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jordibal's review against another edition
2.0
Si a [b:Snow Crash|40651883|Snow Crash|Neal Stephenson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1589842551l/40651883._SX50_.jpg|493634] o a [b:Moxyland|3491640|Moxyland|Lauren Beukes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328732006l/3491640._SY75_.jpg|3533237] le añades la tontería de [b:Bill, héroe galáctico|8081457|Bill, héroe galáctico|Harry Harrison|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1272027610l/8081457._SX50_.jpg|1398409], te podría salir algo así. Solo que peor. El planteamiento, capitalismo desatadísimo con un sector público pervertido y casi inexistente, al principio me hizo gracia por lo punki-chungo que parecía todo, pero pronto me aburrí y solo me quedó un pasapáginas (teóricamente, porque no me funcionó como tal) muy flojo. Una prosa simple como pocas y unos personajes de encefalograma plano, en su mayoría.
¿Clásico o polvoriento? Es un libro escrito en 2003 que prácticamente podría haber salido en 1993: si bien hay móviles (tontos, claro) por doquier y no falta el correo electrónico, el mundo que imagina parece más salido de una proyección de finales de los 80 o principios de los 90 que del siglo XXI. ¿Y por qué? El panorama empresarial mundial actual, y el tipo de economía en el que vivimos, difiere mucho del de 2003: ahora la megacorporación malvada no sería Nike, Exxonmobil o McDonald's, sino Apple (o Google, no sea que se me enfaden los manzanitas), Amazon o Disney. Curiosamente, Apple sí sale, pero la tratan como apestada de la informática, que es lo que era en su día. Este baile de nombres de “empresas malvadas” no es baladí: ahora estamos en una economía del conocimiento y la cruenta batalla se libraría por datos de los usuarios, no por unas zapatillas molonas.
Aparte de haber envejecido mal, probablemente se centre demasiado en la cultura estadounidense. Aquí, EE. UU. ha conquistado gran parte del mundo gracias a su dominio económico, incluida Australia, y es en ese megapaís hipercapitalista donde ocurre toda la acción. Para un lector europeo, todo suena a una gran farsa, a una peli de Michael Bay donde la NRA juega el papel que le correspondería al ejército en nuestro mundo. En Europa, vemos a la NRA como algo muy lejano, que solo relacionamos con Charlton Heston y de la que solo nos acordamos, como mucho, cuando hay alguna masacre con armas automáticas en un instituto, un centro comercial o una universidad de los EE. UU. Todo muy exótico, lejano y ajeno.
En resumen: polvoriento.
¿Clásico o polvoriento? Es un libro escrito en 2003 que prácticamente podría haber salido en 1993: si bien hay móviles (tontos, claro) por doquier y no falta el correo electrónico, el mundo que imagina parece más salido de una proyección de finales de los 80 o principios de los 90 que del siglo XXI. ¿Y por qué? El panorama empresarial mundial actual, y el tipo de economía en el que vivimos, difiere mucho del de 2003: ahora la megacorporación malvada no sería Nike, Exxonmobil o McDonald's, sino Apple (o Google, no sea que se me enfaden los manzanitas), Amazon o Disney. Curiosamente, Apple sí sale, pero la tratan como apestada de la informática, que es lo que era en su día. Este baile de nombres de “empresas malvadas” no es baladí: ahora estamos en una economía del conocimiento y la cruenta batalla se libraría por datos de los usuarios, no por unas zapatillas molonas.
Aparte de haber envejecido mal, probablemente se centre demasiado en la cultura estadounidense. Aquí, EE. UU. ha conquistado gran parte del mundo gracias a su dominio económico, incluida Australia, y es en ese megapaís hipercapitalista donde ocurre toda la acción. Para un lector europeo, todo suena a una gran farsa, a una peli de Michael Bay donde la NRA juega el papel que le correspondería al ejército en nuestro mundo. En Europa, vemos a la NRA como algo muy lejano, que solo relacionamos con Charlton Heston y de la que solo nos acordamos, como mucho, cuando hay alguna masacre con armas automáticas en un instituto, un centro comercial o una universidad de los EE. UU. Todo muy exótico, lejano y ajeno.
En resumen: polvoriento.
8one6's review against another edition
3.0
a darkly humorous dystopic cyberpunk novel where the libertarians won. Mega-corporations own and operate everything, the schools, the police, the roads, everything. The corps are so all-controlling that people change their last name to fit corporate branding (like the title character Jennifer Government) and the government has been so gutted that it can’t investigate a crime without a victim fronting the cash for a budget.
With this nightmare of a universe as the backdrop Max Berry presents an exciting tale full of action, politics, and humor. This was the first cyberpunk book I ever read and I think it’s a solid recommend in that category at three stars out of five.
With this nightmare of a universe as the backdrop Max Berry presents an exciting tale full of action, politics, and humor. This was the first cyberpunk book I ever read and I think it’s a solid recommend in that category at three stars out of five.
april_does_feral_sometimes's review against another edition
3.0
'Jennifer Government' by Max Berry is pure rock-'n'-roll satire turned up to ten. In the fictional world of the novel, American corporations run the world. But if you think that means we have the peace of pushing around grocery carts and walking around stores looking for the best sales and visiting strip malls on the way home to pick up a hot dog, think again. Corporations have always been murderously competitive. Think Jack in the Box vs. McDonald's. Think Nike vs. Adidas. Think of corporate marketing ideas such as the Nike President hiring the NRA to shoot up kids at a mall in order to increase the street cred of a new Nike shoe to increase sales. After fourteen kids are shot dead, sales increase 1000 percent. Give that merchandising executive a raise!
