Just read for a few before I turn out the lights. Sure, it'll be relaxing!

*3 hours later*

Still swiping my Kindle screen as fast as I can absorb it. I've been a fan of Rob's since his first series and he has outdone himself with this tale of what feels like the not too distant future. Where we become assets of our corporate overlords. We are either labor or consumers and sometimes both.

As a kid, my dad took me on a tour through an old "company town" where you worked for the lumber mill, rented your house from the lumber mill, shopped in the company store, and had a bill at the end of the month. You traded your life, youth, and labor for food and shelter and nothing more.

And we thought this was history because society is now so "woke" and enlightened.

A ripping good tale where you feel the despair as soon as you get off the bus and are part of the first winnowing - do you want it bad enough to run for it? There is no last place in The Cloud.

Be the first one to read this . . . .

Let's face it, we all know what corporation this is meant to skewer. It's told from the viewpoints of Paxton, who lost his business to the Cloud and now works for it, Zinnia, who is a spy in the machine, and Gibson, the founder who is now dying of cancer. Everything you thought you knew about working for a megacorporation is here- and more. This is an up or out organization which sucks the workers dry and then spits them out if they can't keep up. Everything about their lives is tied to the Cloud; they aren't paid in money but in credits. There's constant surveillance. Oh and drones. Gibson is delusional about how he changed the US. This is a a carefully layered and plotted novel - wonderfully written with two sympathetic and one loathsome character. It's also fascinating in its detail. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I liked this much more than I expected to. Read it and then go shop local!

This is a bit of a change for me compared to my normal sci-fi/fantasy. But I really enjoyed it. The setting is in the near future where climate change, violence and unemployment has completely changed the landscape of America and the world. A company, Cloud, is changing the dynamic of work and life. It is easy to make the jump that Cloud=Amazon. To have a job, people have to pretty much live at a MotherCloud campus. The story follows 3 characters; Paxon, a man who had a company that went under because of Cloud, Zinnia, a corporate spy that is working the biggest job of her life, and Gibson, the dying leader of Cloud. This is all about privacy, work/live balance and the roles that corporations have on our lives and how we, the public, are unknowingly “voting” for different things. This is definitely a must read if you are interested in economics and how corporations are part of our lives.

The Warehouse by Rob Hart.

I’ve had to continue to think about this one before writing my review. I really enjoyed the premise and plot. I loved Zinnia’s character and was anxious to figure out how she was going to pull this infiltration off in a world that seems to be monitoring and controlling your every move.

I enjoyed getting to know Paxton and getting a look inside his conflicting thoughts and emotions about what is right and wrong and how he should move forward.

It was a super interesting story and kept me interested and curious throughout the book.

However, at the “end” it left me wondering if I had missed something. I even questioned if my ARC perhaps was missing the final chapter(s) somehow. 😂😂😂 I kept thinking about Magpie Murders and how the ending was missing.

So in that aspect it left me frustrated and wondering if there’s going to be a book two to explain or continue.

The Warehouse was a fun read. A bit predictable (obvious plots from the beginning) and in my opinion the ending was a bit of a let down, but the rest was a fun fast paced read. It would have been nice to have some more character development along the way but I was enjoying the Cloud world development.

This will definitely translate well to film or tv if done right. Apparently it’s already been optioned so we will see. Tv would be a better choice here so as not to lose any of the details. Honesty the title is doing a disservice. Perhaps this should have been called MotherCloud, Cloud, Perfect Egg, or Oblivion.

This was a completely immersive book that I could NOT put down. Well plotted and written, with intriguing characters and an imagined future so chillingly possible that it will keep you awake at night. The possibilities and the repercussions are certain to spark discussion. Great choice for a book club read.

Wow! This book! I felt like I was reading a scary version of Amazon and the Cloud! I mean you never know right? I feel companies like Amazon, Disney, etc are taking over the world in their own ways. Don't come for me!

This book is told in three different POV's. Paxton gets hired on at Cloud as a security officer. He didn't want this particular job but with his history of being a prison guard, he got it anyway.

We have Zinnia and this is not her real name. She gets the job Paxton wants, just running around filling orders like a crazy person. Sounds so familiar. Zinnia and Paxton have a friendship etc.

Then we have Gibson who is the owner of Cloud. He tells his story and how he started Cloud through-out the book.

The Cloud is supposed to be helping people in the world with jobs and with being able to get help without leaving their homes. They even have schools and banks; it's rather creepy.

Through-out the book you find things are not as cozy as they seem. Zinnia is there on her own mission and she finds out some really, really disturbing stuff! DO NOT EAT THE CLOUDBURGERS! But there were little things I thought were gross and should have been taken care of in a world so perfect as this.

Oh and the employees have little homes, well cubicle like apartments they live in and they can upgrade if they save enough to afford it.

Anyway, I enjoyed the book, it creeped me out and I'm glad I have started to buy more things from actual stores again!

*I would like to thank Netgalley and the Publisher for asking me to review this book. All thoughts are my own.*

Happy Reading!

Mel ♥

Wow! This book was incredible. I can totally see this happening in real life which is mind numbingly terrifying. This book grabs you and shakes you and it's hard to let go off. A must read.

