A chilling vision of a society in the not-too-distant future that has recognized and openly practiced cannibalism. The novel USA 2084 by author Pjotr X was recently published by the still young publishing house Blutwut, which specializes in hardcore content. It tells the story of a 19-year-old girl who belongs to the so-called "Chicken" class. This means that it belongs to the age group from which 1% of all 19-year-olds are selected and approved for consumption. Attention: Not for the faint-hearted! The novel is approved for ages 18+.
The Publisher
Blutwut is a relatively newly founded publisher - created on April 1, 2018 - and wants to walk far away from the mainstream. It is dedicated to hardcore and offers very extreme content from the horror, thriller and erotic areas. In other words, the titles tell of excessive depictions of violence with a disgusting factor, which is not suitable for every person. I particularly like the fact that the publisher works with young German-speaking authors. Recently Blutwut published his first three novels, including USA 2084.
The fate of a normal 19 year old girl in 2084
In 2084 we will find a social life very different from ours. Above all, people are very open about sex and eroticism. What is frightening, however, is that human flesh is a delicacy. Since a world hunger crisis, people in some countries have been slaughtered and consumed by their own kind, although no longer necessary. The narrative takes place in the USA and reports on how the slaughter is regulated and applied there. One percent of a year group is slaughtered there as soon as the young people are 19 years old. For them it is normal, even very honorable, to be one of the elect.
With Jessica, a 19-year-old young adult, this year gets a face. Above all, the reader gets an insight into their thoughts on their situation, their life and their dreams. Your story starts on a class trip to visit one of the Human slaughterhouses. You get in directly and receive interesting information about how young people are currently ticking and what, for example, is “in”. The reader also learns about their thoughts before and after the selection for the so-called “battle kid”. Their story is mainly told, but general information about cannibalism in the world is also given in between.
Pleasant writing style and lots of details
The author Pjotr X is not only extremely resourceful, but also has a very appealing writing style. He uses a lot of adjectives and describes situations and things very skillfully. He always writes fluently and I find that very pleasant. Today's vulgar expressions are also used in our eyes, but they seem very normal at the time. The content and its ideas, on the other hand, are of a completely different caliber, namely extremely perverse. While the notion of state-ordered cannibalism is uncomfortable, I admire the author's ingenuity greatly.
Exciting until the end
The idea of reporting about a society that accepts and idealizes cannibalism would probably have been enough to arouse interest and get a reader to pick up the book. Because some people feel attracted by the unknown and also by prohibitions. But Pyotr X has also thought very carefully about how to convey the content and how to decorate it. Be it the description of society, how it deals with sexuality, which I couldn't imagine today, but sounds very understandable. Or the anchoring of cannibalism in society and that it is considered completely normal. One of my most important questions right from the start was how did it get this far and why is this still practiced in the story? And in the back of your mind about current issues and protests in real life, are there also anti-cannibalists in the story? My questions were answered, which I think is very good. In addition, most of the derivations and justifications, except for one thing, were easy to understand.
Longingly waiting for the end
Beyond the idea of human consumption, the content goes into areas that I as a reader could never have imagined. The real climax was only one of two and I was very surprised when it went on and especially how. So the author managed to surprise me. However, I hardly managed to take my eyes off the writing. Sometimes I had to look away from the book to digest some things, or to ask myself, is it really there, did I get it right? As terrible as some of the ideas were, I just had to read on! I just couldn't and didn't want to put the book down. I had a choice and I have no problem canceling a book if I no longer like it.
But first of all, it was still very exciting. I shared the excitement and wanted to know what happens next. Second, my thoughts would certainly have taken on a life of their own and the story spun on. I just didn't want that. I actually read the novel through in one train and that into the night. That means something, because so far not many novels have managed that for me.
Fortunately just a dystopia?
According to the author's description, the novel is not intended to satisfy fetishes, but rather to show criticism of current society and humanity. Of course, the violence depicted is frightening and one or the other might think, oh, that's in the distant future and not in Germany. But it is not like that. Because some people are able to do this today. People are killed, injured, tortured, raped. In wars in particular, it turns out that “normal” people from the middle of society can become numb and even discard their own humanity.
“With »USA 2084« the author challenges his readers to the edge of the comprehensible. In his view, art's job is to present reality in its stark truth. This also includes terrible things presented in an unreal scenario that might seem more bearable.”
Excerpt from the author's description in the book
Pyotr X made me think a lot. I like science fiction, as well as dystopian and utopian depictions of a possible future. But after that it took me a few days off before I put my thoughts in order for this review. Even if I count myself among the sensitive people and the content scared me, I thought the novel was well written. Since I like the author's writing style, I can certainly imagine reading other titles from him.
Pictures of USA 2084
Photos: Melanie Dürbeck
Infobox
Softcover: 322 pages
Publisher: Blutwut
Language: German
ISBN: 978-3961114269
Author: Pyotr X
Year of publication: 2019
Cost: 14,95 Euro
Conclusion
The author's writing style is very pleasant. In addition to the terrifying experiences and descriptions, the thoughts and feelings of the protagonist are well highlighted so that the reader can easily access her and cheer. The book offers excitement from start to finish. I don't know what to complain about here. I can highly recommend the book to people who like Gore, or people who are not that sensitive and like such dystopias or socially critical literature. The publisher has done a real stroke of luck with the author and I am curious to see whether there will be more material from him.
