{"id":3767,"date":"2013-07-02T17:38:34","date_gmt":"2013-07-02T17:38:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lbpost.com\/articles\/life\/arts-culture\/book-review-grid-city-overload-and-the-devolution-of-humanity\/"},"modified":"2013-07-02T17:38:34","modified_gmt":"2013-07-02T17:38:34","slug":"book-review-grid-city-overload-and-the-devolution-of-humanity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/art\/book-review-grid-city-overload-and-the-devolution-of-humanity","title":{"rendered":"BOOK REVIEW: ‘Grid City Overload’ and the Devolution of Humanity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Humanity, for centuries, has imagined that they are living in \u201cthe End times,\u201d as philosopher and cultural theorist Slavoj \u017di\u017eek so eloquently declares<\/a>. Humans want to have a sense of individuality; that among all ages and all progressions of humanity, we\u2014we\u2014are the ones that will see the end. In the current social, cultural, political, and natural landscape that we currently live in, it is oftentimes not difficult to imagine that this is the end.<\/p>\n

Alas, we are probably not that special, just like every other generation of humanity was not that special, but in Steven Bramble\u2019s sophomore novel, Grid City Overload<\/em><\/a>, the \u201cEnd Times\u201d come not in the form of absolute apocalyptic destruction, but of the devolution of the very nature of humanity that is accompanied by the so-called progression of a technological immersion.<\/p>\n

What happens in a world where cell phones, tablets, television, social networks, bio-medical technology, and alternate reality technology reaches its pinnacle? When the virtual relationships you have are more \u201creal\u201d and substantial than the ones you have with actual humans? When the dependence on the technology has superseded our dependence on natural resources and the social and cultural norms begin to shift and alter because of that dependence? These are questions that Mr. Bramble presents a myriad of answers to.<\/p>\n

In the not so distant future (2025), Grid, Colorado is a place where water is being rationed\u2014the importance of technological advancement and dependence has superseded the significance of natural resources, which in turn has initiated a futuristic version of class warfare. For those who can afford water, this is not an issue until they are confronted with the consequences of not<\/em> being able to afford water. Grid is a city completely consumed by technology and the driving force behind the \u201cprogress\u201d is a corporate driven political machine.<\/p>\n

\"PictureUnder the political technocracy, we follow a myriad of characters, but our focus is directed towards three: Kevin Crepitus (a.k.a. Gerney), a middle class, car salesman who is addicted to gonine (a cocaine-like substance), and is reaching for, if not achieving a steady level of mediocrity, and constantly chasing after other men\u2019s women (knowing full well that he will never have them); Amy Arsenault, a sociopathic, sexual manipulator who is an instrumental driving force in the plot; and lastly, Fish, the symbolic representation of the extreme devolution of humanity when you are so consumed in a technocratic society, to the point that you mentally lose your humanity and devolve into a subhuman state.<\/p>\n

The reader is presented with these intersecting narratives and versions of the their truth in a world that is speeding increasingly towards an information apocalypse\u2014in a world that lacks the necessary resources to comfortably sustain human life, and information is in a constant state of accessibility (moving increasingly towards overload<\/em>) the nature of humanity shifts, and the characters reach a sort of sub-human state, turning to drugs to create an alternate reality that is more \u201creal\u201d than actual reality, becoming manipulative sociopaths (because the only way to exist in a society where you have no control over your own reality and the information stream you receive, is to control others reality), or become a fish\u2014loosing all reality, and devolving entirely. \u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not often easy to read a book that forces you to think, but that is exactly what Mr. Bramble\u2019s novel does. It forces you to examine the amount of information you receive on a daily basis, and how you are receiving it. We are steadily moving towards the kind of society that Mr. Bramble describes, and it is becoming easier and easier to witness the backwards progression of humanity as we receive a constant stream of information from a multitude of sources.<\/p>\n

I must admit that I have a penchant for cynicism, so novels and plots that present a less than desirable state of humanity\u2019s future, I tend to enjoy, but even if the potential relapse of humanity is not your usual choice for fictional reading, Mr. Bramble\u2019s book is definitely worth the read. It has moments of insight about the human condition that most, if not all, 26-year-olds have no concept of; the plot is elaborate and captivating; and the twists and surprises that reveal themselves continuously leave you not wanting to put the book down.<\/p>\n

Admittedly, I had my reservations initially about the spectrum and depth of Mr. Bramble\u2019s female characters\u2014I made a quick and initial judgment while only half way through the book, not giving his writing and ability for character development the due praise it deserves. My initial thoughts were that his female characters had no autonomy\u2014that they were intimately linked to the men in their lives, and that without that masculine counterpart, they would be dull, flat, and lacking the depth that is necessary to connect with a fictitious character.<\/p>\n

{loadposition latestlife}But, as I continued reading, I found myself falling in love with the deviancy of the females in the novel, and I consistently found myself cheering for them, especially Amy, even though their place in the plot is\u2026less than honorable. What I discovered, is that in a city, in a world that is void of natural resources, or any sort of connection to nature in general, women become the symbolic representation of the depravity of human dependence or worship of technological advancement over nature, placing them in the powerful position of the destructive force, revealing the backwards progression of humanity. When women are sources of destruction, abdicating their usual role of creator, the importance that technology has taken over nature is the source of the apocalyptic overload. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Not only is Mr. Bramble a talented writer, but he is also a Long Beach local. Take part in the talent and creativity that Long Beach natives have to offer, and give Grid City Overload<\/em> a read. The plot, character development, and various surprises will not leave you disappointed.<\/p>\n

Grid City Overload is currently available on Amazon<\/a> and Barnes & Noble in paperback<\/a>; it can also be found locally at Fingerprints, Portfolio Coffeehouse, and Apostrophe Books.<\/em><\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Just like every other generation of humanity, we are probably not the last generation though we so easily claim we live in the “End Times.” But in Steven Bramble\u2019s sophomore novel, Grid City Overload<\/em><\/a>, the \u201cEnd Times\u201d come not in the form of absolute apocalyptic destruction, but of the devolution of the very nature of humanity that is accompanied by the so-called progression of a technological immersion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":69001,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1272,1670],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-3767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","tag-literature","tag-steven-bramble","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3767"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3767\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3767"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=3767"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=3767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}