SciFi Month 2025 - Books From The Backlog: Zoey Is Too Drunk For This Dystopia (Zoey Ashe #3) by Jason Pargin

  

Happy Thursday everyone! Welcome back to Books from the Backlog, the weekly linkup I'm taking part of which is hosted by Carole's Random Life in Books.  This is a great way to put a spotlight on books that I've had sitting on my shelf for awhile.  I don't know when I'll get to my weekly featured book, but I hope to some time hopefully soon.  In honor of SciFi Month 2025 (Image credit: Artwork by Yuriy Nedopekin), all this November I'm featuring sci-fi books.

This Week's Neglected Book:

Zoey Is Too Drunk For This Dystopia (Zoey Ashe #3) by Jason Pargin

Published: October 31, 2023

Genre: Sci-fi Dystopia

My Copy:

Format: Hardback

Where I Acquired It: Ollie's Bargain Outlet

Summary (From Goodreads):

Tabula Ra$a is hosting its massive annual music festival in the desert, which every year precedes the massive annual drunken riot in the desert. This is all organized by Zoey's people, including the riot - as Will explains, the citizens need a little chaos now and then, their job is just to keep a lid on it.

That will be a problem this year, with history's most ridiculous mayoral election playing out in the background. The city has divided into roughly two camps, supporting each of the major candidates: One is a stern, calculating activist out to restore traditional morality to the city at all costs, the other is Megaboss Alonzo, whose platform is that he will pay you ten dollars if you vote for him.

When a horrific crime is broadcast live on the all-seeing social network Blink, the former seems poised to reap the benefits in the polls. The Suits suspect the nature and timing of the crime are a little too convenient and may be a carefully-staged hoax. But in a city in which lies are always served in layers, even that explanation will prove to be far too simple.

As tensions ratchet tighter, Zoey comes to realize that this is really a battle of narratives: Every culture needs a collective story to believe in, so it's just a matter of coming up with one and then carefully sculpting reality to make it fit. How hard can that be? They have the whole weekend.

Why Did I Add It?

I haven't read the first two books in this series, but they've been on my tbr for quite awhile now.  Plus, this was a very good price.

Have you read this or would you read it?  Would you recommend it to me?  Are you participating in SciFi Month this year?  As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!