Jennifer Government, a government police agent, works for the rump power that remains of the United States government. Hack Nike works for Nike. Buy Mitsui works for Mitsui. Billy NRA works for the NRA. The last name of people is always that of whom they work for. If people don't have a job with a company, they have no last name at all. Taxes are illegal. If the government does any work, like fight a fire or investigate a crime, they charge upfront before showing up. Only the European Union still has governments in control of individual countries, taxes and businesses. American corporations are in charge of the rest of the world and they always get paid for their services or there is no service.
John Nike has a plan. He wants to rid the world of what remains of the government. He also wants to get rid of the competitor merchandising group called the Team Advantage, an aligned co-operative group of corporations. Nike belongs to the US Alliance, which competes with the corporations of Team Advantage. The US Alliance is not aware of John Nike's assassination plot. But as John knows, all an executive needs to do is take charge, assign people to tasks. People are sheep. John Nike is a psychopath. He is confident of his schemes. One of those schemes is killing the teens who line up to be first to buy the new line of Nike shoes. He assigned the murder of the mall kids to an employee, Hack Nike.
It is surprising to most people how orders from an executive are often obeyed, gentle reader, no matter how insane the command, as is demonstrated in the book and in the real world, despite an employee's qualms or morals. Promise of a raise and job promotion, threat of a job loss - that is all it ever takes.
Jennifer Government knows John Nike very well. She is not aware of his machinations regarding increasing the popularity of Nike's new $2500 shoes, but she is aware of his cold ambitious nature. She is busy tracking down the killer of the kids at the mall unaware of John Nike's involvement. The trail leads her into a maze of corporate ambitions and business alliances, all of whom have their own agendas and none know of the others' plots.
The book is absurdist satire. Coincidences and close calls and near misses and misunderstandings ensnare all of the characters into grievious difficulties. The plot reminds me a bit of what author Elmore Leonard does in injecting fun into his novels, but Barry goes in harder and deeper into the land of the absurb, creating more intensity into the politics of the story rather than invest much more than what is necessary for characterization. It's a romp through an alternate world (well, maybe an alternate world) where capitalism rules!
Jennifer Government, a government police agent, works for the rump power that remains of the United States government. Hack Nike works for Nike. Buy Mitsui works for Mitsui. Billy NRA works for the NRA. The last name of people is always that of whom they work for. If people don't have a job with a company, they have no last name at all. Taxes are illegal. If the government does any work, like fight a fire or investigate a crime, they charge upfront before showing up. Only the European Union still has governments in control of individual countries, taxes and businesses. American corporations are in charge of the rest of the world and they always get paid for their services or there is no service.
John Nike has a plan. He wants to rid the world of what remains of the government. He also wants to get rid of the competitor merchandising group called the Team Advantage, an aligned co-operative group of corporations. Nike belongs to the US Alliance, which competes with the corporations of Team Advantage. The US Alliance is not aware of John Nike's assassination plot. But as John knows, all an executive needs to do is take charge, assign people to tasks. People are sheep. John Nike is a psychopath. He is confident of his schemes. One of those schemes is killing the teens who line up to be first to buy the new line of Nike shoes. He assigned the murder of the mall kids to an employee, Hack Nike.
It is surprising to most people how orders from an executive are often obeyed, gentle reader, no matter how insane the command, as is demonstrated in the book and in the real world, despite an employee's qualms or morals. Promise of a raise and job promotion, threat of a job loss - that is all it ever takes.
Jennifer Government knows John Nike very well. She is not aware of his machinations regarding increasing the popularity of Nike's new $2500 shoes, but she is aware of his cold ambitious nature. She is busy tracking down the killer of the kids at the mall unaware of John Nike's involvement. The trail leads her into a maze of corporate ambitions and business alliances, all of whom have their own agendas and none know of the others' plots.
The book is absurdist satire. Coincidences and close calls and near misses and misunderstandings ensnare all of the characters into grievious difficulties. The plot reminds me a bit of what author Elmore Leonard does in injecting fun into his novels, but Barry goes in harder and deeper into the land of the absurb, creating more intensity into the politics of the story rather than invest much more than what is necessary for characterization. It's a romp through an alternate world (well, maybe an alternate world) where capitalism rules!
djmcm77's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
dave_peticolas's review against another edition
3.0
A dystopian novel about the logical conclusion of unfettered free-market capitalism.
msalexisshea's review against another edition
3.0
Really enjoyed this read - however the universe is more exciting than the plot itself. I wish this went more into the world surrounding the characters.
ruby_0_t's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
immortalitybytes's review against another edition
4.0
What if corporations ruled everything? Not such a crazy extrapolation of our current trajectory. Creative and cleverly plotted.
dkathunt's review against another edition
4.0
Good near future sci-fi concept, where corporations have replaced democracy and government is just another conglomerate.
mattseaborn's review against another edition
5.0
Most definitely one of the best book I have ever read.
Capitalism, industry driven politics and modern marketing tactics taken to the extreme in a near future setting.
An astounding book.
Capitalism, industry driven politics and modern marketing tactics taken to the extreme in a near future setting.
An astounding book.