Review by Iris4321 -- The Internet President: None of th...
-
Marloo
- Posts: 22
- Joined: 20 Jul 2020, 16:27
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 13
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-marloo.html
- Latest Review: We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko by Matthew Tysz
Review by Iris4321 -- The Internet President: None of th...
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Internet President: None of the Above" by P.G. Sundling.]
Childhood friends James Wong and Maria Cortez have built an extremely successful software company together, fulfilling one of James’ lifelong dreams. Unfortunately, this dream shatters when a greedy investor takes over their company. James, ever the tech-fanatic and dreamer, decides to become president of the United States of America to get their company back. Meanwhile, Maria possesses secrets concerning the greedy investor that could put everyone on James and Maria’s side in danger. Things become even more complicated when the fate of the world’s economy and peace falls on their shoulders and more people turn against them. They need to overcome their obstacles and work together in order to succeed. And they need to be quick because time is running out.
The Internet President: None of the Above by P.G. Sundling is a science-fiction novel about politics, drama, humour and an invention that revolutionised ordinary life: the internet. Sundling’s vision for this book didn’t exactly fulfil the criteria for a typical novel, so he decided to write a cinematic novel, read like a movie with shorter sentences, lots of action and less focus on the description. The end of the book is left open, sparking the reader’s interest for a sequel. The book won the “Cross-Genre” category in the 2018 American Fiction Awards.
The thing I liked most is the consistent message throughout the whole book. The dedication reads, ‘to those who see not just what is, but imagine what could be’, which is evident in every chapter. The story has come to life with the use of the real world and a lot of accurate creativity, as events from this book happened in real life only after Sundling wrote them. Then, in addition to the well-thought out plot, Sundling includes topics that are relevant to reality, particularly now, like education and the value of money. Additionally, I enjoyed reading a story where the technology of nowadays isn’t ignored or rejected but embraced and even made an essential part of the storyline.
The predominant negative remark I have is regarding the characters. James shows during his political speeches that he sees women as equal, actual human beings. Yet, out of the political spotlight, James doesn’t seem to act on it. I hoped to find some character development in that area, but unfortunately, I haven’t seen it. Likewise, the women in the story are painted as feminists, who stand up against misogyny. However, when the story is told from their point of view, some indications contradict that painted picture. An example is when Maria discovers a room with a pink interior and calls it “too girly” for her. Another is when she talks about a woman’s first time having sex and says, “she is a new car, waiting to be ridden.” It bothered me while reading because it is present throughout the whole book.
The book contains a couple of erotic scenes, ranging between mild and more descriptive, a few terms of offensive language and multiple (graphic detailed) use of violence. Therefore, I wouldn’t recommend this book to younger children and would notify those who are uncomfortable with graphic detail. On the other hand, people who like politics and science-fiction may abundantly find The Internet President: None of the Above worth their time.
In my eyes, the book has been edited well, and I am delighted to say I have not found any errors.
With all this in mind, I rate this book 3 out of 4. I can’t overlook the contradictory actions and words of the characters since the topic of the book is important to every group of people in our society. However, the storyline was highly enjoyable and the cinematic writing-style made the story more fast-paced, which had a positive effect on the book as a whole.
******
The Internet President: None of the Above
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Childhood friends James Wong and Maria Cortez have built an extremely successful software company together, fulfilling one of James’ lifelong dreams. Unfortunately, this dream shatters when a greedy investor takes over their company. James, ever the tech-fanatic and dreamer, decides to become president of the United States of America to get their company back. Meanwhile, Maria possesses secrets concerning the greedy investor that could put everyone on James and Maria’s side in danger. Things become even more complicated when the fate of the world’s economy and peace falls on their shoulders and more people turn against them. They need to overcome their obstacles and work together in order to succeed. And they need to be quick because time is running out.
The Internet President: None of the Above by P.G. Sundling is a science-fiction novel about politics, drama, humour and an invention that revolutionised ordinary life: the internet. Sundling’s vision for this book didn’t exactly fulfil the criteria for a typical novel, so he decided to write a cinematic novel, read like a movie with shorter sentences, lots of action and less focus on the description. The end of the book is left open, sparking the reader’s interest for a sequel. The book won the “Cross-Genre” category in the 2018 American Fiction Awards.
The thing I liked most is the consistent message throughout the whole book. The dedication reads, ‘to those who see not just what is, but imagine what could be’, which is evident in every chapter. The story has come to life with the use of the real world and a lot of accurate creativity, as events from this book happened in real life only after Sundling wrote them. Then, in addition to the well-thought out plot, Sundling includes topics that are relevant to reality, particularly now, like education and the value of money. Additionally, I enjoyed reading a story where the technology of nowadays isn’t ignored or rejected but embraced and even made an essential part of the storyline.
The predominant negative remark I have is regarding the characters. James shows during his political speeches that he sees women as equal, actual human beings. Yet, out of the political spotlight, James doesn’t seem to act on it. I hoped to find some character development in that area, but unfortunately, I haven’t seen it. Likewise, the women in the story are painted as feminists, who stand up against misogyny. However, when the story is told from their point of view, some indications contradict that painted picture. An example is when Maria discovers a room with a pink interior and calls it “too girly” for her. Another is when she talks about a woman’s first time having sex and says, “she is a new car, waiting to be ridden.” It bothered me while reading because it is present throughout the whole book.
The book contains a couple of erotic scenes, ranging between mild and more descriptive, a few terms of offensive language and multiple (graphic detailed) use of violence. Therefore, I wouldn’t recommend this book to younger children and would notify those who are uncomfortable with graphic detail. On the other hand, people who like politics and science-fiction may abundantly find The Internet President: None of the Above worth their time.
In my eyes, the book has been edited well, and I am delighted to say I have not found any errors.
With all this in mind, I rate this book 3 out of 4. I can’t overlook the contradictory actions and words of the characters since the topic of the book is important to every group of people in our society. However, the storyline was highly enjoyable and the cinematic writing-style made the story more fast-paced, which had a positive effect on the book as a whole.
******
The Internet President: None of the Above
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko by Matthew Tysz
