Review of World, Incorporated
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Lisa Grimaldi
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Review of World, Incorporated
[Following is a volunteer review of "World, Incorporated" by Tom Gariffo.]
In the not-too-distant future, the economy has collapsed, governments no longer exist, and the world is run by so-called “supercorporations”. Five of these supercorporations have survived over their competition, and they now run everything from housing to food supplies to hospitals to law enforcement and safety. Citizens are part of the Registry, a scarier version of the Internet where their every move is tracked and marketed to. The good news is the economy has been saved. The bad news is that subversive citizens must be dealt with to keep the system running smoothly.
In this fascinating world of World, Incorporated: A Modern Dystopia by Jim Gariffo, we meet Agent Sliver, a covert operative of the CEO of one of these supercorporations. Agent Sliver’s job is to complete missions, usually assassinations of citizens that the CEO deems as threats. His rewards? Plenty of money (in the future, our economy runs on credits), amazing stealth technology, life-saving injections, and the chance to exact revenge on the CEO of another supercorporation. But through the course of fulfilling his missions, he learns things that will alter his views on the world and the ways in which it has evolved. The question is – what will he do with that information?
There is so much to recommend in this smart, fast-paced, thought-provoking, page-turner of a novel. The characters are exceptionally well-written and fully dimensional. There is enough insight into economics and political theory to make the story believable, yet still remain interesting to the non-political science enthusiast. While violence is ever present, it is never gratuitous. This simply is the world of the future, stark and challenging though it may be. One of my favorite parts of this novel is the way in which the author tells us how this world came to be. Through a character’s eyes, we become privy to archived government documents, news stories and corporation memos that describe, in just enough detail, the downfall of the economy and the solutions and repercussions that follow. This novel is brilliant story-telling at its absolute best, with characters that you will think about and remember long after you have turned the final page.
Being a stark, dystopian novel means that characters often use profanity, often quite vulgar. For me, the use of profanity just made the novel more realistic and did not detract in any way from my enjoyment. Unfortunately, there were a few editing errors. These errors were mostly errors of missing words, often pronouns. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. Despite its few editing errors, I found this book an exceptional read.
I would not recommend this novel if you are in the mood for a romance – romance is non-existent. There is mystery, intrigue and plenty of blood. I would most assuredly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys dystopian novels. If you like your dystopian novels to give you pause for thought and insight, and if you like your stories character-driven and at a brisk pace, then please come along for the (stealth) ride.
******
World, Incorporated
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
In the not-too-distant future, the economy has collapsed, governments no longer exist, and the world is run by so-called “supercorporations”. Five of these supercorporations have survived over their competition, and they now run everything from housing to food supplies to hospitals to law enforcement and safety. Citizens are part of the Registry, a scarier version of the Internet where their every move is tracked and marketed to. The good news is the economy has been saved. The bad news is that subversive citizens must be dealt with to keep the system running smoothly.
In this fascinating world of World, Incorporated: A Modern Dystopia by Jim Gariffo, we meet Agent Sliver, a covert operative of the CEO of one of these supercorporations. Agent Sliver’s job is to complete missions, usually assassinations of citizens that the CEO deems as threats. His rewards? Plenty of money (in the future, our economy runs on credits), amazing stealth technology, life-saving injections, and the chance to exact revenge on the CEO of another supercorporation. But through the course of fulfilling his missions, he learns things that will alter his views on the world and the ways in which it has evolved. The question is – what will he do with that information?
There is so much to recommend in this smart, fast-paced, thought-provoking, page-turner of a novel. The characters are exceptionally well-written and fully dimensional. There is enough insight into economics and political theory to make the story believable, yet still remain interesting to the non-political science enthusiast. While violence is ever present, it is never gratuitous. This simply is the world of the future, stark and challenging though it may be. One of my favorite parts of this novel is the way in which the author tells us how this world came to be. Through a character’s eyes, we become privy to archived government documents, news stories and corporation memos that describe, in just enough detail, the downfall of the economy and the solutions and repercussions that follow. This novel is brilliant story-telling at its absolute best, with characters that you will think about and remember long after you have turned the final page.
Being a stark, dystopian novel means that characters often use profanity, often quite vulgar. For me, the use of profanity just made the novel more realistic and did not detract in any way from my enjoyment. Unfortunately, there were a few editing errors. These errors were mostly errors of missing words, often pronouns. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. Despite its few editing errors, I found this book an exceptional read.
I would not recommend this novel if you are in the mood for a romance – romance is non-existent. There is mystery, intrigue and plenty of blood. I would most assuredly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys dystopian novels. If you like your dystopian novels to give you pause for thought and insight, and if you like your stories character-driven and at a brisk pace, then please come along for the (stealth) ride.
******
World, Incorporated
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Latest Review: Final Notice by Van Fleisher
