Book Review: Lap Dance! For Dystopia by Lysander Arden
Genre: Sci-Fi/Dystopian - Romance
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
I really enjoyed this novella – it’s short, but Arden doesn’t waste a single word. Through these 96 pages, we get to know Soren, who wants to be a dancer and is trapped in the Rose in Winter Pleasure Palace. Without a number, Soren has little prospects, but the upcoming virgin auction might just allow him to pay off his debts. Enter Zale, the governor’s son, strangely drawn to Soren, who introduces Soren to the world above.
I really liked the worldbuilding here: Arden does a good job of showing us the world Soren and Zale live in, in all its dystopian glory. There are restrictions on electricity, food, and housing. As he works for the Rose in Winter, Soren is able to live in a dorm, but without a number he isn’t allocated any food rations, and is very much expected to fend for himself.
There’s good development around the way things work, and we’re shown a world that has struggled due to environmental disasters. As the novella goes on, things get worse for our characters, with a total collapse imminent. We see it all through Soren’s eyes, too, and though he’s faced a lot of hardship, he’s a sweet character who is still trying to understand the world around him.
There was a particularly lovely scene featuring a book that I, personally, am not a fan of, but Arden writes it in with such care, the use of it becomes a lovely, endearing element of the whole novella. I really liked the way Soren viewed things, and the way he described items that would, to us, be very normal, everyday things. Due to his circumstances, too, he doesn’t take anything for granted. The relationship between Soren and Zale is very sweet, and built up with a lot of care.
Overall, I really enjoyed this post-apocalyptic, dystopian novella, and absolutely recommend it.
Review by Elle Turpitt
Twitter: @elleturpitt
Bluesky: @elleturpitt.bsky.social
I got this ebook during DHR’s Queer Your eReader event.
