The City of Tomorrow isn't for the faint of heart. It isn't for the young. It isn't for the dogmatic reader either. Howard Chaykin's glorious tale is for anybody that likes a good story told well. Packed full of intrigue, shady political maneuvering , sex, stretched morals, organised crime and suspect family ties this is a series that improves with repeat reading.

Have I got your interest yet? I hope so, because this is a gem. It's a treasure. Reading City of Tomorrow, you can see why Howard Chaykin is a multi-award winner.

In the not too distant future, and with a few concepts which one can see aren't too far-fetched even now this is the tale of people trying to do the right thing. True, some of them see doing the right thing as getting what is coming to them. Oh, they get what's coming to them alright.



Eli Foyle is a man with a vision. And being a billionaire, he has the money to make his dream real. He builds a utopia using nano-technology. A whole city (Columbia) is built. A city where law and order, consideration and 'family values' are held in high regard. A place where children can play in the street and be educated to a high standard, artificial constructs make up the workforce and life is good. He sells it to the masses using his own family in advertisements; he intends to live there himself.


But Eli Foyle isn't all he seems and pretty soon, thanks to some cyber-terrorism, nor is Columbia. His family disintegrates just as the principles that built Columbia begin to degrade too.  His son, Tucker, becomes a rebel, perhaps symbolising the rebellion about to take place in Columbia itself. Tucker, runs away and is missing for years. We find out that he joined the military, and shown a high aptitude for covert operations. When things turn sour, he returns 'home' to Columbia to hide out, and finds a whole new set of problems beset him. His previous skills definitely come in handy. With less vision than his father, but as much conviction, he decides to do something about what the place has become; finding out some distinctly unpleasant things along the way. Tough and straight-talking, Tucker is a great anti-hero.   


City of Tomorrow delivers. It delivers thrills, action, great graphics, thought-provoking ideas, titillation, satire, and more besides. It would make a great movie or possibly even a four part mini-series. City of Tomorrow has classic film noir elements, with femme fatales and mob wars. It has solid science fiction credentials, good military and political insights and it even has romance!

Do yourself a favour and read it before somebody snaps up the film rights. It is excellent.