Dystopian fiction is not my usual go to genre but I'm so pleased I gave this one a go. Bindiya Scharfer has written a world that we can only dream of, where race is no longer an issue. Climate change has ravaged the world and the Millennial war is a thing of the past. With a young missing girl, from a minority group, the mystery is apparent from the beginning. I enjoyed seeing how everything unravelled and all the different characters that were introduced. I did feel there were a few loose ends that weren't tied up so I am hoping there will be a sequel.

An almost too believable vision of the future as we struggle to come to terms with our past and present. Deftly dealing with white supremacist fears stemming from the fact that POC are conceiving at a faster rate than white people in the US.

An excellent read.

4.5 stars rounded up

Bindiya Schaefer’s debut book was a surprising gem, delivering a uniquely captivating story packed with drama in a dystopian future. Not so underlying in all the drama is an indictment on how we racially see and treat others in our World today. Corinth 2642 AD is a wonderful mix of a dystopian thriller, with contemporary social messages and a plot full of mystery, suspense and danger.

The decades and centuries leading to 2642 AD have witnessed a devasting war that claimed millions of lives, a climate crisis ravaging the globe, technology advances, globalisation, and consolidation of ethnicity, to a generation known as One World. Several colonies decided that pure white communities would not mix, and over the ages, they have developed hidden from One World engagement.

Jimmy Matoo is a private investigator in San Francisco and is approached by Julius Bull-Smith, the leader of the seven US colonies, to find his missing granddaughter Cara. Initially, Jimmy rejects the offer but is informed that his brother was killed outside the Corinth colony in Oregon the same night Cara disappeared. Two mysteries are now at play in this pacy investigation that will tear into the prejudices and controls of the white supremacy cult. The population issues, breeding limitations, and growing infertility of the colonies are of major concern to the leaders. Their response is to arrange marriages and pregnancies—a strong motivation for a young girl to skip town.

One noteworthy takeaway from this book is that with so many major societal issues at play, and a double mystery to solve, maintaining a balance of the multiple threads and keeping nail-biting suspense would be complicated. All aspects work brilliantly to build a believable dystopian world, and never once did it feel disjointed or overwhelming.

When Matoo gets inside Corinth and stays with Bull’s family, the subtleties and not so subtle forms of racism are wonderfully painted. While generally unlikeable, the characters, except for Matoo, are well-drawn and convey the colony’s atmosphere. The varying degrees of mistrust, cynicism, and repulsion with the Bull family towards Matoo reflect our World today but are essential to driving the story’s peril and suspense. Even though they know Matoo is helping them, the years of white racist prejudices cannot bring themselves to treat Matoo as an equal. It reminded me of the fable of the Frog and the Scorpion.

I would recommend Corinth 2642 AD to any readers who enjoy science fiction, thrillers, investigative mysteries, dystopian settings, contemporary challenges, and action. I want to thank Bindiya Schaefer, GenZ Publishing and NetGalley for providing a free ARC in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was very fast paced and easy to understand. The plot was also very interesting and unique. I wasn’t really sure of what to expect from this book except for a dystopian world but this offered so much more.

The characters in this book was amazing to read about. I loved the main character, Jimmy. He was very calm and level headed especially when dealing with certain individuals. The other characters in this book were very entertaining. It was interesting to hear their different opinions about the world they live in.

The plot in this book was amazing. I have never read anything like this before. I thought it was a book which highlighted racism and violence. These themes are triggering but are important to the book. Some part of this book were uncomfortable to read but this made the book feel very real to me.

I love how the author brought the book to life through both the characters and the book. I found this book to be a quick read for me and the events made the book fast paced. I did really enjoy this story, I am eager to know if this will be part of a series. There is so much potential at the end of the book to have more, which is a great sign!

I highly recommend this book to everyone, it was great!

This is a powerful scifi novel that takes a unique twist on the dystopian genre. The world-building is top-notch; while it takes a bit to be fully submersed, once there you stay there. I found the narration and writing style to be the highlights of the book. The way Schaefer interprets today's race issue into this future dystopian world was chilling and handled with such care. Highly recommended.

