Year Zero (Rob Reid, 2012)

I needed this book. It wasn't the greatest book I've ever read, let's be clear about that, but in a reading list where the science fiction has to share an increasingly crowded stage, and a general lack of humor through most of the titles, this was welcome.

The premise of Year Zero is completely ridiculous. It turns out that humans, while woefully under-civilized among the myriad races of the galaxy, do one thing really well, and that is make music. Unfortunately, they also have the most expensive legal system of copyright, resulting in a galactic bill in royalties, permission, and (mostly) fines totaling in excess of a dollar figure higher than all of the economies of the galaxy combined over the entire course of history. Needless to say, the more sinister elements of the galaxy have decided that if Earth were to mysteriously explode, then the whole matter would fix itself.

Enter the hero, music copyright lawyer Nick Carter (no relation to the singer or the Carter name in the firm he works for). Through some horrible mistake related to the parenthetical phrase in the previous sentence, ridiculously-dressed alien visitors with weird names approach him to figure out a solution to this colossal problem. Along the way, we learn about the infectious nature of reality television, and why Windows was a necessary invention to keep humanity in its place in the galactic order. You will also get an ample dose of Reid's thoughts of various types of popular music, much of which I found myself agreeing with, although I still haven't come around on Simply Red.

Leave any and all disbelief at the door with this one, or you will just be frustrated. This is primarily a work of satire targeting the music industry, which Reid (as one on the inside of the industry) does very well. If you are hoping for scientifically accurate depictions of alien culture, look elsewhere. This is more Douglas Adams than Arthur C. Clarke.

According to Worldcat, the book is fairly common at libraries, but as far as being a core title it is probably still too new to tell. I wouldn't be surprised if the e-book over time becomes a more common way of reading this title. Incidentally, the Korean translation popped up second in my search, which, if you read the book, you will find strangely appropriate, although the language gags may fall flat. Do not confuse this book with Year One, a nonfiction book about Harvard Business School by the same author.