Book Review: BEAUTIFUL, ONCE by MIA DALIA

BEAUTIFUL, ONCE by Mia Dalia (Crystal Lake Publishing, release date March 20, 2026) Kindle edition, 232 pages.n ASIN # B0GQ412C8N   

The publisher's synopsis . . . . .

When a controversial tech billionaire retreats from society, he constructs a private island designed to be the ultimate controlled experiment: a hand-selected population, sustainable systems, and a flawless model for humanity’s future. A paradise engineered to perfection.

But perfection breeds boredom.

Seeking recognition—and perhaps validation—he sends a message into the cosmos, broadcasting The Island’s triumph to the universe. All hell breaks loose when something replies. Within hours, the community fractures. Neighbors turn on neighbors. A savage, insatiable hunger spreads. Civilization unravels. Told through three gripping perspectives—the billionaire’s loyal assistant, an island mechanic, and a visiting investigative reporter—Beautiful, Once explores survival, psychological collapse, unchecked ambition, and the terrifying consequences of playing god.

When paradise falls, who gets to live?

My FOUR-STAR Review . . . . .

This novel prompted me to recall the ages-old adage: "one bad apple spoils the whole bunch." However, it's more like one bad decision made by the founder of a small but admirable utopian society. 

The characterization in this novel is so strong that it drives the narrative and makes everything work. Without it, I know I would be indifferent about the outcomes. With it, I empathized with all of these characters and really worried for them. Then, when everything starts to fall apart in a really short period of time, I felt the pain that they experienced. 

There's an ensemble cast here. What I appreciate is that each chapter is told from the point-of-view of three different characters. Each has a different stake in the startling incidents on the island, expertly told from their individual perspectives: Martha, the assistant administrator of the island; Jacob, the fix-it maintenance man; and Arden, the investigative reporter interviewing the island founder.

But the most interesting character of all is island founder Ronan Bard, whose point of view we learn from the other three characters. I have mixed feelings about him. He comes across as a friend to all, but something about him makes me suspicious. Still, it would be great to have a wealthy elite character who's actually a nice and benevolent guy. 

HIs speech at a TED Talk could make a believer out of me. I can't argue with anything he says here, and found myself nodding my head many times:

"Our country has failed us. Our politicians have failed us. The American Dream is dead. The media and the pundits are distracting us with fake news and meaningless trivialities to keep us from seeing the truth. The standard of living in the U.S. is lower than in any other first-world country. Pick an important topic: life expectancy, gender and pay equality, voting rights, education, crime, homelessness. This country is failing in every single way. 

The golden promise of it has been eroded, revealing nothing but gilt. Instead of learning from our history, we find ways to bury it. Instead of speaking about what matters, we obsess over TikTok. We don't know the faces and platforms of our leaders, but we spend hours watching social media celebrities doing and talking about nothing. 

As a society, we have become dumber and more complacent, and we have been encouraged to do that at every turn by the powers that be. Stupid people are the easiest to lead. We play video games and shop, while the world gets lit on fire, while it slips beneath the waves, while it becomes increasingly uglier and more hostile.

We waste our lives working jobs we hate toward an uncertain retirement. We cycle through meaningless diversions while our freedoms are slowly stripped away from us. We are sleepwalking.

Well, I'm here to say, wake up. Look around. Walk away. There is another path."

Ronan, sign me up!

Just found another reason to really like Ronan: His comments to a questioning reporter: "The only way for a society to stay happy is through staying small. The threads of cohesiveness stretch and tear. Time and again we see this happen, in the news, in history lessons, and yet most continue to ignore it. . . . . .

Time and again, the happiest countries elected are some of the smallest on Earth. Iceland, Finland. Places where people have forged a strong national character based on shared values. Where they feel supported by their government. Where a true democracy is practiced. Time and again, on the other hand, some of the largest countries in the world fall to autocratic rule. These places experience large levels of unhappiness among its people, which results in making tragic political choices."

He's preaching to the choir now, and his observations are spot on as regards current events. 

As much as I like Ronan, he is still a billionaire / elite class - - so I was looking for some chinks in the armor. Those get revealed in the novel's final acts. Also, there's a hint that Ronan's position as regards immigration may have been restrictive, but that is not explored any further. 

I like the description here, regarding investigative reporter Arden: "Her thought processes were bifurcating, then splitting further; the tributaries carrying them miles away from the origin source."

The novel touches upon many themes, including end-of-the-world apocalypse (but confined to the island), alien visitation, and zombie infestation. But the root of this book is more about utopian dreams, idealization, hubris/vanity, and has an underlying message - which can be left to the reader's imagination to determine. For me, I finished the book with the impression that while dreams can take a long time and careful consideration to build upon, a nightmare can tear it down quickly.