Jennifer Government (no spoilers)
Doug
It's breezy and fast, a quick read for enjoying (two) cool summer
evenings.
It reads like the natural extension of cyberpunk, with Barry taking
the notion of a corporate-run world to its logical, if slightly
absurdist, extreme. It has a somewhat indefinable quality to it,
except that it feels like the clear morning after a cyberpunk night.
The cynicism is still there, but the tongue-in-cheekiness keeps it at
bay. Perhaps this is new sub-genre: Daylight Cyberpunk.
I quite like the mix of characters. They don't all feel as if they're
cut from the same cloth. Some are smart, some dumb; some are
competent, some inept. Even the most broadly drawn and/or hastily
sketched characters feel like real people.
One minor quibble I had with the dialogue stems from what I think is
probably a cultural blind spot of Barry's. Although the characters
are from all over the world, they often slip into Australian/British
speech patterns. Specifically the phrase "was meant to." USAns don't
use that phrase much, nor do the French or Japanese folks I know. And
yet. This wouldn't be a problem except that Barry uses it ALL THE
TIME.
Non-spoiler sample from page 228:
"You're meant to be gone," they [Japanese government agents]
said.
"But my transport isn't here."
"Not my problem, sunshine," the Japanese agent said, and Jennifer
went looking for someone who could sort this out.
"Some Japanese guys are trying to take over my barracks," she
told the Staff Chief.
"Aren't you meant to be in Washington?"
"Yes. I don't have transport."
"Well, those barracks are meant to be free."
I had to decide that this was quirky, to cut the annoyance factor.
Love the cover. It's accurate while at the same time succinctly
summing up the thrust of the title character and the story itself.
That's good marketing. Considering that marketing is what the book is
about, it's perfect.
Doug