'Caramel' by Haji Outlaw is the first part in an extremely dark and sinister series featuring a futuristic society where all those who have survived the harrowing climate change are boxed into one skyscraper, the Giddings. The novella mainly focuses on a teenager with no words, but is given the title name, Caramel. In the bowels of the Giddings, Caramel begins to ascend the ladder through fighting matches while those who have attempted to find sanctuary must survive the unlikeliest of foes.
It may be the world we currently live in which has jaded our minds, but most futuristic novels showcase a bleak, if not entirely hopeless, prediction of what is to come. 'Caramel' is no different. If anything, it's one of the bleakest, despite the likely unintentional homage to Monty Python. Set in 2112 (a nice sounding year to those who like symmetry such as myself) this novella has a few issues, which are equaled thankfully with the way in which the world is described. The use of songs that are not necessarily popular today is a bit anachronistic to me. I have a hard time believing that a hit song by Prince (if that's what he's still known as) will survive another 98 years. There are some other issues with clichés and metaphors, but let's face it: there are plenty of issues with Game of Thrones but those haven't hindered its popularity.
Overall, 'Caramel' is an interesting story. It makes you want to know more about the mysterious characters, and more about the world - or rather the building - they live in. This seems to be the first in a series, which could have probably been written into one novel, but I'm still interested to see what happens next.
'Caramel' is available December 12, 2014.
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