The Warden Audiobook Cover

An Interesting Take On Future Medical/AI

3.75 out of 5 stars

It’s interesting to jump into a book and sort of know where it’s going to go. Sometimes that can lead to a boring book, but even though I had some predictions (HAL from 2001, for example), it was still a surprise.

The Warden tells of a world “post-Covid,” and by post-Covid, I mean a world in 2024 that is still dealing with it, but in different ways then we are today. Some of the fears and overall feelings that I remembered in 2020 are on full display here, and I think Richter did a good job talking about it without politicizing it. It helps that the story took place in London because their reaction to it was a bit different than ours in the States.

The Warden was one of those stories that just flowed. I thought Richter did a good job writing a story that felt real enough that I followed it and unrealistic enough that it still felt like Science Fiction. I think he did a good job skirting that line and kept everything right on the other side of fiction.

Overall, I thought the storyline had a few issues and flaws. Nothing that bad, but things that either I felt would’ve been an interesting twist that I wanted or scenes that just felt like they were a bit of a stretch (not a “this is a fictional story” stretch, more of a “why is this character doing these things” sort of stretch.

Add in the performance by Steven Crossley, and The Warden was a book that I enjoyed and thought had an interesting turn of events that I both saw coming and didn’t. It surprised me and didn’t, and I’m okay with that. Sometimes you just need a book that goes where you expect.

Book Description:

The Warden Audiobook Cover
The Warden
Jon Richter
Narrated bySteven CrossleyLength8 hrs and 52 minsPublished byTantor Audio · May 24th 2022
Technothriller
Brian's rating★★★★☆
Publisher description

Can you be free if you can’t go outside? Permanent lockdown becomes a crime scene in this clever near-future thriller from the author of Rabbit Hole . . .

The year is 2024, and the residents of the Tower, a virus-proof apartment building, live in a state of permanent lockdown. The building is controlled by James, who keeps the residents safe but incarcerated. Behind bricked-up front doors, their every need is serviced; they are pampered but remain prisoners. This suits Eugene just fine. Ravaged by the traumas of his past, the agoraphobic ex-detective has no intention of ever setting foot outside again.

But when he finds the Tower’s building manager brutally dismembered, his investigator’s instincts won’t allow him to ignore the vicious crime. What Eugene finds beyond the comfort of his apartment’s walls will turn his sheltered existence upside down. To unravel the Tower’s mysteries, he must confront James. And James takes his role as the Warden very, very seriously.