The Unincorporated Man

Book excerpt: Prometheus Award Winner for Best Novel: “Fans of SF as a vehicle for ideas will devour this intriguing debut.” —Publishers Weekly In the wake of complete economic collapse, a reborn civilization has arisen. It is one in which every individual is incorporated at birth, and spends many years trying to attain control over his or her own life by getting a majority of his or her own shares. Life extension has made life very long indeed. Now the incredible has happened: A billionaire businessman named Justin Cord, frozen in secret in the long-ago early twenty-first century, has been discovered and resurrected, given health and a vigorous younger body. Justin is the only unincorporated man in the world, a true stranger in this strange land. He survived because he’s tough and smart. And he cannot accept only part ownership of himself, even if that places him in conflict with a civilization that extends outside the solar system to the Oort Cloud . . . “The clash between today’s cultural values and those of a vividly imagined future has never been more compelling . . . The Kollin brothers’ debut captivates with unforgettable characters and an ingenious vision of the economic future.” —Booklist “A bright, stimulating work that deserves a wide readership.” —Gregory Benford, New York Times–bestselling author of Foundation’s Fear “Reminiscent of Heinlein—a good, old-fashioned, enormously appealing SF yarn.” —Robert J. Sawyer, Nebula Award–winning author of The Downloaded