REVIEW: sleazenation

At last, a novel which recognises the true iniquity of reward cards. In the not-too-distant future, America has expanded to encompass countries as far afield as Australia and, of course, Britain. The Police and the National Rifle Association are rival security firms cum mercenary armies, all companies are divided into two brand loyalty cartels and people's surnames are now that of their employer. This kind of satire can often be little more than a tedious flight of fancy but Barry's comic touch never fails him and the use of real company names such as Nike, McDonald's and Burger King (God knows how his lawyers got around it), combined with the author's acuity gives the whole barmy adventure compelling plausibility.