Review: The Warehouse by Rob Hart

Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis

Cloud isn’t just a place to work. It’s a place to live. And when you’re here, you’ll never want to leave. 

Paxton never thought he’d be working for Cloud, the giant tech company that’s eaten much of the American economy. Much less that he’d be moving into one of the company’s sprawling live-work facilities. 

But compared to what’s left outside, Cloud’s bland chainstore life of gleaming entertainment halls, open-plan offices, and vast warehouses…well, it doesn’t seem so bad. It’s more than anyone else is offering. 

Zinnia never thought she’d be infiltrating Cloud. But now she’s undercover, inside the walls, risking it all to ferret out the company’s darkest secrets. And Paxton, with his ordinary little hopes and fears? He just might make the perfect pawn. If she can bear to sacrifice him. 

As the truth about Cloud unfolds, Zinnia must gamble everything on a desperate scheme—one that risks both their lives, even as it forces Paxton to question everything about the world he’s so carefully assembled here. 

Together, they’ll learn just how far the company will go…to make the world a better place. 

Set in the confines of a corporate panopticon that’s at once brilliantly imagined and terrifyingly real, The Warehouse is a near-future thriller about what happens when Big Brother meets Big Business–and who will pay the ultimate price.

Review

Thanks to the publisher and author for a finished copy of The Warehouse in exchange for an honest review. Receiving a copy of the novel did not influence my thoughts or opinions.

An employee at two or three stars knows they have to work a little harder. And don’t we all want to be five-star people?

The Warehouse is an all-too-plausible future that we may find ourselves in if we do not correct our current course. Amazon currently has it as the #1 release in ‘Self-Help & Psychology Humor’ and if it doesn’t read like a warning label, you may need to prioritize your outlook on the nation. This is a terrifying look at what we are slowly becoming and it would be for the best that we take Hart at his word.

First off, CloudBurgers…

*vomits all over the floor*

The Warehouse made me rethink the amount of time and money I spend on Amazon. Yes, it does have a vast amount of convenience and typically lower prices, but what does putting all of my eggs into one superstore basket do for the rest of the economy? Are those Mom N’ Pop stores around my little hometown going to stick around for the long-haul, or are we soon going to find ourselves under the smile of one of the largest companies in the world?

This isn’t something you really think about as you peruse your wishlist or search reviews for the next best gadget to hit the market. It is only natural that Amazon is one of your top choices to make a purchase: things tend to be in stock, are typically cheaper than your nearby shopping center, and can be delivered to you within a pretty taut timeline. But what if they continue to grow? More big cities become like Detroit with ‘Closed’ signs up all over town; doors and windows boarded up, and off in the distance, you see a giant corporate building with high fences and armed guards.

Monopolies suck and that is why they aren’t a thing (they were at one point, and they may be at another point in time). But I digress…

Hart has written something truly powerful here, and while it can be used as a teaching moment, it is also a fantastic story that is highly engaging and, at times, quite humorous; other times, definitely disturbing (LOOKING AT YOU, CLOUDBURGERS). While things outside of MotherCloud are bleak, depressing, and downright awful, corporate looks to be a vacation destination. You get a job, housing, food, and the convenience of little to no travel for a workday. Who doesn’t want that? Unfortunately, all of these things come with hard restrictions and high expectations that most toe the line on. Much like items on King Amazon, employees are rated on a star system, and by golly, you better not find yourself going any lower than a 3 or your a$$ is grass.

The novel has three (3) distinct POVS, all of which you become quite acquainted with throughout the read. Gibson is the creator of Cloud; Paxton and Zinnia are both new employees at Cloud, each with their own motivations for being there and what they plan to get out of their time spent. While I enjoyed all of the characters to an extent, Paxton was the one that really stood out as he becomes caught in all of the chaos as it unfolds. I also probably felt a little more emotionally involved with him as his sights are set on more than just a life-saving job opportunity.

Overall, I believe just about anyone would enjoy a readthrough of The Warehouse. It is 370 pages, but they fly by as you become engaged in the story. Just know that you may never look at Amazon or Apple the same way again.