Extreme Paranoia: Nobody Knows the Trouble I'Ve Shot!

First of all, for anyone who hasn't played the Paranoia RPG, I have some homework: go play the game. I can't imagine what this book is like for someone who hasn't played the game, but I can't help thinking it's much more enjoyable for someone who has.The author, Ken Rolston, was part of the development team for the original Paranoia RPG (1st and 2nd editions) as well as a writer of several of the original adventures, most notably "Orcbusters" and "HIL Sector Blues." His excellent imagination and writing style come through in his novel, and his unique understanding of the setting definitely make this book a must-read for Paranoia GMs. Homer-R-ICK-2 is the main character at the beginning of the book, and suffers from amnesia since the memory transfer from his original clone (Homer-R-ICK-1) wasn't successful. This sets the stage perfectly for an outsider's introduction to the setting, since clone 2 knows nothing of the world in which he lives (which he doesn't, not for long, at least). In true Paranoia style, Homer and his band of erstwhile troubleshooters encounter myriad obstacles in the course of their mission, and run through several more clones in the process. Although I think Rolston missed the opportunity to showcase the backstabbing and infighting that characterize a RPG session, the classic elements of the game were all there: the great characters, crazy bots, hazardous R & D equipment, outfitting SNAFUs, etc. Rolston also includes a number of footnotes (in the tradition of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett) which are helpful to those who aren't as familiar with the game.Ken Rolston's view of Alpha Complex and the world of The Computer focuses mostly on its "humorous" aspects and less on the "dark," which made for a thoroughly enjoyable book. Although the book leaves out the typical Troubleshooter backstabbing and blackmail (and indeed, because it does so), the characters manage to achieve their mission goals and receive their just rewards (well, sorta). A fun book...by no means meant to be taken seriously.