The Hope is a collection of dark short stories taking place on a rogue luxury liner that has been adrift in the ocean for thirty years, during which time the inhabitants have slowly formed their own fractured society as the original passengers slowly give way to a generation that has only known life on The Hope.

The idea of trapping a microcosm of society within a finite space and forcing it to create its own rules and social mores isn't entirely new, but Lovegrove handles it with a flair for focusing on the less-than-luxurious aspects of the human condition. Like Lord of the Flies, most 'cut-off-from-the-world' tales like this result in Dystopian nightmares, and Lovegrove's is no different. The passengers of The Hope evolve their own cultural framework around the ship, which offers up its own gods and mythology to the reluctant new civilization.

The irony inherent in the ship's name and book's title are readily apparent, and prospective readers would be foolish to expect anything less than a dismal foray into despair and pessimism. It is debatable whether Lovegrove's passengers are meant to cast a mirror on our own society, or if The Hope is just a great mutual setting for a series of dark sci-fi tales, but the end result is still a great collection of morbid and dreary stories that are bound to have an impact on you. ( )