Sewer, Gas and Electric

by Matt Ruff

Book Overview

In the year 2023, as a crew of human and android steelworkers approaches the halfway point in the construction of a new Tower of Babel, the brainchild of billionaire Harry Gant, Harry's ex-wife Joan Fine, assisted by a resurrected Ayn Rand, sets out to solve the murder of a Wall Street takeover mogu

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0871136414
• ISBN13: 9780871136411
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
• Length: 450 Pages
• Weight: 1.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Matt Ruff's Second Novel, A Cyberpunk Classic

Matt Ruff has written three novels in a literary career spanning nearly two decades; all three are rooted somehow in fantasy and should be regarded as fine examples of speculative fiction. "Sewer, Gas Electric: The Public Works Trilogy" is a dazzling, hilarious cyberpunk adventure set in the New York City of 2023. Ruff conjurs up a bizarre, almost dystopian, view of a near-future New York City laced with the political wisdom of Ayn Rand, who returns, resurrected as a major protagonist in this novel. Multi-billionaire Harry Gant strives to build the tallest building in the world while his ex-wife, Joan Fine, is joined by Ayn Rand, as they wage war against homicidal robots and a sinister conspiracy involving Walt Disney and J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI's legendary first director, within the sewers of Manhattan. Ruff's novel is just as hilarious as Neal Stephenson's "Snow Crash", but quite a bit longer. And not only are there apt comparisons to Stephenson's work here, but I can see some influence from the likes of Thomas Pynchon, Bruce Sterling and William Gibson too. Fans of "Snow Crash" and other cyberpunk fiction will not wish to miss this book. Without question, "Sewer, Gas, Electric: The Public Works Trilogy" is Ruff's splendid sophomore outing, and demonstrates to me why he may be the finest writer ever to have graduated from New York City's prestigious Stuyvesant High School.

Brilliant, irreverent, a wild ride

Sewer, Gas and Electic is one of the strangest, most off-the-wall books I've read in years. And I loved almost every bit of it. If this is representive of Matt Ruff's work, he's a brilliant writer. The only reason that I didn't give the book five stars is that the ending is a bit weak compared to the rest of the book. But, regardless of the ending, the ride was worth it.The cast of Sewer, Gas and Electric includes a Multi-Billionare businessman, Harry Gant. Harry wants to do the right thing, but doing the right thing is boring -- it just doesn't hold his attention. So, he hired an environmentalist that he'd dated in college, Joan, as an executive in his company to keep him honest. They battle over company decisions and eventually marry and then divorce, all the time where the story occurs.Other characters include a non-violent eco-terrorist with a submarine decorated with pink polka dots that he docks under the statue of liberty, the crew of the submarine, including a mixed Israeli/Palestinian family, and a few war veterns suffering from serious PTSD. Oh, and we can't forget the VERY evolved, very dangerous shark that has escaped from the NY City sewers. And the Queen of England...Early on in the book, it isn't clear whether the plot revolves around Gant's quest to build a mile-high tower or the eco-terrorists efforts to stop Gant industries from drilling for oil in the Antarctica. It turns out that its neither.I really don't want to give anything away. If you like science fiction and you enjoy off the wall plots and don't mind a bit of politically incorrect humor, you'll LOVE this book.

Thought provoking and clever

This novel defies classification. It is part SF, part satire, but all very readable and enjoyable. It is thought-provoking but doesn't beg to be taken seriously, and certainly not literally. For the objectivists in the crowd, I recommend it for those who thought *Atlas Shrugged* was gospel when they read it in college, but who are now ready to begin questioning Ayn Rand's philosophy.

Lethally humorous, Diabolically Subversive.

Matt Ruff is a talented bartender, mixing interesting characters with cultural references both obscure and hip into a delightful cocktail that will satisfy your thirst and leave you wanting more. If Ayn Rand had a sense of humor and some perspective, she might have wanted to write a book like this. A warning; at the end of this book, you might find you don't take philosophy as seriously as you used to. I think that is a positive step, and it makes reading this book an imperative.

Nothing like a good read

I tried to describe this book to a friend of mine. It came out something like this: "Well, there's this woman and a lamp with the spirit of Ayn Rand, and her car has Abbie Hoffman's -- well, just read the book." When pressed, I described the first chapter. A young man from the sticks, comes to the big city. He's got a fresh new start, a blank slate of optimism, and gets a job for the New York Sewer System's Zoological Division. One his first day of work, he meets his new teammates, makes friends with them. Gosh this guy is nice! They hand him grenades and gas masks. They go by boat into the sewer with an android on the front sniffing the air. The farm boy, which by now you've come to like a lot, shows his new watch off -- plays 60 different orchestrations. He's playing Bolero for the crew. Suddenly he's eaten by a great white shark. End of chapter, but the begining of a marvelous read. Keep an open mind, remind yourself of the willfull suspension of disbelief, and enjoy the ride