4 out of 4 stars
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World Incorporated is set in the near future, after decades of financial instability and government corruption leads to a world ruled by supercorporations instead of traditional governments. Agent Sliver is the silent hand of the CEO for World, Inc., one of five supercorporations that have split the world between them. Usually by bloodshed and ongoing war. He is cold, ruthless, and alone besides his ship’s computer, Franklin. That is, until he meets Kelly. He shouldn’t help her, but he feels an inexplicable connection and responsibility for her.
Together, through their relationship and experiences, the author leads us on an exploration of this possible future. The supercorporations have created a seeming utopia, with clean air, superior healthcare, and a world where survival is easier than ever, as long as you are willing to be a good consumer. However, the dark side of the coin is quickly revealed as Sliver’s job pushes him to the limits of his own humanity, and his own past is revealed to the few he trusts.
This book tears into everything it means to be human, to be free, and what powers ordinary people have and don’t have. It explores the conspiracies brewing in the boardrooms of the world, and what it means to survive and thrive. It looks into humanitarianism, right and wrong, good and evil, and delves deep into the places that these ideas get murkiest. A page turner, the author kept me on my toes and yearning for more, while at the same time I couldn’t help but see the parallels between the dystopia he created and every power structure humans have ever created. He pushed philosophical boundaries while keeping the book action filled and humorous all at once. I loved every second.
The character development in this book is superb. The author cleverly uses each character as a foil to the next, and ultimately to his deeper message. You find yourself questioning what it means to be a person at all, versus just a machine. What does it mean to have freedom versus choosing freedom? What is a government, and is there any such thing as a government that in one way or another is not coercive? What fights are worth fighting, and which simply cause more pain and suffering? The struggle between power and purpose is interwoven with the dilemmas of human decency, ethics, and survival.
I did not find a single grammatical error in this book, it was extremely well edited and the pages flew by. I would suggest this book to anyone who cares for action, adventure, philosophy, government, history, or science fiction. Reading it felt like watching a high budget science fiction movie.
I rated World Incorporated by Tom Gariffo 4 out of 4 stars. Try as I might, I couldn’t find anything wrong with it. The author obviously took a lot of time and care with his narrative, the construction of his characters, his plot, and his idea of the future. He used every opportunity he had to subtly demonstrate his points without beating the reader over the head with them. You can enjoy this book as a simple adventure set in a fantastical science fiction environment, or you could spend hours philosophizing over it’s contents, the choice is yours. Excellent book, I wish I could rate it 5 out of 4 stars!
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World, Incorporated
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