Market Forces
by Richard Morgan
Gollancz $90
Road rage has a new meaning in the year 2049. Executives (or 'zek-tivs') challenge each other to car races as a way to get ahead in the company. If your opponent is still alive after you've rammed them off the road, it's perfectly acceptable to shoot them. In this violent world, Chris Faulkner is an enigma. He's a brilliant driver, but has been known to have 'sentiment attacks'. Once after winning a race, he pulled a colleague from her car and took her to hospital. He's just started a new job at Shorn Associates, the most morally bankrupt firm on the block. His colleagues are worried that he's too soft. For all the speed of the drivers, the story doesn't move quickly. Car chases aren't as exciting on the page as they are on screen. And Faulkner's motivation isn't clear. If he's averse to violence, why take the job in the first place?