A dystopian future tale, missing person investigative thriller, and murder mystery all rolled into one! Lots of edge-of-your-seat, nail-biting action. This is the kind of novel that will keep you up into the wee hours because you cannot put it down. Trigger warning: the blatant, relentless racism of the antagonists makes this a difficult read at some points. This, if anything, makes the story relevant to our current times and is an important read—and cautionary tale—for everyone.

I really enjoyed reading this story. The plot was very interesting and the action was fast paced, each chapter ending in a little cliffhanger, so I couldn’t put the book down because I needed to know everything. There were some parts that were hard to read, but they are parts that makes sense to the story as well, and it really makes you think that the things we have issues with today are still around in the way future.

This was a very good and quick read. No spoilers from me but I will say this was one of the most original books I've read this year. I found it disturbing and a page-turner. I had a lot of feelings reading this and that to me, is always a point to the good. I'd recommend this to fans of speculative fiction. I would read another by Schaefer.

Many thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed Corinth 2642 AD. It had great world building and I loved have the characters moved and navigated the world. The characters was unique and I loved how they interacted with each other.

In the far future, 2642 AD, the world has suffered through the Millennial war and ethnicity and racism have disappeared. But when Jimmy Matoo is approached by the first white man he's ever seen, he's finds out there are secret colonies of a white supremacist cult determined to become a majority again. Julius Bull is the leader of the colonies and the only one of his people to know about the world's technology. He wants Jimmy to find out what happened to his granddaughter Cara, who disappeared from the colonies. Jimmy refuses at first, until he finds out that his brother was killed right outside Corinth's borders on the night Cara disappeared. The only way to find out what really happened to his brother is to find Cara, but once he arrives there, he realizes he might be lucky to even escape with his own life.
I was amazed to find out this is the author's debut novel. The writing is excellent and I was drawn into the story from the first page. Just like Jimmy, I would be shocked and horrified that generations of children were forced into arranged marriages so young, their only value being the amount of children they could conceive. I'm hoping that the ending of this book was the hint of a sequel?!
I received an advance reader copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

Ms. Schaefer's debut is both a stunning and chilling look into the future of humankind. The world Schaefer has built for us is realistic, futuristic, and well-realized--something I think that is difficult to achieve within science fiction, let alone a debut novel! The main character, Jimmy Matoo, is both sympathetic and empathetic to read. The colony of Corinth's overt, blatant racism is realistic in its portrayal, and echoes the very racism we see in our current world. Overall, Schaefer's novel is powerful, and gripping.

If you love futuristic stories and politically relevant themes, this book is for YOU! For it to be by a debut author, I was stunned! @authorbindiyaschaefer You blew it out of the water! I can’t wait to see how you grow and progress as an author!

Thank you to GenZ Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

All quotes are taken from Corinth 2642 AD by Bindiya Schaefer.

// Content warnings: racism, racial attacks, torture, sexism, homophobia, murder, child death, abuse, cult, misogyny //

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// Quick Statistics //
Overall: 5/5 Stars
Plot: 5/5 Stars
Setting: 5/5 Stars
Characters: 5/5 Stars
Writing: 5/5 Stars
Memorability: 5/5 Stars

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// Quick Review //
Corinth 2642 AD is an imaginative, mysterious, and thoughtful novel that will left me stunned with its brilliant and complex characters, fantastic mystery, and real life implications.

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// Other Information //
Publisher: GenZ Publishing
Page Count: 296 pages
Release Date: September 21, 2021
Series: I am desperately hoping that Corinth 2642 AD will be a part of a series, but I cannot confirm or deny that it will be.
Genre: Fiction, Young adult, Adult, Mystery, Science fiction, Dystopian

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// Book Description (via Goodreads) //
In the year 2642, no one person is ethnically like the other. Globalization, war, and other catalysts have given birth to a diverse and multi-ethnic new world.

Not everyone feels this new society is ideal, though. A select group creates their own colony—a pureblood, white supremacist cult complete with arranged marriages and heavily guarded borders. Cara yearns to escape her life in the colonies. For as long as she could remember, the seven colonies, led by her imperial grandfather Julius Bull, have only had one mission: protect the bloodline from contamination and produce the next generation of survivors. So, Cara makes a run for it.

