I usually enjoy dystopian novels, but I found this one somewhat confusing and strangely paced.
America has been rendered partially uninhabitable by a series of unknown events, and a portion of the remaining population have been resituated in the new capital in Nebraska. Within the walls of the city, food, shelter, entertainment, and drugs are provided to keep people calm and controllable, but outside of the city is another story.
The beginning of the book was a great introduction, well paced, realistic, and providing a thorough insight into what life feels like in the capital. However, once Thomas leaves the confines of the capital, the story becomes disjointed and difficult to follow. Characters motivations are unclear and this makes them difficult to relate to.
Overall, a good start, but a disappointing ending.

The Leviathan Corporation controls all! Well, at least in a dystopian Omaha it does. This is where we meet elite Tom Stout, and where there's always a synthetic drug for that. For what, you ask? For EVERYTHING. People are sedated, to the point they're mere ghosts of themselves and unaware of how they're stuck in this spin cycle of mind-controlled compliance.

Tom has the potential to be a good person, but drugged and led around, he's unwittingly part of the problem. Then some serious stuff happens, people die, and Tom gets WOKE. Snatched out of his sedated life in the city, and sobered up, he begins to discover all the things going on outside Omaha that no insiders were meant to know.

There are some interesting things going on that hit a little close to home if you're currently watching the Border Wars between the US and Mexico in the real world, though Populace dished up the Wall Wars with a twist. And there are some pretty freaky things going on that could be straight out of The Matrix -- people being drugged and mind-controlled into thinking their world is better and different from the crap it actually is, people who are certain Tom is a chosen one to right Leviathan's many wrongs, an oracle who is certain Tom is no one special, etc.

The quest Tom goes on is mind-blowing and at times hard to follow (I'm still not sure about the climate/jump back 10k years thing), but it's a cool adventure from Omaha to Kentucky to the desert to Mexico, and all over the continent. In his journeys, he begins to find out the truth -- both about himself and about his country -- and it isn't pretty.

I received this title from Netgalley in return for an honest review, and I apprciate the opportunity to read it.

While I am a big fan of the dystopian genre, it's gotten increasingly crowded and thus derivative in the last ten years or so. While there are some interesting new ideas here, the tone and the character development are lacking. There are too many characters and when it comes down to it, we don't have enough time with any one set to really care about them. In addition, there are too many issues being addressed, power, pharmaceutical manipulation, time travel (kind of?) and environmental issues. It's just too much. Again, it's hard to care, instead you just feel inundated, overwhelmed and hopeless. If that was Wilson's intent, they succeeded, but I'm not sure it will make anyone want to read it, or make any different in our world.

This is interesting, but didn't hold my attention for the entirety. It tells the tale of a dystopian United States following nuclear disasters. Following one man across the barrier on a mission from the government, the tale brings the reader along a journey of discovery about hi world and his place in it. It's an interesting concept and a solid story which doesn't reinvent the wheel. There's a dash of Orwell and some good sullen darkness in the storytelling.

I was drawn to this title because the cover had a stark image on it, and I love a good story of humanity's warped future.
This book was okay (hence the two stars) but it seemed to have several muddled things going on. There was the environmental part of the story, which focussed on a technology that "chrono-mapped" the land to how it was 10,000 years ago (I guess it's like terra-forming). And there was the "evil corporation drugging people" story line too.
I thought the "evil corporation" side of things was more interesting than the eco-warrior part. It was very Brave New World, but I liked the aspect of the suppressed emotions and how the main character, Tom, felt the things he wanted to feel through a cocktail of drugs. When he was weaned off them, I liked his reactions to the new (and real) emotions he was feeling. Also, the idea of supressing sexual urges with a drug, and then taking another drug to bring on the urges had a sort of black comedy to it. I also liked that it was set in Omaha rather than one of the more world-famous US cities.
Although these aspects of the story were interesting, I wasn't drawn into the story. I found it confusing sometimes...such as the flashback sections. Often I found myself confused about what was going on, only for it to be revealed that it was a flashback. It just meant I felt wrong-footed while reading. I think the story has a definite potential, but I found the style too juddering for my taste.

Much like the blurb provided by Goodreads says, Populace starts with a distinct Orwellian type future.

A series of unknown events leads to the major cities of the United States being wiped out in a series of nuclear blasts. With those cities and the surrounding areas unlivable, a new capital is created - in Omaha, Nebraska. Those who reside inside the walls are cared for to an extent; food, shelter, and entertainment are all provided for by the Leviathan Corporation. Drugs are also provided in untold quantities to keep the population calm and therefore controllable. The people of Omaha do not question their lot in life, they simply exist, living moment to moment.

