Review by erikjr0369 -- World, Incorporated by Tom Gariffo
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- Latest Review: World, Incorporated by Tom Gariffo
Review by erikjr0369 -- World, Incorporated by Tom Gariffo
[Following is a volunteer review of "World, Incorporated" by Tom Gariffo.]
3 out of 4 stars
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Imagine a world where a single corporation can own media outlets, food companies, theme parks, toy and video game development companies, clothing, computers, car companies, etc. Imagine a world where everything you buy, everything you read, the clothes that you wear, the things you research on the internet, the shows that you watch, are all recorded and stored in a database. Imagine a world where those companies use that information in order to send you targeted ads specifically designed to get you to buy their products. Not hard to imagine is it? Which is part of what makes World, Incorporated such a compelling read.
When it comes to the “dystopian future” sub-genre of science fiction books, the ability to be plausible is part of what makes them so great. The reader can see the downfall of corporations in “Atlas Shrugged”; the separations of class structures, brain washing, and rampant consumerism of “A Brave New World”; the government take over and spying on its citizens in “1984”. These stories are believable on some level which is a crucial part of this genre. Tom Gariffo pulls from recent trends and world events to shape the story of World, Incorporated. Governments that are constantly locked in a stalemate, corporations buying other companies in order grow their power and influence, private near-military security organizations being used throughout the world, these are the real-world events that gave rise to this book.
World, Incorporated is a science fiction book set in the near future where the worlds governments have failed, and corporations have assumed total control of everything. The citizens of the world are all tracked and monitored in a computer program called The Registry so that the supercorporations know what to sell them and when. The protagonist, Agent Sliver, puts a new spin on corporate espionage and how companies deal with inner strife. Taking his orders from Fellrock, the CEO of World Incorporated, Agent Sliver uses the company’s considerable means and his superhuman abilities, a side effect of The Reclamation, to carry out his orders. The considerable means of the company include a plane with advanced technologies and an artificial intelligence named Franklin, things that they were able to create now that there’s no government red tape to cut through. And then there’s Rex, the part of the story that goes a little too far.
Rex is the point in the story where, in my opinion, the writer tried to pry too much sci-fi elements into the story. The story is good on its own without adding in this extra character. Now, there did need to be a more active antagonist to do battle with Agent Sliver, kind of a Darth Vader to Fellrocks Emperor, but Rex was just too much. Using a character with a similar background as Sliver that he didn’t know about would have been better. I guess the whole point here is balance. It is possible to have too much sci-fi, and it’s a fine line, but the author does cross it with the addition of Rex.
I found the story of World, Incorporated very intriguing which is what led me to read the book. There were parts of the book, especially in the early chapters, where I felt like the writing was a little elementary, trying too hard to describe things and not leaving anything to the imagination of the reader. The chapter dedicated to the news, telling the story of what shaped the world and Agent Sliver, was great. I would have liked to see it spread out a little bit more throughout the book, have the articles from the past woven into the story of the present. There were a few grammatical errors in the book but overall it appeared to be professionally edited. Overall, I rate this book a 3 out of 4, it is definitely worth a read for anyone that enjoys books about the possibilities of a dystopian future.
******
World, Incorporated
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
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3 out of 4 stars
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Imagine a world where a single corporation can own media outlets, food companies, theme parks, toy and video game development companies, clothing, computers, car companies, etc. Imagine a world where everything you buy, everything you read, the clothes that you wear, the things you research on the internet, the shows that you watch, are all recorded and stored in a database. Imagine a world where those companies use that information in order to send you targeted ads specifically designed to get you to buy their products. Not hard to imagine is it? Which is part of what makes World, Incorporated such a compelling read.
When it comes to the “dystopian future” sub-genre of science fiction books, the ability to be plausible is part of what makes them so great. The reader can see the downfall of corporations in “Atlas Shrugged”; the separations of class structures, brain washing, and rampant consumerism of “A Brave New World”; the government take over and spying on its citizens in “1984”. These stories are believable on some level which is a crucial part of this genre. Tom Gariffo pulls from recent trends and world events to shape the story of World, Incorporated. Governments that are constantly locked in a stalemate, corporations buying other companies in order grow their power and influence, private near-military security organizations being used throughout the world, these are the real-world events that gave rise to this book.
World, Incorporated is a science fiction book set in the near future where the worlds governments have failed, and corporations have assumed total control of everything. The citizens of the world are all tracked and monitored in a computer program called The Registry so that the supercorporations know what to sell them and when. The protagonist, Agent Sliver, puts a new spin on corporate espionage and how companies deal with inner strife. Taking his orders from Fellrock, the CEO of World Incorporated, Agent Sliver uses the company’s considerable means and his superhuman abilities, a side effect of The Reclamation, to carry out his orders. The considerable means of the company include a plane with advanced technologies and an artificial intelligence named Franklin, things that they were able to create now that there’s no government red tape to cut through. And then there’s Rex, the part of the story that goes a little too far.
Rex is the point in the story where, in my opinion, the writer tried to pry too much sci-fi elements into the story. The story is good on its own without adding in this extra character. Now, there did need to be a more active antagonist to do battle with Agent Sliver, kind of a Darth Vader to Fellrocks Emperor, but Rex was just too much. Using a character with a similar background as Sliver that he didn’t know about would have been better. I guess the whole point here is balance. It is possible to have too much sci-fi, and it’s a fine line, but the author does cross it with the addition of Rex.
I found the story of World, Incorporated very intriguing which is what led me to read the book. There were parts of the book, especially in the early chapters, where I felt like the writing was a little elementary, trying too hard to describe things and not leaving anything to the imagination of the reader. The chapter dedicated to the news, telling the story of what shaped the world and Agent Sliver, was great. I would have liked to see it spread out a little bit more throughout the book, have the articles from the past woven into the story of the present. There were a few grammatical errors in the book but overall it appeared to be professionally edited. Overall, I rate this book a 3 out of 4, it is definitely worth a read for anyone that enjoys books about the possibilities of a dystopian future.
******
World, Incorporated
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Like erikjr0369's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: World, Incorporated by Tom Gariffo