Desperate to keep her dissidence quiet for fear of potentially inciting a power struggle within the colonies, Bull brings in Jimmy Matoo—a Special Investigator from San Francisco whose brother was found dead near one of the colonies the same night Cara disappeared.

For Matoo, the visit to Corinth, Oregon, is eye-opening. He has never seen a white person before and is shocked by their ideas of imperialism, racial purity, and the prospect of arranged marriages in the 27th century. Desperate to find out what really happened to his brother and his connection to Corinth, Jimmy learns that dozens of young people, all destined for loveless, arranged marriages, have gone missing over the years, and some had been found dead on the outskirts of Corinth.

With the clock ticking, San Francisco’s Detective Matoo’s missing persons investigation soon becomes a fight for survival—turns out the residents don’t like a brown fellow in their midst. Can he find Cara, figure out what happened to his brother and save the Bull-Smiths from the Cabal before it’s too late? Maybe. But first, he must find out who in the colony has the means and connections to smuggle the dissidents out without being detected because it could be the difference between life and death.

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// Characters //
The novel follows the story of Jimmy Matoo, an ex SFPD Special Investigation employee, who is now working through the grief of losing both of his brothers, Vir and Aric. Jimmy is hired by Julius Bull, the leader of a hidden colony called Corinth. The Bull family (which includes Julius, Rebecca, Jonathan, Florence, Cara, and Isaac) is the prime example of what a family in Corinth should be: white, straight, cis, and breeding.

All of Schaefer’s characters were complex, unique, and real. While I cannot go into the complexity of each character without spoiling the novel or making this review look like an essay, I do want to say that the way in which Schaefer wrote her characters sets up the rest of the novel to be highly thought invoking and intriguing.

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// Writing and Setting //
The atmosphere of this novel is very heavy, realistic, and a darker reflection of our world. Schaefer’s writing perfectly brings this to life by being descriptive but not overbearing with details.

The world that Schaefer has created is phenomenal. The world outside of the colonies sounds like as close to a utopia as one can get. Outside of the colonies is One World, a world in which multiethnicity and diversity became a normal thing all over the world. Corinth and the other colonies were created by racist Caucasians to protect their bloodline from being ‘contaminated’ by the blood of non-white people. Corinth is a hellhole of misogyny, racism, and homophobia that I cannot even imagine spending one second in. The women in Corinth are essentially just baby-making machines. They’re limited on exercise, arranged to marry people, etc…. all just so the population of Corinth can rise.

However, here is an example of how diverse and accepting One World is, because I hate Corinth after spending an entire novel there:

"People no longer identified themselves by ethnicity. We were no longer Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, or biracial. We had become a beautiful multiracial generation. A generation that came to be known as One World."

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// Plot //
As I mentioned, Matoo is hired by Julius Bull to come to Corinth. For what, you may be asking? Well, Bull’s granddaughter Cara, golden child and role model for Corinth, ran away from the ugly home she had endured for the entirety of her teen years. I’m just saying, I would do the same. But for Bull, this is potentially scandalous. If they don’t get Cara back, Bull’s power in the colonies could be challenged even more than they already are.

Matoo accepts the job despite Bull’s obvious prejudices because of the fact that Bull has information regarding his brother, Vir’s, recent death for which Matoo has no explanation. When he arrives in Corinth, Matoo is met with situations he has never faced, people who hate him, and a need to discover the spiderweb that is Corinth.

Corinth 2642 AD is fast paced and never with a dull moment.

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// Overall Review //
The world-building, characters, and plot are all perfectly combined to create an expertly reflective novel that I hope will have a sequel. I need to know, I really do.

This is the debut novel of the author, although instead it felt the amazing writing skills since paragraph one. And that was all I needed to decide if the book I was starting to read had one of the most outstanding plots I've ever read, its first paragraph.
Such a neat and impressive job.
I will be waiting for book two. I require a series to finish this story.

Schaefer's debut novel is one you don't want to miss. This is an impossible to put down book that will keep you wanting to read more.

** Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for giving me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. **

This book had me on the edge of my seat, I honestly can’t wait until One World is a thing. Reading this book shocked me that there might still be bigotry in the future. I loved this book and the storyline, it was immersive and very believable.