”We gave them control. When they decided to buy up the grocery stores, we let them. When they decided to take over farming operations, we let them. When they decided to take over media outlets, and the internet providers, and the cell phone companies, we let them. We were told it would mean better prices, because Cloud only cared about the customer. That the customer was family. But we’re not family. We are the food that big businesses eat to grow bigger.”

“That’s the thing about freedom. It’s yours until you give it up.”

“This is some supervillain bullshit.... You’re going to take over the world?”

Thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for sending me an ARC of The Warehouse in exchange for an honest review.

Set several decades from now, The Warehouse paints a logical picture of Amazon’s future, and in many ways America’s future too. Greater concentration of power in corporations. Driverless cars. People in prison for failing to pay student loans and mortgages. Drones. Climate change affecting where people can live to the point that we see the return of company towns. So yeah, it’s dystopian, but a realistic one.

The story is told from the perspective of three characters: Gibson Wells, the CEO of Amazon—I mean, of Cloud; Zinnia, a corporate spy hired to expose a secret behind Cloud; and Paxton, a former prison guard who comes to work at Cloud even though he blames Cloud for destroying his start up business. Paxton’s character is the one I found to be emotionally resonant. He is angry at Cloud, yet cannot help trying to succeed in his new job there. When he is disillusioned, you feel it. His first scene with Gibson is almost heartbreaking. He doesn’t drive the plot forward as much as the other two, but I imagine the story would feel cartoonish without him.

The writing was typical of a thriller, though in some places Mr. Hart very skillfully communicates the monotony of his character’s lives. A couple of the twists at the end stretched credibility, but the ending of the book was still the strongest part. The story moves fast, and is very entertaining, but at its core is a warning about unchecked corporate power that resonates. Recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rob Hart and Crown Publishing for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

Paxton never thought he’d be working at the Cloud, the giant tech company that has bought out the majority of businesses in America. At least he gets perks to the job, he will live in their facilities and compared to what’s left on the outside, it’s amazing. It’s better than what everyone else is offering. Zinnia never thought she’d be infiltrating the Cloud, but now she is inside undercover, risking it all to uncover their secrets. Paxton working in security may just be the perfect little pawn for Zinnia to get what she needs. Zinnia has to gamble everything on a desperate scheme that will risk both of their lives. They will both find out how far this company will go to make the world a better place.

I picked this one up because they were comparing it a bit to Recursion, which I really loved so I was excited to dig into something a bit out of my comfort zone. I found myself so interested right from the beginning and wanted to know more about the Cloud and what it was exactly that they did to keep the world going and employ so many people. I was so interested in how they kept everything working and how they kept everyone happy. There are a few really good twists in this novel that I really enjoyed! I did find the middle a bit long, but it does serve a purpose and the lead up to the ending was amazing! I was a bit let down by the ending, only because I wanted to know more about what happened to both of the main characters after everything that transpired! It’s a quite different and interesting read, definitely worth a try!

Out August 20th!

An enjoyable, plausible look at what life might look like in another 20 years with unchecked capitalism. Refreshingly, capitalism isn't treated as an unambiguous 'bad guy', and there are some indications of the good that that can come from large-scale capitalism, if it is in the hands of ethical people.

I really, really enjoyed this book. It took the current and somewhat controversial entity of Amazon and to it to an extreme what if place. The whole world Hart created was fascinating and detailed, and echoed strongly of where things are headed for the US today. He wrote interesting characters, giving them enough personality and drive to be believable. I'll definitely check out Hart's other stuff.

Imagine a world where Amazon controls pretty much everything (its really not hard to do, right?). They are the only large employer, and they have managed to put just about every other retail company out of business. Most folks who need employment have to head to their nearest Cloud center (Amazon = Cloud), apply, and hope against hope they are accepted. This is the fate of our two main protagonists, Zinnia and Paxton. Paxton wants more than anything to keep his head down until he can get patent money for his invention, a business that was going well until Cloud forced him out of business. Zinnia’s reasons for working at Cloud are a bit more inspired (it would depend on your perspective) as she’s been hired to try to take Cloud down from the inside. As Paxton and Zinnia are thrown together, both will come to realize that the Cloud was more insidious than they thought and they’ll have to sacrifice more than they’re comfortable with the bring it down.

I read this book right after watching John Oliver’s sendup of this sort of corporate culture and dang, Rob Hart did his research. His version of Amazon matches quite closely with what Oliver presents as the actual version of Amazon. I mean, it’s not great. Its really fascinating to read this near-future take on what Amazon and their ilk could mean for our country and economy as, like I said, this is a future that is really easy to imagine.

The book takes turn between Zinnia, Paxton and Gibson Wells’ (think Jeff Bezos) narratives. The characters are believable and likable enough (save Wells, but that’s obviously intentional) that I was not overly fond of one perspective over the other and never found myself racing through one perspective to get to a different one. Nonetheless, the book ends up being a quick read. It was sort of John Grisham meets Brave New World, and I was not mad about it. It’d make a fantastic movie, and clearly someone agrees with me as the author thanks Ron Howard and Bryan Glazer in his afterword.

