Welcome back, my friends! I’m so sorry I didn’t write this post last week. Things have been a little crazy. I’ve been trying to do too much at once, it seems. I really wish I had the whole “batching” thing figured out. That would make this so much easier. But, I’m here, and I have a new book review for you! The Ten Percent Thief by Lavanya Lakhminarayan was such an interesting read. Keep reading for my thoughts!
The Ten Percent Thief was published by one of my auto-buy publishers, Rebellion Publishing. I received an ARC from them, in return for an honest review. I’m super excited to get to talk about the book, so I hope you enjoy!
This post may contain affiliate links. I’ll receive a small commission through your purchase, and I’m so grateful!
Synopsis
In a futuristic world dominated by the Bell Curve, productivity is paramount, and technology rules. You can live your whole life inside your apartment and have everything you need, as long as you are productive to society. Your goal is to make it to the top ten percent, meaning you are among the most productive in society, but being in the middle seventy percent is enjoyable. If you lose enough productivity points, you are sent to live with the Analogs. A tribal people who live without technology of any kind. No phones, no electricity, and no contact with anyone but other Analogs. To your family, you’re dead.
Each chapter of The Ten Percent Thief is about a different person in Apex City, and they’re all enjoyable. The Ten Percent Thief might be a satirical look at how technology basically runs our world, and it did kind of make me want to move to a cabin in the woods, but the whole book was really fun and I had a hard time putting it down. I think I read the whole book in just a couple days.
My Thoughts on The Ten Percent Thief
I don’t read many books of short stories. This is for a very good reason. Once I find a world I love to be in, I want to stay there as long as possible. This is why I love long series (Hello, Shadow Demons Saga). While The Ten Percent Thief was a different story in each chapter, they all revolved around citizens in Apex City, on any part of the productivity spectrum. The world revolves around likes, views, popularity, etc… Sound familiar?
My Favorite Story
Avatars was my favorite story in the book. It centers around an award: Influencer of The Year. The story introduces each person nominated for the award, and their freak-out over having to show their faces. Instead of giving them names, the author gave each of them an @Nickname. I feel like this was a nod to the social media world we live in.
Personally, if you look for me online, unless you know my real name, chances are you’ll find me as The Picky Bookworm, or just Picky Bookworm. It’s my way of keeping my personal and public lives separate. I share what I choose to share, and don’t have to worry about someone finding crap about me that I’d rather not have people knowing.
In the world of Apex City, privacy online takes a little darker turn. One character created a program that allows her to create an overlay on her face, so that even the face she shows online isn’t her real one. I loved the commentary on our desire to be known and unknown online.
My Least Favorite Aspect
The book is titled The Ten Percent Thief, yet this major character is only mentioned a handful of times. I’m not even sure why the book focuses on so many other characters, but it’s titled after this ghostly character.
Language Choices
I did love the various “cuss words” the author chose to let the characters use, rather than the typical cuss words we’re used to reading. “Harvesting,” “Ten Percent,” and “Bottom Feeder” were the ones I saw the most, and they cracked me up every time. If I thought anyone would actually get it, I’d probably use Ten Percent for all my cuss words going forward.
Overall Opinion
I didn’t expect to enjoy The Ten Percent Thief as much as I did. Once I realized it was a book of short stories, I admit I lost interest in it a little bit. Fortunately for Rebellion Publishing, and the author, I trust the publisher to give me something I’d enjoy, so I chose to read it anyway. I’m so glad I did, because it really was quite enjoyable, and I look forward to other books by this author.
Recommendation
If you enjoy satirical fiction, short stories, or books that consist mainly of description, you’ll love The Ten Percent Thief. I definitely recommend this book, even if you answered no to those questions. Before this book, I would have given you a resounding “NO” to all three book descriptions above, but I enjoyed the book so much. I’ll probably wait a year or so, and maybe even read The Ten Percent Thief again. That’s saying something, since my TBR is about to explode any day now and I still keep adding books to it.
I want this book! Take me to The Ten Percent Thief on Amazon!
Conclusion
Thanks for visiting me, and checking out my review of The Ten Percent Thief by Lavanya Lakshminarayan! I hope you enjoyed my review, and I really hope you check out the book, because I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Check out other book reviews below, and don’t forget to leave a comment with your thoughts! If you know someone who would enjoy this book, please share my review with them.
Until Next Time, Friends!
