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The Heap
The Heap: A Novel | Sean Adams
10 posts | 5 read | 8 to read
Blending the dark humor of Patrick deWitt and the jagged social and techno-satire of Black Mirror, an audacious, eerily prescient debut novel that chronicles the rise and fall of a massive high-rise housing complex, and the lives it affected beforeand afterits demise. Standing nearly five hundred stories tall, Los Verticals once bustled with life and excitement. Now this marvel of modern architecture and nontraditional urban planning has collapsed into a pile of rubble known as the Heap. In exchange for digging gear, a rehabilitated bicycle, and a small living stipend, a vast community of Dig Hands removes debris, trash, and bodies from the buildings mountainous remains, which span twenty acres of unincorporated desert land. Orville Anders burrows into the bowels of the Heap to find his brother Bernard, the beloved radio DJ of Los Verticals, who is alive and miraculously broadcasting somewhere under the massive rubble. For months, Orville has lived in a sea of campers that surrounds the Heap, working tirelessly to free Bernardthe only known survivor of the imploded citywhom he speaks to every evening, calling into his radio show. The brothers conversations are a ratings bonanza, and the stations parent company, Sundial Media, wants to boost its profits by having Orville slyly drop brand names into his nightly talks with Bernard. When Orville refuses, his access to Bernard is suddenly cut off, but strangely, he continues to hear his own voice over the airwaves, casually shilling products as he converses with Bernard. What follows is an imaginative and darkly hilarious story of conspiracy, revenge, and the strange life and death of Los Verticals that both captures the wonderful weirdness of community and the bonds that tie us together.
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azulaco
The Heap: A Novel | Sean Adams
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Another current read. Interesting premise, lively writing. I‘m about 10% in and liking it so far.

Nute I like the cover art! 5y
10 likes1 stack add1 comment
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DreesReads
The Heap: A Novel | Sean Adams
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These are the 6 galleys I read in February. I think they are all out now. 2 nonfiction, 1 traditional tales, and 3 novels. You can find my reviews in my feed. I made a huge dent in my ARC/galley backlog, which was a goal!

Geenie Nice 👍 👏 5y
29 likes1 comment
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DreesReads
The Heap: A Novel | Sean Adams
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Pickpick

A different kind of post-apocalyptic novel. The 500+ story Los Verticales condo complex collapsed. Camper Town houses those who come to work digging—looking for Bernard, a DJ still broadcasting from the ruins, and for items worth salvaging. Orville, Bernard‘s brother, is a digger. But things get stranger when he learns about the Voice Cartel and its involvement. The world building is great, with chapters about the world of the complex interspersed

BarbaraBB This does sound good! Ballard came to mind! (edited) 5y
DreesReads @BarbaraBB I found this much more readable than the one Ballard I‘ve read (yes, just 1 lol!). 5y
BarbaraBB Lol, I end up disappointed mostly when ending a Ballard. His stories start out great and then, well... 5y
DreesReads @BarbaraBB that pretty much sums up my take on The Drowned World. It took me a long time to read for such a short book, it was slooooow. 5y
34 likes1 stack add4 comments
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RogueMusings
The Heap: A Novel | Sean Adams
Pickpick

It felt a little post apocalyptic without the whole world ending stuff. Instead just a society living in a 500 story building. Have & have-nots like any other forming their own strange culture & customs. The society collapses (literally) and what is left is a small village looking for purpose in the ruins & folklore. Like digging out the radio DJ broadcasting from somewhere under the rubble that NOBODY questions the logic of.

This book was fun.

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nitalibrarian
The Heap: A Novel | Sean Adams
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New year, new budget, new books! I love ordering books for my library. 😊❤️

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KatieDid927
The Heap: A Novel | Sean Adams
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My goal was 100, so not too shabby! I‘ll set next year‘s goal at 125.

britt_brooke Fantastic!!! 5y
Eyelit Excellent! 🎉📚👏 5y
j9brown Awesome! 🎉😁 5y
32 likes4 comments
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KatieDid927
The Heap: A Novel | Sean Adams
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Pickpick

Last book of the year! My expectations were not very high when starting this one, but it was really fun! I enjoyed the author‘s style a lot and the story was quirky. #ARC

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DreesReads
The Heap: A Novel | Sean Adams
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Book mail! Received this ARC today. It sounds very dystopian-ish, totally my thing! Thanks to @LibraryThing and @WilliamMorrowBooks

LauraJ Dark humor and satire...sounds great! 5y
20 likes1 comment
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jillrhudy
The Heap: A Novel | Sean Adams
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Pickpick

“The Heap“ uses dark humor, ironic narrative distance, and intensifying action to give the reader a eerie and delicious sense of dystopian déjà vu. Despite weak characterization of the primary characters, I recommend it to fans of the genre. Full review at https://www.librarything.com/work/23737441/reviews/176316315 #arc #librarything #earlyreviewers #librarythingearlyreviewers

Aimeesue Yay! And it's good with salsa! 5y
jillrhudy @Aimeesue I knocked water onto it last night and washed off the salsa. Stella will find it tasty anyway. 5y
Aimeesue @jillrhudy Well, she would, Miss SuperNose that she is. Weirdly, this book showed up when I did a search for "funny sardonic sci fi books," looking for a Jalabokaflod present for Ian. ? (edited) 5y
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jillrhudy @Aimeesue I could be wrong, but I think that's part of the marketing strategy. I think I saw that word on the galley cover somewhere?!? 5y
Aimeesue @jillrhudy Very likely. The sardonic is big these days, given the state of society - hurtling headlong into irréversible planetary doom and remaining obstinately focused on ledger pages rather than the descent. What else can one do but become grimly hilarious? (edited) 5y
jillrhudy @Aimeesue It's on its way! I told the cashier at the P.O. I don't care whether it gets there by Christmas. I spent more on the mailer than I did on the postage. 5y
Aimeesue @jillrhudy Yay! You're the best! 5y
24 likes7 comments
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jillrhudy
The Heap: A Novel | Sean Adams
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The Heap has arrived and I have a reeeeeally good feeling about this one. HarperCollins and I are getting tight. #postapocalyptic #arc #bookmail