If you are looking for a quick summer read that’ll make you think (but not too hard), this dystopian thriller will suit your needs. 4 stars – I really liked it!

Thanks to Crown and Netgalley for the free eARC which I received in exchange for an unbiased review. The Warehouse will be release on 20 August, and you can put your copy on hold today!

Distressing! This dystonia is very close to home. Like "Vox," by Christina Dalcher, it aptly explains how this world could become a reality. In fact, we may already be halfway there. Haunting and compelling.

Imagine if Amazon had wiped out almost all other retail, so that the only options left were to starve or work in one of Amazon's vast, city-like warehouses. In this tale of modern-day indentured servitude, the inhabitants of Cloud's warehouses across the country are trapped in a cycle of mind-numbing work and meaningless relationships. Deep in the bowels of Cloud's premier warehouse lurks Zinnia, who has been sent to Cloud by an unknown source to get inside the machine and see what makes it tick. Inadvertently aiding her in this mission is Paxton, a one-time prison security guard and failed small business owner who reaches a dead end at Cloud, and finds salvation from the mediocrity of Cloud life with Zinnia.

Fascinating precisely because it hits so close to home, Warehouse will make you think twice before you hit "add to cart."

The Warehouse
Rob Hart

Imagine a future where, because of violence and mass shootings, malls and larger department stores no longer exist. Everything you need can be ordered from a worldwide fulfillment facility called Cloud, the brainchild of Gibson Wells, a mad genius who is dying of cancer. It is not only the safest way to shop, but to work and live. Cloud has facilities all over the world. Employment at the Cloud is highly sought after because of a wonderful sense of security. One never really has to leave the Cloud. As Well's Cloud grows, he successfully privatizes more services supplied by the government – including the FAA.

Sounds ideal, yes? Well, maybe. Is it a utopia when your life is controlled by your employer? Or, is it a dystopia? Are you willing to sacrifice your freedom for comfort and security?

I read an ARC of this contemporary and frightening Orwellian thriller courtesy of NetGalley and Crown Books. I was completely captivated by the story and its characters . The pacing is taut throughout and Hart's writing is vivid and strong. It is easy to envision a blockbuster movie coming soon to a movie screen near you!

Paxton, a former prison guard whose small business was financially destroyed by the Cloud has really no choice but to take a security job with the Cloud. He meet and falls in love with Zinnia, a corporate spy with deadly skills whose employment at the Cloud is only a means to an end.  Together they try to unravel the secrets behind the Cloud and its founder Gibson Wells. What they discover could change the world. If they are allowed to live.

Hart successfully and seamlessly intertwines Paxton's and Zinnia' stories with that of Gibson Wells and everyday life in the Cloud. There is a lovely flow to the book's structure. Much Like H.G. Wells's The Shape of Things to Come: The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind, Hart's novel is eerily prescient in its presentation of a dystopian future - think the retail domination of Amazon.com and its forthcoming drone delivery. Think the current US administration and the slow death of our nation's urban spaces. One of the joys of reading The Warehouse is that the world Hart creates is thoroughly believable. It CAN happen here. I highly recommend the book , just be prepared to be reading until the early morning.

Part dystopian/part thriller but it doesn’t feel like there was a clear plot line or resolution. Well written but something was lacking, as if I couldn’t figure out the point of the novel.

This novel is a dystopian look at a world where a large, online corporation (Cloud) has taken over. The government is small and ineffectual with Cloud taking over more and more control.

This novel is told from three POV's: Paxton, Zinnia and Gibson. Paxton is an ex-CEO of his own personal company and an ex-prison guard. His company went under due to Cloud's pressuring him to keep lowering the price of his product until he could no longer make a profit and had to declare bankruptcy. I liked him at the beginning of the novel but by the end I disliked him. Paxton is just too complacent and too naive at the end.

Zinnia is a corporate spy who has been hired by a mysterious company to learn the secret of Cloud's energy production. I really, really liked her. Shes strong, resilient, feisty and caring. I wish her ending wasn't so ambiguous but it fit perfectly with the mood of the novel. I did not guess the truth behind the energy production, even when she first saw the room I had no idea what it could be.

Gibson is the CEO of Cloud. I LOVED HIM! He is portrayed perfectly: two-faced and egotistical with superficial charm. When he is off the record and show his delusions and goals: PERFECTLY PORTRAYED!

This is an excellent dystopian novel which could reflect the future if the world isn't careful. One of the best novels I've read in 2019. I would strongly suggest it to everyone.

Thank you to Bantam Pres and Netgalley for the ARC.

There were a lot of things I liked about this book...
- Zinnia is a badass character that I adored!
- The concept is amazing and (sadly) realistic.
- It's monotony makes you feel like you are walking right alongside the characters.
Things I hated...
- The monotony is necessary and relatable, but it's also really hard to trudge through.
- I hate unanswered questions...
of this there are many when the book abruptly ends.
That kind of shit drives me bananas.
Thank you NetGalley and Crown Publishing for my ARC.

Great book from Rob Hart. Smooth writing, not formulatic.
Great concept with well developed characters
Highly recommend!