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"Exceptional, horrifically hilarious, and deeply original.” —Kevin Wilson, New York Times bestselling author of Nothing to See Here
Chuck Gross would like nothing more than to prune himself from his family tree. He’s already clipped his name, turning Charles Grossheart, Jr.—son of a billionaire labor exploiter, weapons manufacturer, and climate change denier—into ordinary good-guy Chuck, the “self-made” proprietor of an up-and-coming punk label. But when Daddy threatens to cut him off, Chuck is forced to get a “real job”—and conveniently, an old college friend has just swept back into his life with the perfect opportunity.
Famed Harvard dropout and biotech darling Olivia Watts says she is on the verge of totally reinventing the field of medicine, but when Chuck signs on, he soon discovers that things at the vast Kenosis campus are not quite how they appear. Secret labs, vanished employees, and mutated test subjects seem to be as impossible as they are sinister. Is Olivia simply a scammer, or does her technology threaten to usher humanity toward a far bloodier fate? Moreover, does Chuck—who has never accomplished anything without the aid of Daddy’s money—stand a chance of stopping her? Daniel Hornsby hilariously skewers the insatiable hungers of the ultrarich in a novel that no one will be able to resist sinking their teeth into.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
July 11, 2023 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593668344
- File size: 300112 KB
- Duration: 10:25:13
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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May 1, 2023
Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos was sentenced for fraud; her fictionalized counterpart, Olivia Watts of Kenosis, is much more successful, if no less deceitful, in this gonzo, slow-burning speculative thriller from Hornsby (Via Negativa). Charles Gross is a record publisher whose financial viability rests more on his being an heir of the heavily wealthy Grossheart family than on his own music acumen. When he needs to demonstrate his entrepreneurship to his suspicious father, he hooks up with Olivia, a college friend whose startup promises amazing nanotech biomedical monitoring. All is not well with Kenosis, however, a fact curious Charles begins to uncover both on his own and with the help of a company whistleblower. But can he convince his father of the company’s malevolent conspiracy before Olivia puts her hooks into the senior Grossheart? Hornsby toys with the reader through tantalizing glimpses of Olivia’s rise to startup fame and grounds the story’s wilder elements, including the bloody secrets Kinosis hides, in Charles’s struggles to emerge from his father’s shadow. Readers will likely guess Olivia’s ties to the supernatural long before they are revealed, but that doesn’t detract from the entertainment. This is sharp-fanged Silicon Valley satire. Agent: Chris Clemans, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. -
Graham Halstead sounds totally authentic as he narrates this novel about people who aren't what they appear to be. Hornsby's clever and often hilarious second novel--seemingly inspired by the Elizabeth Holmes/Theranos start-up scandal--features Chuck, the son of an evil billionaire who reinvents himself as an average guy who is forced to get a real job. However, the Silicon Valley start-up he's working for turns out to be covering up a big secret. Halstead convincingly conveys Chuck's vibe--laid-back, bordering on ennui--and he seems comfortable rattling off the many obscure pop-culture references that pepper the dialogue. If Halstead's pace is a bit too languid, it's appropriate for Chuck's character. D.B. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine -
June 10, 2024
This bloody satire of Silicon Valley corporate culture bites deep into the ultra-rich. Charles Gross got into punk music and founded Obnoxious Records to rebel against his very rich, very conservative, and very evil family. His best friend from college, Olivia Watts, owns Kenosis, a company that's at the forefront of bioelectronics--or at least it appears to be. When Olivia invites Charles to be part of Kenosis, Charles makes some startling discoveries about how Olivia does business and how she plans to change humanity. Readers will have long figured out Olivia's secret before Charles does. Still, they may not care, as Charles is made a likable narrator thanks to Graham Halstead's portrayal of him as a guy who, through bad luck, a desire to do good, and a lack of forward-thinking, gets in over his head. Hornsby (Via Negativa) delivers a slow-burn thriller peppered with jokes about the one percent and corporate culture--exorbitantly priced New Age retreats, performative speeches delivered to investors, and private nature preserves in the backyards of the ultrarich. VERDICT A winning satire, sure to please fans of Christopher Moore's zaniness, Grady Hendrix's grim humor, and the sentiment behind the slogan "eat the rich."--James Gardner
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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