The Midnight Factory vs The Useless: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Surveillance, Dystopian, Science Fiction
The Midnight Factory
“‘Did you see the hanging?’ It was dark, and he narrowed his eyes in the glare of the strobe lights behind her. He paused, drawing vapour into his lungs before exhaling a rehearsed suspension. ‘Don’t think so.’ His voice was flat. Anouk considered him for a moment. What was it with dealers? ‘Her head fucking came off, mate. It’s not like you could have missed it,’ she said through clenched te”
Shimmer makes you forget—until it takes everything. In the near-future and rain-soaked New Albion, shimmer is both escape and enslavement—and the Bureau for Virtue, always watching, ensures the world stays…
vs
The Useless
“I chose this excerpt because it captures the novel’s core tension immediately: the difference between being kept alive and being allowed to live meaningfully. It also introduces the book’s central mystery in a concise, compelling way.”
In 2053, in the fully automated city of New Geneva, artificial intelligence manages health, transport, welfare, memory routing, and civic life so completely that most people no longer notice what has been lost. Miriam…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Midnight Factory has the widest readership — 30 ratings behind its score.
- The Midnight Factory runs the darker storyline; The Useless stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| The Midnight Factory | The Useless | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.2 (30) | — |
| Hardcover | — | 3.8 (2) |
| Google Books | — | 5.0 (1) |
Reception
| The Midnight Factory | The Useless | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 30 | 2 |
| Editions | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 6341 | — |
| Reading it now | 13 | — |
| Written reviews | 20 | — |