Thomas Stout is one of these individuals. Working for Leviathan in one of their countless buildings, he is little more than a face in the crowd. He begins to question his place in and purpose in Leviathan, but unlike the protagonist in Orwell's 1984, Thomas is not tortured but is instead given a seemingly random mission. He is sent in to the wild unknown beyond the walls around Omaha; his mission to capture Public Enemy Number One, Joe Ikowski.

Populace is an odd book. There are portions that feel very probable, as if they could possibly happen in the future, while others seem completely random. The beginning of the book, before Thomas leaves Omaha, is well written. Nicely paced, the prose gives a feeling of the drabness that certainly surrounds the characters on a daily basis.

Once Thomas leaves the city though, the story tends to go off the rails. The writing becomes disjointed and at times I found it difficult to keep track of who was where and doing what. Also, Wilson does not always provide full details on the characters, what their motivation is, etc. and doing this left gaps in the story. And while certain revelations at the end supposedly fill in those gaps, I found it rather unsatisfactory.

On the whole, Populace was a good idea with maybe not the best execution. Fans of dystopian type futures could enjoy it but this book definitely isn't for everyone.

I can honestly picture this scenario coming true. Medicine, prescription only for my purpose, is a huge important part of society. Being drugged up daily is already real for many. I think this story is easier to understand if you've experienced medicine, so to speak, first hand. While Populace is not for everyone, I personally deem it worthwhile based on my own experiences.

I don't have much to say about this book except that it wasn't for me. Maybe I didn't read the description carefully enough. I was well written, but I just wasn't interested in a society that was drugged 24/7, and I had trouble getting past that.

I really struggled to give this book a rating! It was interesting to have a dystopian plot where a country reverts back to wilderness instead of becoming a wasteland. However, I don’t think the author would want that to be my biggest take away from this book.
The writing felt disjointed at times and seemed to lurch about all over the place. A lot of stereotypical “sidekicks” and an ending that left me feeling more confused than anything else.

The story line was well developed and I found the protagonist's perspective highly compelling. This is one of the best works I've come across recently in the near-futuristic dystopian fiction genre.

I am a huge fan of dystopian fiction, but have to say this book is a little disappointing (only my opinion). The United States does not exist anymore, only a huge corporation, Leviathan, in control. The writing seemed a little disjointed, leaving gaps in the story.

Quite an odd book, this one, and I'm wavering between 3 and 4 stars. Basic premise is that life as we know it is long over and we follow Tom, who lives in a drug-reliant city working for the company as he gets out of the city, off the drugs, and discovers what is left of the 'real' world out there. It was written in a very deliberate tone of voice and this gave it an interesting feel, a very thoughtful book, but overall was quite depressing in the way it showed how many people believe their way is the only way to fix the world, and everyone else is the monster. There's a small cast of fairly interesting characters but nobody really reveals themselves fully, so it's quite difficult to warm to anybody. Overall I enjoyed a lot of the ideas, the assorted ways of showing the opiates for the masses and the thought of the time-rewind, but I sometimes felt a little lost. As did our 'hero' of the story, so I guess that's perfectly fine. I liked the book, it made me think, but I don't know anyone I'd actively recommend it to over other books of a similar nature. I personally am glad I've read it, though.

I received this title from Netgalley in return for a review, and my thanks for the opportunity to read it.

I tried very hard to get through this book. I do wanted to like it. But, after trying over and over, I just could not get more than a 1/4 into it. Confusing, the characters, and I don't like having to go back repeatedly to figure out who is doing what. I felt I needed a pad of paper to keep up. I want to read to escape, not become frustrated. Maybe others love the book. I'm sorry but I dont.

In a new society, science has changed the landscape as well as the minds of the people. The USA as we know it no longer exists, just a large corporately controlled mega city, surrounded by the wilds. Leviathan runs what’s left of the USA, providing everything its population could require, including “better” living through chemistry.

Tom doesn’t know that anything exists beyond the city, to him the city IS the entire world. Until he is recruited by Leviathan to go out into the wilds and capture the larges enemy of the state. Tom is left to learn several versions of the truth about the world, the country and his own existence.

