So You Wanna Run a Country?: A Novel [Hardcover]

Holohans prose pops and crackles as he combines an outlandish yet convincing vision of a tech-dominated future reminiscent of William Gibson with the wry wit of Neil Gaiman, and the result proves exceedingly funny . . . Holohans silly dystopia, replete with ridiculous place names (Newer York and Grander Central Station) and winking acronyms (Consumer-Responsive Unscripted Drama), strikes an utterly enjoyable medium between? In a dystopian cyberpunk future, the eponymous reality show replaces the governments of small countries with underqualified contestants who struggle to lead, all for the sake of mass entertainment. [A] wacky, freewheeling cyberpunk story by the author of? Original, deftly crafted, iconoclastic, thought-provoking, entertaining, and very definitely a novel for our times, Nothing this madcap should be this chilling. A heat-seeking missile for the facades which dress despotism up and give it cover, Here's a book of rare and savory humor. I enjoyed the twists and turns of the story, the silky political subtextechoes of Gibson and Orwellthe integrity of the imagined world, and something all-prevalent and crafted so subtly as scarcely to draw attention to itself: the author's trust in the reader's intelligence. The projection of the digital world of spectacle leaves a chilling aftertaste that is both timely and salutary, yet there is a note of hope and yearning that soars beyond the allegorical and satirical strands of the story.