Yesterday I finished reading Jennifer Government, Max (formerly Maxx) Barry’s second novel. Excellent. It’s a parody of the corporate world mixed with pervasive advertising ubiquitous brands and bought out/useless government. Funny as hell and although it’s taken to the extreme it can still make you think.
American corporations literally rule the world. Everyone takes his employer’s name as his last name; once-autonomous nations as far-flung as Australia belong to the USA; and the National Rifle Association is not just a worldwide corporation, it’s a hot, publicly traded stock. Hack Nike, a hapless employee seeking advancement, signs a multipage contract and then reads it. He discovers he’s agreed to assassinate kids purchasing Nike’s new line of athletic shoes, a stealth marketing maneuver designed to increase sales. And the dreaded government agent Jennifer Government is after him.
Hints of Gibson and Stephenson although in a purely fun scienceless way.