Michelle Herbert reviews Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits by David Wong…
David Wong is mainly known for his first novel, John Dies at the End, and although there are similarities in his writing style, Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits is a more coherent story set in a whole new world, where zany events happen and no one blinks an eye. In this story, it could easily be set as a possible future for us, but if it is, I couldn’t tell you if this was 50 years in the future or much later.
Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits follows female protagonist Zoey Ashe’s journey as she finds herself being hunted for an inheritance that she never knew existed. With a contract out for her (which doesn’t seem to specify if she needs to be dead or alive), Zoey will have to work out who she can trust to help keep her alive. Zoey is a small town girl, who grew up in a trailer park with her Mother. Zoey never knew her Dad and when she found out he was a big time crook she made it clear she never wanted to hear from him again, but after his death, with hell breaking loose around her Zoey makes her way to her Father’s home in Tabula Ra$a, a futuristic city that is beyond anything that Zoey could have imagined.
Everything in Tabula Ra$a is bigger and better, life is lived to the extreme. It is a lawless city ruled by the rich and powerful, who decided they didn’t need to answer to the government and disbanded the police force. Zoey soon finds out that her father, Arthur Livingstone was one of the most powerful men in the city which has made Zoey the target she now finds herself to be. From the moment we meet her, Zoey is in danger, she is both helped and hindered by her father’s most trusted employees “The Suits”. The Suits make Zoey feel inadequate, although they need her alive to access Arthur’s will they treat her like an unruly asset rather than a useful ally, until they find out that Zoey has been left everything Arthur owned.
Zoey’s biggest flaw is that she puts herself down as much as the other characters do, it feels as if she is constantly validating their views of herself. Zoey is someone who has forgotten to dream, she just wants to survive and if that means running away with her cat Stench Machine, who is adorable and a character in his own right, then so be it. Zoey is also the lynchpin of the story and manages to inject humour into the novel with her own self-depreciation, as she is not smart or savvy about the modern world, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t strong in her own way, she just has more compassion that the average person in Tabula Ra$a.
The Suits, Arthur Livingstone employed are Will, Echo, Andre and Bill who all have their particular skills. Will is the leader, he always wears suits that seem to never wrinkle so he continually looks pressed, Will is the negotiator and dealmaker of the group. Echo is the only female suit, actual sex bomb, and self-taught computer whizz, Andre is the friendliest of the bunch and is the most connected amongst The Suits, if you need someone he will be able to find them, and finally there is Bill who looks like he should be in a Western and helps make people disappear. For all of their skills, this doesn’t make them likeable or trustworthy. You are always left wondering whether any of this group have Zoey’s best interests at heart.
The world Zoey grew up in is mostly analogous to our own, people still use cell phones, but the phones can now project holograms of the person speaking. Instead of twitter there is Blink, which can be seen as the successor to Google Glass, Twitter, and Periscope as it records and broadcasts what you see as you see it and if there is a breaking event it will blink from one feed to the next broadcasting the news as it happens from the best view. Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits morphs from a simple hunt the heiress story to one filled with violence when people start appearing who are more than human, beings who are able to shoot electricity from their fingers. Has human evolution made a giant leap or is this a technological advancement that will have huge consequences for humanity and what do they need Zoey for?
Throughout the book there are many moments of disbelief and actual fear that Zoey is truly in danger, it never feels as if the threats aren’t real as Zoey has to deal with horrifically scary moments. With Blink, Zoey is never able to feel safe or run away without someone recognising her, this allows her enemies to know exactly where she is at all times. With The Suits being both impeding and helping there are some ludicrous set pieces that really make this story shine.
Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits reads like a cinematic experience, that allows us to step into a world that is never too unrealistic as a possible future. Although there is a misogynist feel to the book it never condones it, rather it shows the world how it is, with violence towards women taken as something that can and does happen. The book is also full of fun pop references that show a divide between the older and younger generations and the humour balances the grim undercurrents of the book. If you liked other David Wong novels or even The Unnoticeables by Robert Brockway you will probably love this book. I really enjoyed this novel and was gripped by Zoey’s story, it felt like one of the events held in Tabula Ra$a, a roller coaster ride to the finish.
Michelle Herbert
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