"The grim science fiction tale, about a desperate man in the far-off future who goes on a kill-or-be-killed TV show to save his family from poverty, overflows with asides, observations, and background details that seem astoundingly familiar. Some are actually important, like the book's notion that U.S. currency (oldbucks) will be increasingly replaced by the New Credit Dollar, which sounds a lot like crypto."
"Other coincidences in the novel are small and kind of amusing. For instance, the government-sponsored shows that whip the population into a frenzy in The Running Man are broadcast on something called Free-Vee. That's the same name used for the last several years by the ad-supporting streaming service that Amazon Prime just absorbed. It's just a coincidence, but noteworthy nonetheless."
A grim science fiction tale follows a desperate man in a far-off future who joins a kill-or-be-killed TV show to save his family from poverty. The narrative contains numerous details that parallel contemporary technologies and social trends. U.S. currency (oldbucks) gives way to a New Credit Dollar resembling cryptocurrency. Government-sponsored entertainment called Free-Vee zombifies viewers and accelerates the demise of the printed word. Technicos form a smarmy class that keeps society plugged in. Graffiti and scenes signal virulent anti-Semitism and a youth resurgence of fascism. Voting booths were eliminated after a computer election eleven years earlier.
Read at www.esquire.com
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