‘Always Greener’, the first book of this series, left off at the end of season one of ‘The Grass is Greener’, a reality show that soon became a worldwide hit with over four billion viewers. ‘The Rude Eye of Rebellion’ continues two years later in time (2074), when season three is about to air. Liam Argyle is still the show’s immensely popular host, and he’s not happy. He’s fed up with turning other people’s misery into entertainment and decides it’s time to do something about that. It doesn’t completely turn out the way he has planned it.

You need to have read ‘Always Greener’ before engaging in the sequel. It may be possible to follow and enjoy the story but you’ll definitely miss things as Lawless dives straight into the story without much explaining. In an afterword he explains that he initially wrote one manuscript, which then was turned into two books, which probably explains the sudden start. In the meantime it has become a series with a third book already announced.

‘The Rude Eye of Rebellion’ doesn’t focus very much on the contestants of the show, as opposed to the first book. The two most important participants get mentioned every so often, but apart from that it’s mostly about Liam. He plans a rebellion against the power of the corporations who control people’s lives and decide who gets to be in the winning team of humankind and who will be a loser. Many characters from the first book return, albeit briefly in most cases, and many new ones are introduced. Most of the new ones also make nothing more than a brief appearance, which is not enough to get to like or dislike them. Basically, there are a lot of side characters, and the question is whether the book needs all of them. Less is probably more in this case.

The humorous notes at the end of many paragraphs, etymologically “explaining” words, are present again, and there are some really nice finds among them. It strengthens the satirical approach of the book. Being satire, it criticises society, here in particular how corporations have taken over the lives of everybody on the entire planet. Lawless pictures a view that is only a slight exaggeration of the current dependence on the internet and social media that many people display. The corporations in this book are an evil, 2070’s version of the contemporary social media companies. It’s not that unrealistic to imagine that society will actually evolve towards the one that Lawless pictures. So, should we actually feel entertained by this book, or become scared? The author, at times, seems to wonder too because there are moments when Liam and some of the people he meets engage too much in musing about the corporation-dependent society. It draws the pace out of the plot and becomes a little bit of a lecture. It’s a funny book, deliberately over the top at times, and in general a nice read, but because of the overuse of lecturing and too many superficial characters, I’d rate this second book in the ‘General Buzz’ series a little bit lower than number one. There is still enough inside that kept me reading though, and the end of the book prepares for the third book (with as promising title: ‘This is the good part’) that may set the revolution on fire and that makes me curious.

I didn't read the first in this series, but I don't think it hindered my understanding or enjoyment of this one. A game show host grows conscious of his role in the corporate dystopia and vows to bring revolution. The conceit of the book is in the voice and asides (formatted as footnotes, often etymological), and those elevated the story past the lack of a b-plot for me.

I loved the idea of seizing the means of production in this environment. We often forget that artists and creatives are the last free producers in our society. There's a touch of retro-futurism in the world-building, and it works well for the tone and humor of the given narrative voice. Kind of Douglas Adams meets PKD with less paperwork and drugs.

My favorite quote:
So, it was to be torture, then. Well, maybe not torture, but "so it was to be some bizarre pampered Corporate reconditioning, then" didn't have quite the same ring to it.

I liked that this book worked on an entertainment level, but could also be used to engage readers in more meaningful questions and discussions about society and politics. I wasn't a huge fan of the commune section as it felt like it was for a different audience than the rest of the book, but ultimately, that didn't detract too much from the fun I think I'd have reading this with a book club or class.

Thank you to NetGalley and UpRoar Books for providing a copy of this book to me in exchange for an honest review.