Haven

This is a novel set in the relatively near future. The basic ideas is that there is a regular city, Haven, which consists of rich people and the politically favored. It has been built over the original Haven, which now consists of those who are not rich nor politically favored.

Basically, it's not all that different from what is going on now in reality, where the rich and the politically powerful continued to get richer and more powerful, while the hard-working regular people get worse off.

It doesn't stop there in Haven, though. The rich-Haven scientists have learned how to mindwipe people from 'below' and turn them into dull-minded but totally obedient slaves. They capture people from the poor part and do that to them all the time. At the same time, they are not above doing that to one of their own, even a scientist, if the scientist expresses views those in power don't like.

The down-below Haven is used as a refuse dump by those in the rich section. The people who live there get scraps from the refuse and struggle to stay alive from one day to the next any way they can. They never see the sky since the 'new' Haven has been built totally over the 'old' Haven.

Finally things get too much for those down below and they band together, arm themselves, and find a way to the 'new' Haven where they raise hell and confront the rulers.

The body count ends up pretty high.

What is quite frightening about the story is that, as I said, some of it reflects what is happening right now and the rest, like turning people into obedient slaves, is not impossible at all. Some might even call the novel Communistic, since the have-nots rise against their oppressors to seek freedom and equality.

The only thing I didn't really like about the novel was the actual ending, although metaphorically it has its strengths but otherwise it's a little weak. The book, though, is excellent otherwise and scary in its possibility.

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