Hooray for Holopticon
by Carol Van Natta and Ann Harbour
A retro science fiction romp set in a future not to different from our own. The paranoid Tax Authority starts a bureaucratic war with a brave little company. Three resourceful employees must brave omnivorous ducks, bad computer poetry, wayward parents, and underhanded anarchists to save the day.
Description
A lighthearted adventure set in a future world not too different from our own. The paranoid Tax Authority, afraid of a wonderful new product developed by Holopticon (maker of holographic viewers), starts a bureaucratic war with the brave little company. With backup from the home office, three resourceful Holopticon employees beard the agency in its den. But despite exploding toilets, omnivorous ducks, bad computer poetry, and occasional appearances by a mythical ninja detective, most everyone manages to have a pretty good time. As Holopticon's (maddening) office computer might say it: “They bite bureaucracy on the nose / And come out smelling like a rose.” Think Jane Austen meets Ocean's Eleven meets Office Space. PG-13, with a tight, satisfying plot and some very funny scenes.
This novel was originally written in 1990, before the days of the internet, and languished in the metaphorical drawer for twenty years. When independent publishing became respectable, the authors made the book available through ebook retailers.
Publisher: Chavanch Press
Paperback ISBN: 978-0615271200
Publication Date: April 2009
Cover Art: Ann Harbour
Series: Standalone
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Check out the sample chapters here or on Amazon.com (click the “Look Inside” link)
Awards:
2009 Finalist for a Colorado Book Award for Science Fiction
Reviews:
“What a fun, humorous romp through a science fiction world full of crazy, lovable characters in a well-plotted story line. It was so refreshing to read a book without gratuitous sex, language and violence. But then, this book didn't need to rely on those things to keep the reader's attention. A great book for times when you'd like an enjoyable, engaging read.”
“For me, this book was a page turner. I couldn't put it down until I was finished. The plot is solid, well thought out, and keeps you intimately involved with the characters. In the end, the little guy wins and sticks it to the tax man. What else could you ask for?”
“…it's interesting to note that, like Orson Scott Card in his Ender's Game series (and others before that), science fiction authors correctly forecast the WWW, and indeed most of our hyper-connected society. Good science fiction is about plot, people, and science ideas (in that order) and this one gets its priorities right.”