Shopocalypse by David Gullen
Feb. 2nd, 2014 09:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
Novik and Josie have a lot of catching up to do. Two years he’s been in jail; two years she’s been waiting. They never want to be apart again.
A stress-filled encounter with some “Old-fashioned Boys” at a chain eatery turns their best of intentions upside-down: they’re now on the run and in possession of a super-hot sentient muscle car and 190 million dollars, covered with a potent psychoactive powder.
Welcome to the Shopocalypse.
In a future where capitalism in the USA has run rampant, Novik’s just been released from jail after serving 2 years for protesting against the president. He’s met by his partner, Jesse. Their plan is to make the most of their time together but that’s abandoned when a pit stop at a Cheese-a-Swede brings them into contact with a trio of gangsters. Soon they’re on the run in a state-of-the-art, sentient Cadillac called Mr Car, which has $190 million covered in souped up LSD in the boot and what else can you do with all that money, except spend it?
David Gullen’s debut SF novel is a dystopia packed filled with ideas about capitalism, the environment and the cynical use of war by politicians. It’s a clever read that – for the most part – is fast-paced but there’s a large cast and as a result, characterisation is slim. Also some of the ideas don’t quite hit the mark, which is inevitable given how much there is going on and was certainly not something that made me want to stop reading. All in all, this is a promising debut and I look forward to reading what Gullen does next.
The best thing about the book are its ideas. Gullen takes capitalism to its ludicrous and terrifying extreme with people buying things that go straight into storage and everyone being obsessed with getting rich. I loved the way that the US is shown as being dependent on this self-destructive behaviour and as a consequence is forced into wars of aggression against Canada and Mexico to distract the electorate from its troubles at home. The scenes with President Snowden and her cabinet have a Strangelove feel to them as they seek to juggle events just enough to keep themselves in power.
Unfortunately, the characters aren’t quite as rich as the ideas they serve, with the possible exception of Mr Car who slowly gains sentience and a conscience as the book goes on. Novik and Jesse’s relationship should have formed the heart of the book but the drugs on the money they’re spending stops them from properly interacting.
The pace does sag at times in the middle – particularly during the drug-filled scenes – but Gullen does manage to get the story back on course. All in all though, it’s a fun and intelligent read and I look forward to reading Gullen’s next book.
The Verdict:
David Gullen’s debut SF novel is a dystopia packed filled with ideas about capitalism, the environment and the cynical use of war by politicians. It’s a clever read that – for the most part – is fast-paced but there’s a large cast and as a result, characterisation is slim. Also some of the ideas don’t quite hit the mark, which is inevitable given how much there is going on and was certainly not something that made me want to stop reading. All in all, this is a promising debut and I look forward to reading what Gullen does next.
Novik and Josie have a lot of catching up to do. Two years he’s been in jail; two years she’s been waiting. They never want to be apart again.
A stress-filled encounter with some “Old-fashioned Boys” at a chain eatery turns their best of intentions upside-down: they’re now on the run and in possession of a super-hot sentient muscle car and 190 million dollars, covered with a potent psychoactive powder.
Welcome to the Shopocalypse.
In a future where capitalism in the USA has run rampant, Novik’s just been released from jail after serving 2 years for protesting against the president. He’s met by his partner, Jesse. Their plan is to make the most of their time together but that’s abandoned when a pit stop at a Cheese-a-Swede brings them into contact with a trio of gangsters. Soon they’re on the run in a state-of-the-art, sentient Cadillac called Mr Car, which has $190 million covered in souped up LSD in the boot and what else can you do with all that money, except spend it?
David Gullen’s debut SF novel is a dystopia packed filled with ideas about capitalism, the environment and the cynical use of war by politicians. It’s a clever read that – for the most part – is fast-paced but there’s a large cast and as a result, characterisation is slim. Also some of the ideas don’t quite hit the mark, which is inevitable given how much there is going on and was certainly not something that made me want to stop reading. All in all, this is a promising debut and I look forward to reading what Gullen does next.
The best thing about the book are its ideas. Gullen takes capitalism to its ludicrous and terrifying extreme with people buying things that go straight into storage and everyone being obsessed with getting rich. I loved the way that the US is shown as being dependent on this self-destructive behaviour and as a consequence is forced into wars of aggression against Canada and Mexico to distract the electorate from its troubles at home. The scenes with President Snowden and her cabinet have a Strangelove feel to them as they seek to juggle events just enough to keep themselves in power.
Unfortunately, the characters aren’t quite as rich as the ideas they serve, with the possible exception of Mr Car who slowly gains sentience and a conscience as the book goes on. Novik and Jesse’s relationship should have formed the heart of the book but the drugs on the money they’re spending stops them from properly interacting.
The pace does sag at times in the middle – particularly during the drug-filled scenes – but Gullen does manage to get the story back on course. All in all though, it’s a fun and intelligent read and I look forward to reading Gullen’s next book.
The Verdict:
David Gullen’s debut SF novel is a dystopia packed filled with ideas about capitalism, the environment and the cynical use of war by politicians. It’s a clever read that – for the most part – is fast-paced but there’s a large cast and as a result, characterisation is slim. Also some of the ideas don’t quite hit the mark, which is inevitable given how much there is going on and was certainly not something that made me want to stop reading. All in all, this is a promising debut and I look forward to reading what Gullen does next.