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was soooo unexpected! I haven't read a dystopian in such a long time because the genre lost my interest, but this book brought me back in. It was original, suspenseful, and mysterious til the very end. I think the ending was set up perfectly for a sequel, which I would definitely read.
One of my favorite things about this book is the obvious work that went into the world-building. From the very beginning I had a pretty good idea of what life, technology, and society looked like in 2642, which I appreciated. That meant I could focus on the actual mystery of the book. I really liked Detective Matoo's character and the pieces of history he mentioned throughout the story, I think it makes the story seem so tangible.
Overall, I really liked this book. I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys historical fiction, true crime, and dystopian novels. I look forward to reading more from Bindiya Schaefer!

Trigger warnings: General violence, Infertility, Violence against children, Gore, Racism, Racial attack, Torture, Sexism, Abuse, Cult, Grief.

The first time I've known about this book I was so intrigued about it and I've got no regrets about picking this book up. This is definitely a 4 star read for me. I loved the concept of it and the writing. It was well thought of and the icing on the top was the mystery in the story as well. It kept me flipping through the pages. I really hope that a lot of people will get to pick this book up and help it be successful. It has the potential to be a film or a series. I highly recommend this book because it's fast-paced and it dives into action right away. Kudos to Bindiya Schaefer for creating this Corinth 2642 AD.

Thank you so much to #NetGalley, #BindiyaSchaefer, and #GenZPublishing, Zenith for providing a digital advanced reader's copy of #Corinth2642AD in exchange for a genuine review.

I voluntarily received an eArc via NetGally in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Corinth is a Science Fiction novel that draws inspiration and aspects from our own current day in an effort to tackle very heavy topics such as racism and sexism. Though uncomfortable at many points I do believe the author handled the subjects pretty well. The idea of Corinth and the other communities like it in this novel terrify me.

Though not my usual type of read I found it a quick and easy read even though it was tackling hard topics. The main character was quite enjoyable to get to know and was a good utilization of a 'fish out of water trope.' I can't say all the characters were because... well they are a bit problematic. I think my true rating would be around a 3.5/3.75 but I'm going to round it up to a 4 because though its not a perfect book for me, I think it could be for someone else.


TW: Sexism, Racism (including derogatory terms), violence, lack of body autonomy.

*Trigger Warnings*
Racism, Racial Attacks, Torture, Sexism, Murder, Child death, Abuse, Cult,
In the year 2642, no one person is ethnically like the other. Globalization, war, and other catalysts have given birth to a diverse and multi-ethnic new world. However, not everyone is a fan of this new world and a select group creates their own colony—a pureblood, white supremacist cult complete with arranged marriages and heavily guarded borders. But children are escaping from the colonies. When the leader's granddaughter disappears he brings in Jimmy Matoo—a Special Investigator from San Francisco, who has never seen a white person before, whose brother was found dead near one of the colonies the same night Cara disappeared. Jimmy learns about the strange ways of Corinth, Oregan and about the disappearances of children who wind up dead at the borders

Can he find Cara, figure out what happened to his brother and save the Bull-Smiths from the Cabal before it’s too late? Maybe. But first, he must find out who in the colony has the means and connections to smuggle the dissidents out without being detected because it could be the difference between life and death.

I really enjoyed this book the pacing is good and the plot and execution are both intriguing. I liked the characters and the portrayal of the people in The Colonies was interesting. I loved the world building and the concept of the One World where everyone has been bought together and people are fighting to protect that and help the colonies, however, some of the explanations of new technologies felt a bit like an info dump rather than showing us how they worked, this was also the same for some of the other facts that were given to us that also felt like an info dump, necessary but could have been shown rather than told.

The tension is well done and the relationships between the characters are interesting but could have been explored more. The characters other than Jimmy and Evie felt a bit lacking and I wish they had been explored a bit further.
Also the amount of "these characters are just racist" was a bit much at some point, the fact they grew up in a cult were indoctrinated, just found out about the murder of their father and grandfather is never really looked at when regarding their actions just they are racist end of, which particularly regarding Florence seems a bit weird.

However, despite the writing bring good overall there are instances where there is too much explanation for things that didn't need explanation which pulled me out of the story and made me feel like the author didn't trust the reader to figure things out unless they were told directly.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more by this author in the future