Written by Zeb Haradon
Shortly after I started reading The Disposable Soma (I was still on the first page), I realised it’s been how much I’ve missed reading Zeb Haradon’s books. The last—and sadly, only—one (which I also reviewed—click here for my thoughts) was Cousin Calls, a novel broken into short stories as people tell the harrowing stories that transpired after they receive a call telling them “you don’t know me, but we’re cousins.”. It’s somewhat fitting that I follow this up with the first book in The Disposable Soma Trilogy, whereby Haradon tells a longer form story.
Much like Cousin Calls before it, The Disposable Soma is not for the faint of heart. It opens with a disclaimer, “This book will disturb some readers. It is not written for children.” The novel will indeed disturb some readers. It’s a transgressive humour title full of distasteful subject matter. It’s a book where crude language, sexual content, drug uset and bodily fluids flow freely, and as a result, some readers will like it more than others. The content is sure to offend some readers, but those with the constitution for Haradon’s brand of off-kilter humour—a camp that I’m firmly in—will delight in the content. As distasteful as much of it is, throughout the novel, Haradon builds towards his jokes brilliantly before slapping the reader with a punchline.
While books that delight in the distasteful can wear thin after a while, The Disposable Soma never does. At 412 pages in paperback (or an estimated 377 pages on Kindle), it’s not a short read, particularly one with such a focus on its transgressive humour. As off-colour as the book can be at points, its humour moves past the bizarre stylings and situations to present a political satire. Throughout its pages, it presents a story about the 2164 presidential election campaign that puts the US political system, parties and culture on display. While having an understanding of US politics and the major parties might be advantageous to getting the most from the book, it explains everything the reader needs to know.
Taking place in the 2160s, the book tells the story of Jim Liu, a hotel heir, struggling stand-up comedian and grandson of a controversial former president. Jim is asked to run for President of the United States as part of a third party, the Empathy Party, in exchange for his hotel chain’s exclusive rights to a technology that creates bubbles with more space on the inside than out (essentially TARDIS technology, for any Doctor Who fans out there). The Disposable Soma tells the story of Jim’s political race, accompanied by his running mate, the genetically modified parrot, Betty. The plot’s full of humorous twists and turns, but humour aside, it draws the reader in and keeps them entertained as it guides them through its journey.
Although The Disposable Soma is first a political satire and transgressive comedy, if the plot didn’t give it away, it’s also a science fiction story. The novel presents a world populated by parrots with a human intellect and bubbles have more space inside than out—and also dilate time. While the sci-fi elements populate the world, they’re not the major focus of the book. Yet they work perfectly, particularly in the context of the book’s story and setting. Though it’s probably of no surprise given the book’s satirical nature, the sci-fi elements play into a piece of speculative fiction, presenting a world-to-be based on its current progression. One where drug use is legal, ‘others’—in this instance, sociopaths—are demonised, sex clubs are commonplace, and, despite their intelligence, parrots aren’t afforded the same rights as humans. The result is a world that is coloured beautifully as it presents a futuristic world that acts as a reflection of our own.
This reflection is anchored by its characters. Jim serves as the story’s protagonist, an everyman who happens to have been born into wealth and a family legacy he struggles to live up to. Although the book presents a larger-than-life perspective of the world and presents the story of a presidential race, Jim is an entirely relatable character. Despite its humorous bent, it’s easy for the reader to empathise with him (unless the reader happens to be one of those castigated sociopaths) and his journey. The Disposable Soma is populated by side characters. Some have more depth than others, while certain characters are played more for laughs than deep characters. But whether the character is a human or a parrot, they are enjoyable and add depth and colour to the book’s world.
The novel is fairly light on dialogue, but the dialogue always sings. The characters all have distinct voices, but communicate in a grounded way. Each one sounds like a real person, and conversations never feel forced. The prose works perfectly with the dialogue, while also doing the heavy lifting as it explores the book’s characters and their world. It’s clean and concise, and as The Disposable Soma builds to its many punchlines, the writing is always paced in a pitch-perfect way to stick the jokes’ landing.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, The Disposable Soma marks the first part of a trilogy. Although all three books were released in close succession (and I’ll have the other reviews in close succession, too—look for them on Wednesday and Friday), this shouldn’t be taken to mean they essentially form one book split into three parts. This book stands entirely on its own merits, and while the trilogy’s other books, Psitttacide and Bubblequake, continue Jim’s story, this one stands entirely on its own. If you’re worried about committing to a trilogy, you can rest assured this book doesn’t need the others to enjoy it.
The Disposable Soma isn’t for everyone. With its transgressive sense of humour and worldview, some readers simply won’t enjoy it. It pushes the boundaries of taste and takes great delight in it. For those who appreciate transgressive stories—and don’t mind some political satire, as well—this is a book that hits every note. The story entertains, the characters are an absolute delight and the prose and dialogue draw the reader right in.
Favourite Passage
The longer he stared, the more detailed the skeleton got. After what seemed like 15 minutes, Jim was seeing Santa Muerte, the Mexican folk saint of death. Not just seeing her – he knew it was her – and he knew he could ask her anything right now and she’d grant his wish. Why did you summon me here? What do you want? Santa Muerte seemed to ask, impatiently.
This is just the mushroom, Jim reminded himself, feeling another wave of anxiety coming on. “I’m sorry,” he said out loud to Santa Muerte, “wrong number.” He left Santa Muerte trapped in the shadows of the comet cactus and walked away.
The Disposable Soma: Book 1 of the Disposable Soma Trilogy, “June 2163”
The Disposable Soma: Book 1 of the Disposable Soma Trilogy was purchased for the purpose of an honest review.
The Disposable Soma is available in both paperback and on Kindle, exclusive to Amazon.
Note: I do not post scores for reviews on this website, but do post them on my Amazon and Goodreads reviews:
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The Disposable Soma
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