The Warehouse
A Novel
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3.7 • 9 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
In this “whip-smart and engrossing” (Associated Press) dystopian novel from the bestselling author of the Assassins Anonymous series, a disillusioned employee and a corporate spy team up to expose a massive tech company’s dark underbelly.
“Outstanding . . . walks a fine line between near-future thriller and smart satire.”—NPR
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Financial Times, Real Simple, Kirkus Reviews
Cloud isn’t just a company. It’s a solution. Our revolutionary live-work compound provides safe, clean lives—so employees never have to leave.
Paxton never expected to find himself inside these walls, working for the tech company that’s swallowed much of the American economy. But considering what’s left of the world outside . . . well, suddenly what Cloud’s offering doesn’t seem so bad.
Zinnia never thought she’d be here either. For a corporate spy, going undercover at Cloud—where each employee’s every move is tracked—is the ultimate risk. But it also promises the ultimate reward.
And if she has to sacrifice Paxton to claim her prize, that’s a small price to pay . . . isn’t it?
Equal parts page-turning and terrifying, The Warehouse is about what happens when Big Brother meets Big Business—and who will pay the ultimate price.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Imagine how much creepier a cautionary tale like 1984 might feel if the protagonist’s life was actually kinda nice? Employees of Cloud work—and live—under constant surveillance in comfortable warehouses that are way better than the deteriorating outside world. Corporate spy Zinnia is tasked with infiltrating the global tech behemoth, leading her to meet Paxton, a levelheaded security guard who’s starting to bristle at Cloud’s increasing restrictions. Part dystopian techno-thriller, part dark romance, The Warehouse is a perfect-for-this-moment morality tale about consumerism, corporate control, and personal freedom. It’s one of the most exciting and thought-provoking books we’ve read in ages.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
What if the totalitarian regime controlling people's lives was a mega-corporation rather than a fascist government? That's the conceit of this intelligent Orwellian thriller by Hart (the Ash McKenna series), who imagines an all-too-plausible near-future in which an Amazon-on-steroids company called Cloud dominates retail sales and the labor market. The story is told from three perspectives: multibillionaire Gibson Wells, the founder of Cloud; Paxton, a newly hired security employee at a MotherCloud facility, where he also lives; and Zinnia, a shipping worker and resident of the same facility. Wells, who's dying of cancer, presents Cloud's history, which includes taking over the FAA from the federal government to help expedite Cloud's drone deliveries. Paxton, whose business was bankrupted by Cloud's monopolistic practices, hopes for a meaningful relationship with Zinnia, who's actually on a corporate espionage assignment for an unidentified employer and looks to use Paxton to further her mission. Hart's detail-oriented worldbuilding, which credibly extrapolates from the Trump administration's antiregulatory agenda, makes this cautionary tale memorable and powerful. This promises to be Hart's breakout book.
