The unincorporated man

Is it bad form to recommend a book you haven’t finished? Oh well, too bad if it is.  I wanted to rave about a sci-fi book I’m only a third of the way into … The unincorporated man by Dani Kollin & Eytan Kollin.

It’s set over 300 years in the future, and yes there are flying cars in this imagined future. Instead of investing in company stock, the earth’s population invest in people stock – that is, you buy shares of a person. The goal of most people is to buy a majority share in themselves, so that they can make decisions about their jobs, their future and their life, rather than their shareholders. Banks no longer exist, instead, private companies print money. The government doesn’t manage the economy, the companies do. It’s an interesting incorporated world. Everyone, and everything, is incorporated to some degree.

Cryonics is commonplace, so much so that there are jobs for re-animators – that is, bringing people back to life from their suspension units. Normally folks are brought back to life within a matter or months, or at most, a few years.

So how does this world cope when an unincorporated man drops into the mix? Justin Cord is from the past, the distant past, way before anyone was incorporated. His suspension units was one of the first to be created, and he’s been hidden away in a cave for over 300 years.

Justin doesn’t fit into this structured corporate world. While he is navigating his way through a new future, one that he could only have imagined of 300 years ago, those around him are trying to work out how he fits into their world. It’s an interesting take on where the future might be headed.

Although I am not sure if the ending will match the start of this novel, it has high praise from Kage Baker on the back cover, and it is an intriguing read so far. So if you wanting something a little unusual, try this novel.