomes addict to the sodas. They cause wild mood swings that finally wake him up to the prison he calls reality.
A dynamic mash-up of 1984 meets LOST, ORANGE CITY is a lurid, dystopian first book in a series that will continue with the explosive sequel LEMONWORLD.
About the Author:
Lee Matthew Goldberg is the author of THE ANCESTOR, THE DESIRE CARD, SLOW DOWN, and THE MENTOR from St. Martin’s Press. His work, published in multiple languages, received a nomination for the 2018 Prix du Polar.
ORANGE CITY, his first sci-fi novel, is forthcoming in 2021, along with his YA series RUNAWAY TRAIN. Also, his pilots and screenplays have been finalists in Script Pipeline, Book Pipeline, Stage 32, We Screenplay, the New York Screenplay, Screencraft, and the Hollywood Screenplay contests.
After graduating with an MFA from the New School, his writing has also appeared in the anthology DIRTY BOULEVARD, The Millions, Vol 1. Brooklyn, LitReactor, Necessary Fiction, Fiction Writer’s Review, The Montreal Review, The Adirondack Review, Essays & Fictions, The New Plains Review, and others. Also, he is the co-curator of The Guerrilla Lit Reading Series (guerrillalit.wordpress.com). He lives in New York City. Follow him at LeeMatthewGoldberg.com and @LeeMatthewG http://www.leematthewgoldberg.com/.
His favorite authors are classic writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Hermann Hesse, Emily Bronte, W. Somerset Maugham, and Raymond Chandler. Similarly, modern authors, he’s been influenced by Jay McInerney, Bret Easton Ellis, Denis Johnson, John Irving, and Paul Auster.
Orange City Review:
Firstly, I loved the dystopian setting of the novel. It’s been a while since I read a fascinating science-fiction dystopian, and “Orange City” did not disappoint! The author captivatingly writes the world-building, where you feel immediately sense something wrong in the City.
Secondly, I loved the author’s style of writing. The way he wrote Graham and his progression towards the truth was excellent! The storyline glued to me as I wondered if some of Graham’s experiences are a dream or reality. The author writes the descriptions in a dreamlike manner, where like the character, you feel you are in an “Awakened Dream.”
Graham is compelling as the lead and someone I could immediately connect. It was interesting to see how his life changes once he starts using the Pow. Even the supporting characters like Mick, E, and Gayle added nicely to the plot. Moreover, “The Man” is truly one of those devious villains feels invincible. I initially got goosebumps just picturing his appearance and wondered how Graham would face him.
Perhaps the only minor criticism I have towards the story is the romance between Graham and Marlena. I thought it was unnecessary for the plot and could have easily been happy if they were friends. Instead, I would have preferred more scenes between “E” and Graham. “E” felt like an equally dynamic character, and I wanted to see more of him. But I did enjoy the Graham/Gayle/Marlena angle.
Apart from that, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! Overall, “Orange City” is a gripping dystopian novel, and I look forward to reading some of the author’s other works.
Book Tour Schedule:
I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the Orange City (Orange City, #1) by Lee Matthew Goldberg Blog Tour hosted by Suzy Approved Book Tours.
