FKA USA – Reed King
100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: In the late-21st Century, the location formerly known as the United States of America is a patchwork of independent countries controlled by business conglomerates and foreign interests. Truckee Wallace, a low-level employee at a processed food manufacturer, is tasked with depositing a valuable good on the West Coast and takes us along as he traverses the mostly desolate — and depraved — landscape destroyed by global warming, pandemics and civil war.
Expectation: A dystopian mashup of “The Road,” “Mad Max” and “Ready Player One.”
Reality: One of the top three worst books I’ve ever finished.
Recommended For: No one, really, unless you’re a big fan of dystopia through the lens of sophomoric language and scenarios.
Why I Read It: In the summer of 2019, Entertainment Weekly did a feature on three dystopian must-reads. The list included “FKA USA,” “The Warehouse” by Rob Hart, “Hollow Kingdom” by Kira Jane Buxton. Only “The Warehouse” was worth the time.
My take:
“FKA USA” could have been a pitch-perfect dystopian adventure with the right amount of dark humor and uncanny parallels to the shit show that is 2020. Instead it is a "The Wizard of Oz" meets "Ready Player One," rip-off through the lens of 16-year-old boy humor and Syfy network made-for-TV movie dialogue.
No wonder the mysterious TV writer that penned it (my money is on Joss Whedon) used a pseudonym. I’d be embarrassed to have birthed this garbage too.
I have no problem giving up on books, but I’m less eager to DNF when it’s one in my library. “FKA USA” kept giving me glimmers of hope only to let them shatter with the next fart joke or reference to a sexbot. This was a huge distraction to the more creative and unique aspects of the story.
While I probably shouldn’t spend too much time reviewing a book I didn’t like, here’s a few things I did enjoy:
Barnaby, the goat: I’m a sucker for talking animals, and Barnaby was easily the best thing about this book. His existence drives the plot, and he’s the only character you root for. The scene where a group of Satan worshipping cannibals think he’s the Dark Lord was the perfect blend of humor, religious commentary and madcap antics that, if sustained throughout, would’ve made “FKA USA” a clever entry into the dystopian genre.
The interludes: There are six interludes that dive deeper into the existence of both major and minor characters. Initially they seemed outliers, but in reality, they provide the lived-in experience of FKA USA. It’s the only true emotion found in the story, and shows the author knows how to write real characters, he/she just chose not too.
The vision of the lands FKA USA: There are some truly creative ideas of what happens to the United States. From corporate controlled countries (HR becomes the police force) to Texas as one large prison and Alaska as an Atlantis floating in the Pacific. The author certainly had a big vision, just poor execution.
Which leads me to the reasons I loathed this book:
The structure: The novel is set up as a memoir of the main character, Truckee Wallace. The “editor” inserts footnotes throughout to the provide the reader with the social, political and historical context. Yes, the ideas are creative, but it was annoying to jump back and forth between the story and a footnote. This often happened a dozen times per chapter and effectively killed any narrative momentum. It shows the mythology was created first and a plot developed to work around it.
The grammar: It drove me crazy that everything was “could of” or “would of” instead of the proper “could have” or “would have” in most scenarios. I know this is nitpicky, but it was so distracting!
The tone: Or lack thereof. It alternated so frequently from deadly serious to obnoxiously moronic. Ultimately, I still don’t know what kind of book this is trying to be — comedy? Dramedy? Allegory? Parable? All of them?
Unless you absolutely love dystopia, talking animals, fart jokes, political intrigue, a non-traditional format and are so eager for "Ready Player Two" you need something to tide you over, then — and only then — should you read "FKA USA." Everyone else can give this one a HARD pass.
Rating (story): 1/5 stars
Rating (narration): N/A
Format: E-book (personal library)
Dates read: August 12 – October 4, 2020
Multi-tasking: N/A
