The Big Apple. The City That Never Sleeps. The Concrete Jungle. Gotham. These are just a few of the nicknames that have been given to the beloved New York City. Jen and I just call it Home. After nearly 10 years, I am still in awe – of the skyline, the hustle and bustle by day, the urban tranquility by night. Now, take a step back and think about all the planning and logistics that goes into the development of such a unique environment.

The Municipalists is a futuristic technothriller revolving around The Metropolis – a city on a size and scale the world has never seen. Henry Thompson works to improve America’s infrastructure and is your quintessential bureaucrat – a desk jockey who lives by the letter of the law no matter how unpopular it makes him (reminiscent of Leslie Knope but not nearly as beloved for fans of Parks and Recreation).

After a bizarre cyber attack, Thompson is finally given the opportunity he has been waiting for – an assignment that allows him to shed the pocket protector and adventure to the Metropolis. The catch? He is assigned to secretly investigate the genius behind the premier city’s operations. Oh also, his partner is a tie clip that projects OWEN, the human embodiment of the agency’s super-computer.

OWEN is not your average Siri – he has a quirky sense of humor, loves a good drink and is capable of augmenting reality through his projector. Fried has essentially created a buddy-cop movie with an unlikely duo that must protect each other as they become entangled in a terrorist plot.

While this book may not be for everyone, I do believe it is for all ages – it is imaginative, thought-provoking, silly, funny and, frankly, fun. Henry and OWEN have a ridiculous odd couple dynamic that ranges from married couple to workplace rivals. Fried has created an engaging way to address how cities and technologies affect our culture and lives.

Verdict: Read it (3.5/5 Stars)
Length: 272 pages
When: You want to spur your imagination with a fun and light-hearted technothriller
Quote: Just my luck. The first colleague I’d befriended at the agency and it was an alcoholic supercomputer.
Also Try: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline for another engaging and imaginative futuristic society. (B2C review)

Buy The Municipalists by Seth Fried