Public Works Trilogy I guess

I told a friend of mine that I'd tell him all about the book I'm reading in a facebook message, since I decided to leave his party a bit prematurely (and yet still only catching the last of the subways by the end of my trip, so I left at a good time). As I'm unlikely to write more than this on the subject even when I finish reading the book, I may as well add the message here, and give any additional info later when I finish the book.

The message reads thusly:

"alright Simon, let's tell you about that book I've got now before I forget, never do it, and am forever labelled "BAD FRIEND" (I'm sure ol' Jamie is just itching to put his label maker to use..)

So the novel is called 'Sewer, Gas & Electric The Public Works Trilogy' which I THINK means there are three distinct sections, possibly stories, in this one book. The other possibility is that this is the first of a trilogy and I have to find the later installments later. But again, I'm reasonably sure that isn't the case.

It's the second novel from Matt Ruff, and yes, that is a ridiculous name, evocative of both dogs and sand paper.

The book is dedicated to Ayn Rand, which Jamie says is why I shouldn't be reading it at all, but I assured him that I was reasonably sure it was an ironic dedication. Though now that I think about it, your second book out of the gate, and you're going to ironically dedicate something? I guess that doesn't really sound right... well, it all depends on how this book turns out. If it really IS an ironic dedication, well, that's amazing.

The novel has an extensive cast of characters, as well as a list of said characters on the first page. Naturally, I keep having to flip to the front to make sure whether or not I know the latest character on the scene. After a 20 page break it's easy to think "Oh, this is another new character. Great!" when it's actually someone you've already met.

As to what it's actually about, well, 80 pages in, and I still don't know (it's about 450 pages altogether, you really need that first 100 to get in the zone). The novel was written in the early 90's and the story is set in 2023. Naturally that makes it more fantastical and the world has a better economy than a speculative fiction story for 2023 would have if it were written now. Also, they use fax machines in tandem with holo-confrencing.

That looks weird, I've clearly never had to spell confrence before. Conference? Yeah, that looks better.

In the early 2000's a plague happened that specifically wiped out most of the world's black population. This had consequences. The biggest consequence presented to us readers is that a particularly wealthy businessman named Gant has a PR problem in that most people prefer to buy his robot servants that have black person coloured synthetic skin, and are colloquially known as "electric negroes". The PR problem is specifically called "The Negro Problem".

Gant's ex-wife Joan, despite the fact that she could be living in the lap of luxury, works as a sort of mutant sewer animal hunter. When we meet her she is suitably awesome, and I guess it's that same awesomeness that let's her survive when the rest of her team is killed by a (sewer) great white shark attack. That she defended herself with a grenade that was tampered to work in the methane environment (grenades, in the future, usually have a helpful device stopping them from being used in such dangerously ignitable areas.) , blowing up a great deal of property in addition to the shark, meant that she was immediately fired from her job.

Gant is also menaced by an eco-pirate prankster named Philo Dufresne who captains an advanced submarine named the Yabba Dabba Doo. Dufresne loves to create property damage, but will absolutely never take a life, what with his strict Amish upbringing. He's also, though he doesn't let on to the public at large, one of the few remaining black people on the planet. He sinks a Gant vessel that was on it's way to drill for oil in Antarctica.

It's POSSIBLE that the book will turn into a murder mystery, since apparently a business rival of Gant's has been murdered (off page I guess, unless my memory is REALLY bad) by an electric negro, which makes it a case of the plot of I, Robot, but specifically the movie with Will Smith.

Also, I've just been introduced to a one armed 180-something year old woman who served in the Civil War and is continually astounded by the modern world.

Yup, a weird post modern book. Almost certainly influenced by Thomas Pynchon, throw in some Douglas Adams too.

Believe it or not, I've actually left stuff out for brevity's sake. Happy birthday!"

and that was my message.