After uniting the world, Motherland begins transforming a nearby island into a new world “Joyland”. However, decades on, some there still cannot tolerate the straightjacket of rules and regulations binding this so-called paradise so tightly together. They are determined to leave this “beautiful new world” behind…at any cost.

In the wake of a debilitating global pandemic, the Motherland takes advantage of a distracted world to conquer and assimilate its smaller neighbor, Whale Island, and then rallies its allies to launch a global war that ends in a Motherland-imposed world government. To end the still-deadly pandemic, the Leader orders all infected citizens into exile on Whale Island and works to bring island residents to heel under the ominously named “Joyland Plan”.

Linguistic savant Amber, a cog in Joyland Plan’s machinery, sees how Motherland’s promised “land of joy” is being realized through manipulated language, thought, and laws, creating in the process a population of water-averse, compliant followers. Her delusion is further shattered when, as her assigned task nears its end, she is barred from leaving…condemned to remain on Whale Island forever. 

Several decades on, Joylanders are enmeshed in a web of mobile tech and virtual reality. Society is now stratified by Joy Value (JV) rating, with only those at the rarified top able to ride airships, live in comfortable homes, and dine on “authentic” food, while those in lower strata live lives awash in restrictions and checkpoints. Thus, almost everyone dedicates their every waking hour to activities that add to their JV score…to get a leg up on their peers.

However, an “erased” gay, a man who had seen his sweetheart dragged away by the robot brigade, a couple with dreams of raising children of their own dashed, and a teenager fallen to social rejection and scorn find themselves no longer able to even feign belief in the lies they’ve been told. Taking the decision to flee no matter the cost, these outcasts fortuitously cross paths with a now much older Amber.

This book, one in a planned short story and novella collection, brings together five interconnected stories set in the same world and timeline. These stories, while lacking the action-packed twists and turns typical of today’s popular dystopian tales, will nevertheless leave you hoping such a future remains firmly in the realm of fiction.