OUR DRIED VOICES
A New Classic Dystopian Novel
Do you love classic dystopian novels like Brave New World and The Time Machine?
Readers of Our Dried Voices rave:
- “This story calls to mind Huxley and Wells’ work, is frightening, exhilarating, and ultimately hopeful.”
- “Recommended for fans of H.G. Wells’ Time Machine and [Aldous Huxley’s] Brave New World.”
- “Our Dried Voices feels like the lovechild of George Orwell’s 1984 and Ira Levin’s This Perfect Day.”
In 2153, cancer was cured. In 2189, AIDS. And in 2235, the last members of the human race traveled to a distant planet to begin the next chapter of humanity.
Several hundred years after their arrival, the remainder of humanity lives in a utopian colony in which every want is satisfied automatically, and there is no need for human labor, struggle or thought. But when the machines that regulate the colony begin to malfunction, the colonists are faced with a test for the first time in their existence.
With the lives of the colonists at stake, it is left to a bright young man named Samuel to repair these breakdowns and save the colony. Aided by his determined friend Penny, Samuel rises to meet each challenge. But he soon discovers a mysterious group of people behind each of these problems, and he must somehow find and defeat these saboteurs in order to rescue humanity.
Buy this new classic dystopian novel today!
Amazon Reviews of Our Dried Voices
I really enjoyed this book. If you are a fan of utopian/dystopian literature, then this novel is for you! The book begins with a fascinating timeline that sets the stage for the futuristic colony where the story takes place. I really enjoyed the thought that Greg Hickey put into this timeline. Although it is only a few pages, it provides a very important context for the characters. This novel is a kind of cautionary tale about what can possibly happen to mankind when its need for critical thought and meaningful conversation is eliminated through technological advances. I really enjoyed this novel, and can’t wait to see what Mr. Hickey comes out with next!
Our Dried Voices is a fascinating dystopian novel, both compelling and thought-provoking. Set far in the future, it envisions the way the world we live in now has triumphed in some ways, failed in others. The characters have real depth and evoke sympathy. What happens is often surprising, and the final section of the novel is particularly arresting. Trumping all of these positives, though, is the beauty of the writing. The rhythm of the sentences and the originality of some of the description will stay with you long after you have finished the novel. For Greg Hickey, this is indeed an auspicious beginning.
I very much enjoyed Hickey’s Our Dried Voices. This story pulls you into an unfamiliar world that unveils a society where every need is at the fingertips of the civilians …until one day it isn’t. This was a fantastic read that brilliantly builds tension and suspense, propelling the characters through the quest for truth. You’ll want to flip right back to the first page as soon as you’ve finished!
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Told simply and in an easy style the story of Samuel’s intellectual awakening is poetically moving. Set on the Planet Pearl (think of it as Earth Jr.) after Earth itself became over populated (among it’s many other issues): Our Dried Voices follows Samuel on his journey of exploration and enlightenment from The Colony to the world at large. This story calls to mind Huxley and Wells’ work, is frightening, exhilarating, and ultimately hopeful.
This book is billed as inspired by classic sci-fi like Wells’s The Time Machine or Huxley’s Brave New World. I absolutely agree that if you like The Time Machine, this book is probably up your alley. Our Dried Voices takes a similar idea from The Time Machine – i.e. that humanity will collectively devolve into helpless, mindless creatures kept safe by old humanity’s successes – but there’s plenty of new, different ideas that you won’t be bored.
Very interesting dystopian future novel. The idea is unique and the book tells the story of the colony on Pearl very well. This is a book that has very little dialogue (intentionally – it’s part of the story) and is focused on the development of one character’s growth. Well worth reading.
