Science Fiction Annotation: Infomocracy by Malka Older

Infomocracy
Centenal Cycle #1

By Malka Older

Genres: Science Fiction, Political Thriller, Cyberpunk

Publication Date: 2016

Pages: 380

ISBN: 978-0765385154

Geographical Setting: The whole world, but a large portion of the story centers around events in Tokyo. This novel depicts a truly global society in which the main characters regularly fly between continents to work and investigate. This leads to a bit of fun exploring the consequences of climate change in the near future; for example, rising sea levels have swallowed Manhattan and the island nation of Maldives is now known as the Adapted Maldives since it now exists entirely on raised platforms above the submerged islands.

Time Period: The near future (2050-2100?). There is certainly more powerful technology more widely available, but it has not progressed to the point where it feels alien. National boundaries and conflicts are relatively unchanged from present day.

Series: The Centenal Cycle, a trilogy of which this book is the first. Infomocracy is followed by Null States and State Techtonics.

Plot Summary: In the near future, the world's population is divided into groups of 100,000 people (dubbed centenals), each of which is responsible for electing its own government. This system, known as micro-democracy, leads to situations in which, for example, a neighborhood in the Bronx might be governed by laws identical to a neighborhood in Tokyo but wildly different from the laws of its adjacent neighborhoods. Thousands of separate governments have proliferated across the world, but a few stand apart as the most popular and influential. Microdemocracy dictates worldwide elections be held every ten years, but now, weeks before the third microdemocratic election, Ken, a campaign worker for an up-and-coming government, and Mishima, a high-ranking employee at Information (a Google-esque corporation that acts as a neutral information source), begin investigating a plot that threatens to destabilize the upcoming election and the new fabric of society.

Subject Headings: Conspiracies, Elections, Futuristic politics, Dystopia

Appeals:

• Pacing: fast
• Tone: exploratory, idea-centered
• Writing style: engaging, jargon

Read-a-likes:

Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer - Another utopian science fiction book that explores the ideas of different types of government, this time on an even more granular level than Infomocracy. In Palmer's novel, each citizen makes their own choice about which set of laws and governances they wish to follow. This is more a novel of ideas than one of action; the pacing is slower and the book is longer, but it explores similar societal constructs.

The Moon and the Other by John Kessel - A near-future exploration of a matriarchal society set on Earth's moon that explores the sociological implications of alternate power structures. Much more character-focused than Infomocracy, with somewhat slower pacing, Kessel's novel still has its fair share of thrilling action sequences while exploring big, philosophical ideas.

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson - A classic cyberpunk novel set in a highly technologically advanced society. Because of humanity's fixation with its screens, much of life happens in virtual reality. This story is a fast-paced adventure in a world much like our own, with an examination of the societal effects of over-reliance on technology.

Similar Authors:

• Margaret Atwood
• Ada Palmer
• Chang Rae-Lee