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Utopia PR

By Adam Bender

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Dylan Schnabel

Reviewed on Oct 6, 2022

Loved it! 😍

Great political satire that might skirt too close to home for some but doesn't take itself too seriously.

Synopsis

Public-relations extraordinaire Blake Hamner (the n is silent) put off his honeymoon for his big break: joining a major political campaign for president. Now, the "Hammer" struggles to make time for his marriage as Crisis Communications Manager for Our Leader, who since taking power has become increasingly mad and totalitarian.

The Hammer starts to reconsider his career choices when one of Our Leader's savage steel hounds attacks the Comms team at a press conference. When a revolutionary levels grave allegations against Our Leader—and implicates Blake for the cover-up—the PR rep who thought he could talk his way out of any crisis finds himself utterly trapped in a dystopian job.

NetGalley and the publisher, Adam Bender, provided me with a review copy.


I've been seeing Utopia PR around a good amount over the last year or so, and this copy got me to take the plunge, so to speak.


I'm quite glad I did.


Utopia PR is a witty, clever story that hearkens back to Wag the Dog -- but at what cost.


We follow Blake Hamner, a former PR blogger turned Crisis Communications Manager, as he tries to avert what seems like daily crises in the wake of the musician-turned-president, nicknamed Our Leader. On top of being exhausted and overworked, he's the husband of one of the premier cable news network's lead anchor. When things start to get weird -- and serious, but mostly weird-- Hamner will face all kinds of decisions, primarily about where his priorities lie.


The book is more satire than laugh-out-loud comedy, although some fairly silly elements do slip in. Frankly, I thought some of the silliest components of the story struck close too home, but that's the goal of satire, I suppose.


The plot is a little messy, the characters are a bit archetypal, and the explanation for some of Hamner's mistakes feels a bit like a cop-out for this supposed PR genius, but the pacing and satire are absolutely on-point. This may not be the most structurally perfect read, but it is incredibly entertaining.


If you're into political satire beyond a satire about policy or decisions, and if you want a fast-moving book that might get too close to the truth here and there, this is a solid choice. This is especially true if you prefer your satire doesn't take itself too seriously. The book does a good job of maintaining a hopeful future even when some elected leaders might not be up to par.


Reviewed by
Dylan Schnabel

I'm a lifelong book nerd and fantasy nut who's dabbled in scifi, horror, and general fiction, as well. I also read a healthy number of graphic novels, manga, and comic books. I spent a year and a half editing for an indie press, and since that time, I've developed a renewed passion for reading.

Utopia PR

Written by Adam Bender

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