An absolutely fantastic read (in my opinion of course)!

I think I've read it six or seven times and I am yet to become bored with it! ( )

I'm not a fan of satire but this one resonated with me. Perhaps because I do work for a huge mega-corporation and I thought some of the things I read here could be plausible someday. I've seen my employer throw millions at an inconvenience to make it go away ASAP and I've thought, they don't even care about regulations or the laws. They just do what they want and throw money around to fix it. So it's not that big of a stretch to imagine a world without democracy, a world ruled by consumerism. And it's a little scary.
Although if you read the book as straight fiction, John Nike is one of those villains who is so bad you love him. ( )

(Amy) I very nearly bounced off this book, hard. I waded through to my self-mandated 50-page mark, though, and by that point no longer particularly objected to reading the rest of it. I would most assuredly not say that I liked it, though. Alistair calls it a beautiful example of anarchocapitalism FAIL, and I suppose I can't really argue with that - the world of the book is dominated entirely by Big Business, and they don't really appear to be doing a very good job of it.

I am entirely unenthused by the prospect of explaining why I think this extrapolation is a load of baloney, however. Please note that I don't think that anarchocapitalism is The One True Way, or even a good idea; however, I am fairly certain that this would not be its failure mode. Still, the story was amusing enough, even if it seemed to have been constructed entirely to first show up and then topple the house of cards in which it took place.

In short: Good for an occasional eye-roll, but not particularly recommended.
( http://weblog.siliconcerebrate.com/ze... ) ( )

Pre09:
Characters: She's got a barbie doll upc on her face! Of course I love her.
Plot: It's pure cyberpunk, but at least it's put together pretty well.
Style: Modern pop cyberpunk all the way. Easier to follow than most though. ( )

I read this book over the course of one Sunday back in 2003, in between the Sunday newspaper, bouts of websurfing, laundry and other housework, and finished it up just prior to the season finale of "Andromeda" (AKA "Hercules In Space"). All this extraneous detail to say it's a fast read and not one that requires intense concentration.

And it's FUN! What a loopy world Max Barry created (the seeds of which are currently being sown): one where an individual's surname is that of his employer and the free market is god. Where capturing more market share is the Holy Grail, and all efforts in pursuit of that goal are permissible.

Written in an easily accessible, almost neo-punk, style. Hilarious and terrifying all at once. Gosh, I'm glad I read this! ( )

All three of the science fiction books I read recently had an excellent premise or set of premises upon which they were based. However all three books managed to put books of varying quality around those ideas. In my opinion the most successful was Jennifer Government. It isn't just an entertaining and at times funny look at brand identity taken to 11 on the dial, it is also an interesting read from beginning to end. I recommend this book pretty highly. ( )

I remember the hype around this and NationStates (the accompanying game). I focused more on the NationStates (I was probably penwingland or somethign similar) and never got round to reading the book (poor at the time). I received this book as my SantaThing gift and have only recently picked it up. It's not exactly been screaming at me to read it.

I was surprised at how little the book has to do with the game. In the game you make political decisions based on scenarios and options. The scenarios are very widely spread and allow your country to develop in many different directions. The book is about only one direction - unbridalled free trade and minimal government interference. Where Murder is a calculated business risk (will the fine outweigh the profit) rather than a moral issue.

Overall this was an enjoyable conspiracy/scifi/actioner with some agreeable social-politcal commentary. Glad I've finally read it, but wouldn't list it anywhere in my greatest books of all time. ( )

Brilliantly 1984, this dystopian novel talks about what happens when consumerism takes over the world. An intellectual read with a fast storyline. I bought this book because of the web-based game the author had created a while back. Creative marketing at its finest. ( )

Really wanted to like this a lot more than I did...couldn't finish it. ( )

It’s an interesting take on our future in this tale of a dystopian society. Well paced, and fun to read, I highly recommend Jennifer Government to anyone who doesn’t like big corporations, and who would be amused by seeing what could happen where companies will do anything to win consumers loyalty. Fantastic. ( )

Colleen Mondor's Adult books for Teens February 2008

A satire in an America that has gone privatised libertarian crazy - and now controls a lot - or at least the corporations do. Australia, for one.

This sort of satire is of course reminiscent of Snow Crash (or Grey, recently).

Decent enough, but nothing ground breaking or perhaps even as money.

It begins with an office slave asked to help out on a shoe marketing effort. The plan for these expensive sneakers was to withold all but a few, and then blitz sell them to up the price by a factor of two or so, and make the odd billion, given they cost less than a dollar.

To ensure this happens, they ask him to find ten victims among early purchasers to murder in the act, so that it looks like people are willing to kill to get them. The poorer the better, in this case, high school girls good too, of course.

The Jennifer Government in the title is an armed troubleshooter for what is left of the Government. In this novel it seems people take the last name of the corporation they work for, hence John Nike, Jennifer Government, etc.

Needless to say in an American gone crazy like this the corrupt are more so, and killing as advertising seems pretty standard.

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2009/01... ( )

Laugh out loud funny in places, too cool for school nonsense in others. Liked it overall. ( )

(First reviewed at Blogcritics at http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/...)

