Reviews

A witty and scary look at the future of the works and the increasing role corporations and decreasing role of government. The actions and interactions of the characters as they try to right their wrongs in their and others lives are engrossing.

deadscreen's review against another edition

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3.0

Not great. It was interesting enough in the beginning but by then end I was just struggling through to say I'd finished it.

sizrobe's review against another edition

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5.0

This is probably the most cynical book I've ever read. It's also hilarious at points. It's also a tightly plotted little number I couldn't put down. It's basically the polar opposite of 1984, where the Government has almost no power and corporations all but rule the world. The ethos reminded me of the megacorps of cyberpunk, but without the cyber. So just punk, then? Barry has the brass balls to use actual modern corporations as the literal child-murdering antagonists who will do anything for a buck.

Without spoilers, I loved the third act twist. Also, this book contains the single (intentionally) dumbest motherfucker ever committed to paper, Billy NRA. This one is a strong recommend from me.

rotorguy64's review against another edition

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3.0

Jennifer Government is, in a word, shallow. The characters are likable and believable enough (for the most part), but completely lacking in complexity. The titular protagonist

Spoiler

being the ex-girlfriend of her enemy

is the most this book has to offer when it comes to character depth. The setting, likewise, lacks any backstory worth mentioning, and it seems to be ripped right out of the first anti-libertarian FAQ Max Barry could find. I was genuinely surprised there were even roads in it.

Speaking of shallowness, if you're looking for a critique of libertarianism, look elsewhere. The ethical criticism is mostly in the beginning of the book and consists of pointing out that altruism is really cool. Well, I agree. Tell that to the objectivists, not me or most other anarchocapitalists. We don't object to sharing with others and we certainly don't like greedy assholes. The rest of the critique consists of showing how shitty a libertarian world would be, except that the world of Jennifer Government is not what we have in mind, not even remotely, and Max Barry doesn't even try to substantiate his vision with economic or sociological insights.

That said, if you want a silly action-thriller, Jennifer Government might be your book. It's short, fast-paced, funny and decent at creating atmosphere. The proselytizing isn't that bad (this review is worse), the characters were likable enough to make me care about them and the setting is internally consistent and fun in itself. It isn't [b: 1984|5470|1984|George Orwell|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1348990566s/5470.jpg|153313], but it is Bloodsports.

lisaeirene's review against another edition

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1.0

I really wanted to like this book but the story, the characters, everything was just flat. I couldn't get into it.

rnmcfarlane's review

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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