I thoroughly enjoyed Our Dried Voices. The book explores a utopia-turned-dystopia in which individual human thought is no longer a requirement for survival; all basic needs including food, hydration and shelter are provided, and humans live out their days void of illness and disease. The novel is woven with threads extending beyond the book’s direct plot, extending into themes pervasive in today’s society such as conformity, apathy, and idleness. I couldn’t help but think about how the implications of overprotective parenting and too-involved governments might foster the type of society portrayed in this book. As humankind surrenders accountability and responsibility in favor of ease, comfort and ignorance, our society will (theoretically) inch closer to the dystopia of Our Dried Voices. Ultimately, the twists and turns within the book demonstrate the human spirit’s essential need for individual thought, feeling and action.
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Building the Book
Go behind-the-scenes of Our Dried Voices and discover why readers are praising it as a new classic dystopian novel.
Media
Our Dried Voices cover images, descriptions and sample interview questions are available in my Media Kit.
Articles
- The Best Utopia-Turned-Dystopia Novels – Greg Hickey (Shepherd) – November 29, 2021
- Margaret Atwood And The Rise Of The Feminist Dystopia – Greg Hickey (The Curious Reader) – September 17, 2019
- What If There Were No Diseases? – Greg Hickey (Fantasy Literature) – June 21, 2019
- How Dystopian Novels Are Written – Greg Hickey (The Curious Reader) – May 1, 2019
- Inverting Utopia – Greg Hickey (Fantasy Literature) – November 17, 2017
- YA Dystopian Fiction Still Smells Like Revolutionary Teen Spirit – Foreword Reviews – March 19, 2015
- Take a Read with Local Author Greg Hickey’s Our Dried Voices – CHIRP Radio – November, 2014
Interviews
- Arm Cast Podcast – October 2, 2020
- Booknook2020 – December 3, 2019
- Indie Publishing Group – February 19, 2019
- Darrell B Nelson – October 7, 2018
- Joseph Carrabis – August 15, 2018
- The Indie View – August 10, 2018
- Two Ends of the Pen – June 15, 2018
- Metamorphose Lit – February 9, 2018
- Awesome Gang – January 5, 2018
- MyKitaab Podcast – November 16, 2016
- Grimerica Podcast – September, 2015
- Pimp That Character (Character Interview) – March 19, 2015
- Infamous Scribbler – March 12, 2015
- CBY Book Club (Character Interview) – March 9, 2015
- As the Page Turns – March 5, 2015
- Black Heart Magazine – March 2, 2015
- Kate Reads – March 1, 2015
- The Writer’s Life – March, 2015
- Bibliophile’s Retreat – February 27, 2015
- Good Choice Reading – November 28, 2014
Reviews
- H.R.R. Gorman – January 18, 2021
- Jennly Reads – June 25, 2020
- Pages for Breakfast – June 16, 2020
- Readers’ Favorite – April 16, 2020
- Never Enough Books – March 24, 2020
- Disturbing the Universe – February 16, 2020
- TeacherDance – January 13, 2020
- Booknook2020 – October 30, 2019
- Renee Reads on Life – October 9, 2019
- Written Among the Stars – October 8, 2019
- Miranda Reads – February 26, 2019
- Deedi Reads – December 29, 2018
- Book Hog2 – September 15, 2018
- My Life, Loves and Passion – March 31, 2015
- Deal Sharing Aunt – March 22, 2015
- FU Only Knew – March 20, 2015
- Infamous Scribbler – March 12, 2015
- Kate Reads – February 28, 2015
- The Celebrity Café – January 26, 2015
- The Book Carousel – November 26, 2014
Blog Posts
- Self-Parking Cars, Automation and Skill – July 20, 2022
- Aldous Huxley on Mindful Use of Technology – May 16, 2018
- 5 Things I Learned from Writing My First Novel – July 31, 2016
- The Popularity of Dystopian Film and Its Effect on Dystopian Literature – March 23, 2016
- Self-Driving Cars and the Trolley Problem – August 21, 2015
- Children of the Magenta – August 7, 2015
- New Ebola Vaccine Is Ahead of Schedule – July 31, 2015
- The Petrov Ramjet – July 28, 2015