Review: The Unincorporated Man, by Dani and Eytan Kollin

The Unincorporated Man

The Unincorporated Man has several distinctions that set it apart. Not only has it been nominated for a 2009 Prometheus Award, but it was also written by the only living sibling coauthors, Dani and Eytan Kollin. It also isn't your usual sci-fi yarn.

A brilliant industrialist named Justin Cord awakes from a 300-year cryonic suspension into a world that has accepted an extreme form of market capitalism. It's a world in which humans themselves have become incorporated and most people no longer own a majority of themselves.

Justin Cord is now the last free man in the human race - owned by no one and owning no one.

Now, The Unincorporated Man is solid science fiction. All the elements are there, but don't go in expecting space opera, aliens or laser gun battles. While there is a lot of fun science elements, such as a week-long Mardi Gras that engulfs the solar system, the absence of doors, and the near-complete conquering of death, the futuristic technology isn't the focus of the story as much as the philosophical and economical principles this advanced society is founded on. Namely, incorporation. It is this concept of buying and selling shares of both himself and other people that Justin finds himself vehemently opposing. And even under immense pressure from both the government and his closest friends, he cannot and will not compromise by incorporating, a stance that puts him at odds with the most powerful figures in the world and sparks an increasingly violent revolution. 

Eytan (left) and Dani (right) Kollin

One of this book's strongest aspects is the characters. Even the main antagonist, Hektor, surprised me by starting out appearing to be the usual arrogant, corporate buffoon who bullies his way through everything. However, by the end, you almost come to respect him for his shrewdness and efficiency in opposing Justin. The overall setup reminds me a lot of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, except set 300 years in the future. A lot of the characters even play similar roles. Justin is a version of John Galt. Neela, the woman who helps resurrect him into this new world, is his Dagny Taggart, and Hektor is the sum of all their vicious enemies--but a lot more self-aware than the opponents Galt faced. Justin is a charismatic figure, and makes numerous speeches to spread his revolutionary worldview of freedom. Though, thankfully, none of those speeches are seventy pages long. 

A Sci-Fi Essential Book

You'll find a good bit of humor peppering the prose. A lot of it is at the expense of our current society, poking fun at where modern companies, landmarks and fashion trends might end up 300 years down the road. There are also numerous discussions between characters as they debate the pros and cons of incorporation. Is giving up one's freedom a worthwhile cost to live in a primarily crime-free, care-free society? What are the ethics of owning a share of someone's life? 

There are certainly stretches of text that can be difficult to muddle through as characters delve into the legal and philosophical complexities of the issues at stake. But overall the Kollin brothers manage a solid balance in keeping this overload of information filtered through the eyes and ears of characters we come to care about. Suffice it to say, if you engage with this story, it will leave you with a lot to think about, which is likely what the Kollin Brothers intended all along. If you're looking for more of the whiz-bang galactic adventure beyond the stars type of science fiction, this probably won't satisfy. But The Unincorporated Man brings a lot to the table, and if you take the time to dig in, you'll find plenty to chew on and savor. 

I also got the chance to meet Dani and Eytan at the recent MileHiCon in Denver, CO. Dani pointed out that the book's main emphasis is freedom--what does it mean to be free, and how does one achieve it? Looking forward, they said their next books (at least two sequels from Tor) will address what happens when freedom is fully realized and what people do with it--for good or ill.