Daniel Jee / Edge columnist
‘Radicalized’ is a collection of novellas by Canadian-British writer Cory Doctorow, published in 2019. The novel deals with what happens when the main characters of the four stories that make up the novel face different difficulties or problems.
The novella, ‘Unauthored Bread’, is the story of Salima, a refugee immigrant, who is jailbreaking all the appliances that accept only authored or approved materials (bread for a toaster, detergents for dishwasher, etc.) in her apartment, which come with low-income housing, when her toaster and dishwasher stopped.
In ‘Model Minority,’ the superhero American Eagle, reminiscent of Superman, faces difficulties in finding justice for innocent victims abused by racist police.
The book’s title, ‘Radicalized’, is about what happens when Joe’s insurance company says they will no longer pay for cancer treatments for his wife, and he finds a dark forum on the Internet which is something life-changing.
‘The Masque of the Red Death’ is a story that takes place when Martin Mars, who is perfectly prepared for the great collapse of a society, finds the world is not going to fall apart as he expected.
The setting of this novel is the present and near-future world. It raises the interest of the story by putting dystopian elements into realistic stories that may occur in the complete capitalist world of the 21st century. Readers can immerse themselves in and enjoy the characters in the dramatic and somewhat realistic stories. Also, the surprising elements that deviate from the cliché allow the readers to explore the world with the main characters.
Each of the novels deals with techno-cultural issues, such as the economically divided social class, anti-black police violence, the inhumanity of health insurance companies, and the tendency to regard themselves as superior in social Darwinism. This book ‘Radicalized’ captures the uncertainties and everyday biases that people experience humorously without playing with too many clichés. Although the novellas are not connected to each other and each stands on their own feet, the intertwined themes that are occurring in the current society work together to unite and make ‘Radicalized‘ a powerful collection.
The book has an unusual structure by incorporating different themes into each of the four novels. This unfamiliar structure of four stories in a book gives readers a new feeling by describing various pictures, but for some, the story can feel a little rushed and cut off as short as it is. This leaves some regrets about this book.
This novel is a fresh book that brings traditional sci-fi out of its comfort zone. The novel is recommended for readers who want to explore the creative settings of people and society in the present or near future. The stories of novel that humorously and radically introduce the different passions and worries of various classes crashing into the system of society will surely capture the hearts of readers.
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