The novel contained some really great elements, some futuristic components and some nods to the possible slippery slope of modern society. It didn’t quite gel for me, however. Perhaps purposefully, none of the characters were particularly likable and the bridge to the back story never quite solidified.

In true dystopian fashion, it does leave the reader with some interesting what-if’s.

After a series of nuclear attacks that wiped out Washington DC, New York City, and Los Angeles, the New United States of America formed in Omaha, Nebraska. Roger Wilkins, President, is also CEO of the most powerful company, the Leviathan Corporation. They keep the populace compliant through a diet of synthetic drugs and fear, not to mention a chip implanted at the base of their neck that will explode if they leave the city. Most of the population lives in ghettos with their food and necessities provided by the government, but Tom Stout is an elite. He is one of the few real people who work in the Communications Department, and his status affords him an apartment overlooking the bread line--to remind him of his roots--and a beautiful, wealthy fiancee. A personal meeting with Wilkins himself elevates his ambition.

But in this cocoon of safety, a shattering act of violence propels Tom out of the city. Roger tasks him with finding terrorist and traitor Joe Ikowski, responsible for inventing a device that has killed thousands. With a band of Immortals, a highly trained team of elite soldiers, Tom journeys to underground caves in Kentucky. His quest takes him to the Arizona desert, Mexico, and the Rocky Mountains. Without synthetic drugs to dull his mind, he experiences emotions for the first time, developing friendships, testing loyalties, and questioning the authority of the government. During his trek across what was once America, Tom begins to learn the unthinkable truth of his country and the origin of his own identity. With its indictment of current policies, Populace stands as a cautionary tale, but it is also a rollicking read with interesting and unexpected turns.

What I liked best about the book was the story which captured my attention and appealed to my interest in dystopias and science fiction. It incorporates several common aspects of such work but combines them in novel ways. It was also interesting to see the "old" United States through the eyes of Tom, who yearned for it, and Mike, who had lived in it. These perspectives provide a lens for the readers to consider issues currently facing society--income inequality, hunger, and climate change, for example. Wilson incorporated some current political issues to humorous effect; in one scene, the Mexican government is worried about refugees and wants Leviathan to pay for a wall. More serious are the different ways that governments use to control the populace and maintain power despite a near-universal desire for freedom. The extent to which people have a choice in their subjugation is a question that lingers after the book ends.

A few facets of the book were problematic. I found a few inconsistencies in plot. Additionally, at times, the dialogue was awkward and stiff. One particular device reminded me so much of Matrix Reloaded that I found myself distracted. The biggest problem in the book, though, is the treatment of women. I could see an argument being made that in a hierarchical, highly controlled society, gender divisions would become more rigid, and in presenting gender in this way, the author is attacking such structures. However, I don't think that's what is happening here. For example, all the Immortals are men as are the dronewalker pilots. Including female soldiers and pilots would have enriched the book and promoted diversity. Likewise, in the Rabbit Hole, a brothel, the prostitutes, at least those mentioned, are all women adhering to an idealized type. To me, this represents a missed opportunity and decreased my overall enjoyment of the novel. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the novel. I did like it and would recommend it to others who appreciate dystopian fiction. I just think it had even more potential.

I love dystopias so much, I’m even prepared to try random new authors in the name of finding a different way the world ends. This one was a disappointment, though. Some interesting ideas here and there, but nothing revolutionary. The USA as we know it is no longer, instead there’s an enclave of heavily sedated, dumb sedentary individuals in Omaha controlled by a Leviathan conglomerate. But the world outside remains and evolves and it takes a clean and sober mind to discover…and thus begins a quest of heroic proportions. This book got such raving reviews from other readers and I’m such a fan of the genre, I’m actually quite surprised I didn’t like it more. This has to be analyzed…was it the tone? The tone was obviously deliberate in its precision, but to me it sounded like something read out by a computer instead of a real person. The world building was quite good, but not balanced with character development. There was also a disjointed quality to the narrative and the way the chapters alternated. Didn’t really care about the characters or the action, for all the imagination that went into this, it sort of mainly inspired indifference. All the lofty comparisons to much more famous and far superior dystopian works seem…ambitious, but inaccurate. Some interesting ideas, some original ideas (time reset is a pretty awesome concept), decent writing, but overall didn’t work for me. In fact, it’s already fading from memory. Very quick read though, 210 minutes for 385 pages, so there’s that. Plus some clever parallels to modern world right out of the news…wall, anyone. So yeah, you might love this, seems mostly everyone did. Thanks Netgalley.