Brother Jonathan

This book crafts a chilling picture of what capitalism out-of-control could be like in a future world. It's one of the earlier SF novels I read and it has most of the elements I like to see in this genre. For those who like humanism in their SF, I would reccomend this novel. In the future, massive corporations rule the world in place of countries. They routinely try to outbid each other and declare war on one another in takeover attempts. Thrown into this struggle are a group of neurologically handicapped children and animals who are at the bottom of the pecking order. They're to be the guinea pigs for a new computer implants that the scientists hope will rebuild the damaged areas of their brains. What actually happens is beyond everyones expectations . . . Suffice to say, this is a story about the triumph of the underdog and the changing of a world. The only downside is that this book makes a pat ending out of something that couldn't be that simple, in an otherwise enjoyable book, it's forgivable, but I feel like a lot more could be done along this theme. If you like this and want something more complex try Tad Williams' Otherland books, their big but worth reading.