The Unincorporated Man by Dani Kollin & Eytan Kollin (2009)

Summary: A cross between Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land, Time Enough for Love and Edward Bellamy’s Looking Backward, The Unincorporated Man follows the story of Justin Cord and what he catalyzes in a society three hundred years in the future. This future has flying cars, skyscrapers within skyscrapers and recreational use of nanotechnology. The authors propose an economic system where everyone has shares in themselves and each other, the government a mandatory five percent of all citizens. Justin Cord makes friends, influences people and has a good lawyer. Life is good in 2320… right?

Review: I love this genre. Science-fiction is a really great way to discuss something radical but not too far from the truth. There was a lot of merit in the system the authors proposed. Though it was a system propelled by greed, it raised the standard of living for everyone and with technology working in conjunction towards this goal, no one worried about death or starvation. People were invested in each other’s success, literally. Thinking about my own debt, school loans, credit card bills, etc. I felt that it wasn’t too far-fetched to say that I am not completely my own person. I subscribe to the notion that we haven’t risen so much out of slavery. Only that it has transformed and it will again.

Favorite parts:  “The greatest failure of any bureaucracy is not an inability to act. This they do in many little ways and in many big ways. What destroys most bureaucracies is an inability to think.” p.348

Rating (1=regretful read…10=My New Favorite Book): 7 chrome-plated space-elevators

Wine-pairing: Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed (also titled Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive) is a 2005 book by Jared M. Diamond. The Unincorporated Man refers to a time “Pre-GC” or before the Grand Collapse. In the Kollin’s dystopic future, the thing that is today’s societies ultimate downfall is Virtual Reality. Jared Diamond describes how some great societies have lost all they have worked so hard to build. Science fiction is often a thin veil for very valid concerns for current cultural climates.