The Unincorporated Man by Dani KollinMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a surprisingly good SF built upon some even better what-ifs, and presented as a near-homage to Heinlein.
Specifically, I rather focused on the whole near-Stranger in a Strange Land feel at the beginning. A rich industrialist freezes himself, only to wake up hundreds of years later and needs to get acclimated to a strange new world--that happens to be one of an insidious slavery. Insidious because everyone is happy. All needs are met, but everyone is incorporated as a business model. Sell off shares of yourself for opportunities or wealth, buy them back to be less beholden to other shareholders. The government and your family begin with a standard tithe.
It actually sounded like a pretty horrific setup, but the SF comes to the rescue with advanced tech (nanotech) and automated systems.
Fast forward through a number of ideological conflicts and more than just a few courtroom dramas, assassination attempts, full cultural upheavals, and by the end, I'm hooked on this rip-roaring yarn.
It's not for nothing that we can compare it favorably to Heinlein at his best. Social commentary is second only to a fun tale. You know, the proper order of things.
But I *will* say that it still manages to be a proper horror/dystopia even in the face of so many social ills resolved. :)
Definitely worth reading.
View all my reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment