ImperialViolet

Market Forces is from the same author as Altered Carbon. I read the latter some time ago and, although I quite enjoyed it, I didn't feel that I'd actually gained anything by the end of it. I'm quite happy just reading for pleasure but, with every book there's a scale of effect, from the profound to these two. These are deeply unimportant books.

Market Forces is billed as some great anti-globalisation work and is meant to be about large multi-nationals who take sides in wars for a piece of the post-war pie. Frankly, our governments do this already and so the idea isn't very shocking.

But the focus is on the lead character, Chris Faulkner, who is a rising star in this corporate world. The book also tries to be a character development story, charting how power corrupts - or something. I didn't ever feel that I understood or empathised with this character. His fall from grace seemed more a series of random acts than a warning shot that we can all be driven to immoral acts in a corrupting environment.

And much of the action involves legal kill-or-be-killed car battles. These companies compete for deals by having the best drivers in a ritual combat. Why? I assume there's an answer in the author's head, but he certainly didn't write it down for the rest of us.

DVD: Battlestar Galactica

Battlestar Galactica [introduction mini-series][series 1] - yes it was that film that they show on TV at Christmas with the robot dog and the baddies who look like tin cans with the front of the Knight Rider car glued on. Forget it. This isn't a remake, it's a thousand times better.

Although has some of the same story elements as the original this show has great writers, great cast and looks beautiful. Watch it.