Australian writer Max Barry's second book, "Jennifer Government" is a well-crafted light satire. It could be called speculative fiction or science fiction. It's set in a dystopian near-future in which governments have been downsized and government functions privatized. People take the name of their employer as their surname - Hack Nike, John Nike, Billy NRA, Jennifer Government. Profits rule. Employees are dehumanized and brutalized. There is no respect for quality in work and art - it's a bottom line world, catering to whims of the consumer.

The story starts when Hack Nike, a low level Merchandising agent, is hired by John Nike, the Vice-President of Guerilla Marketing to kill 10 teenagers to give a new product street credibility. He goes to the police who offer to subcontract for him. The story takes off from there. Kids are killed, and Jennifer Government investigates the case. There is a heartbreaking scene early in the book in which she has to ask parents of a victim to fund the investigation. It becomes personal when she discovers the link to John Nike, whom she knew before her career in government.

The dialogue is snappy, the plot lines are tight and well connected. There are moments of ironic dialogue, some absurd comical scenes and a budding romance to carry the story over its dark premises. It's worth reading for enjoyment, and for the satirical commentary on where modern neo-conservatives might take us if they had their way with government and the economy.

It's not great literature. The characters are basic and act for simple motives. Character development is largely eschewed in favour of plot movement.

Barry has links on his web page to a number of reviews and news stories about "Jennifer Government." In reading his page, we can see posts and newsletters going back well before the book was released. He used the Web to promote himself and the book before it was released. One of his strategies was creating the Nation States on-line game.

It's hard to say if this book has staying power. It fits into the anti-globalization, anti-corporate movement. For the time being, it's topical, enjoyable and mildly provocative. ( )

This is an Abe Book this year; I doubt if it wins, but it is thought provoking. In it's way, it seemed like a spin off the old classic 1984. As I was reading it, I kept thinking that it seemed like it should be a movie...one of those over-the-top farces. This is not my favorite book; I don't know that I even liked it; but satire probably isn't something that I enjoy reading. ( )

Initially I liked this book, essentially a western set in a future world dominated by corporate culture and greed. However as the book progressed I felt it didn't do enough to develop the characters in a meaningful way. ( )

6.5

adventures in capitalist dystopia - one of my favourites ( )

A look at a future world in which the government has been privatized. Jennifer government, a government agent, corporte watchdog and single mom, who has eto chase Hack Nike who doesn't have his platinum credit card. ( )

With tongue firmly in cheek, this book tackles a sci-fi nightmare where corporations rule the world. It was definitely entertaining and clever, but it never fully drew me in. The characters are somewhat unlikable and or one dimensional. But it moves at a good pace and is a quick read, so it's a thumbs up for those who like their fiction thick with satire. ( )

Barry doesn't tread any new ground with this novel, but it's a fun little read. It won't change your life- or maybe it will if it's your first exposure to the genre- but I still recommend it.

I would say, though, that the cast is just a little too large for what the author's really going for, and it weakens the novel. There's a reason that really classic cyberpunk novels have a single protagonist (with the exception, perhaps, of Count Zero). Still, pick it up- it's fun. ( )

Set in an alternate present where where corporations influence every aspect of life from dictating your surname to running your kids school and governments being reduced to a petty hindrance to progress.

A nice if not groundbreaking satire on the power of multi-national corporations and globalisation. Written in an easy flowing style the book left me feeling like I had just eaten at one of the fast food chains parodied. Tasty enough but not altogether satisfying. ( )

I think I put this on my tbr list mostly because of the title, which I found intriguing. And the cover, which I think is fantastic. And, amazingly enough, the cover is actually relevant to the book (unusual with F&SF books).

So, this is a science fiction - speculative fiction? - book that takes place in a future where the government is weak and almost laughable, and corporations are governments unto themselves. More or less. People take the last name of the company they work for - hence Jennifer Government, also John Nike, Claire Sears, Buy Mitsui, and so on. A Nike marketing rep decides to artificially increase the value of the new product by fast-talking some poor schmo into doing something he doesn't want to do, and then it all goes to hell.

This is a very fast-paced book, I think the whole think takes place over just a few days, and one thing after another just keeps happening, bam bam bam. I liked it, but at the same time it's kind of terrifying, because I can see ways that our world may be headed in that direction, and that's not my idea of a great future. ( )

Very inventive. A sci-fi story of what the world might be like if the U.S. continues expanding and if our big corporations were to get even bigger. Might they ever decide they don't want to deal with the government and it's regulations, so they just eliminate it? ( )

Jennifer Government is a satirical tale of future, where large corporations rule. Sure, there's government, but it's no more a player than the corporations and the mighty corporate alliances are more powerful than any government. People identify to the corporation they work for: one of the main characters, for example, works for Nike and is called Hack Nike.

The idea sounds good, but unfortunately the book doesn't live up to the promise. It starts ok, but gets nowhere. The book is full of uninteresting characters: there are too many of them, and you don't really care about any of them. The dialogue is bland and the many action scenes are just confusing. The plot is at times silly or just uninteresting.

What comes to satire, Ben Elton's books work much better. Jennifer Government isn't a funny and sharp satire, but it's not a gloomy, believable dystopia either. It would've been a much better book, had it been one or the other and done that well. (Review based on the Finnish translation.)

(Original review at my review blog) ( )