Opposite of 1984?

[quasigeostrophy]

Have just finished reading Jennifer Government by Max Barry. It's a somewhat violent, fast-paced satirical look at a near future in which capitalism has become the New World Order. People in USA countries take their last names from their employers, the NRA and the Police are military forces belonging to opposing customer loyalty programs, and taxes are non-existent. Jennifer Government is an agent who starts out investigating a murder case related to the killing of several Nike customers.

Some of the characters are a bit sketchy, and the pacing (particularly when Barry switches points of view during concurrent action) is a bit awkward. The reader needs to suspend disbelief more than a bit, IMHO, as it's definitely a slippery-slope premise. One that is fairly entertaining, though, and in the end the story does bring most of the threads to a satisfying conclusion.

Comments

[krasota.livejournal.com]

I know I had some constructive criticism for that novel when it came out, but damned if I can remember any of it.

I did enjoy the novel. And I'm quite accustomed to suspending all sorts of beliefs and disbelief.

Re:

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed it, too, and can also suspend belief much of the time. It was just rough in spots, I guess.

[catzen.livejournal.com]

at a near future in which capitalism has become the New World Order.

Wait.... I thought we were already there.