

Ask HN: Are there any good fictional books about Coders/Companies? - husky


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corywilkerson
"Microserfs" was an interesting read 10 years ago, I'm unsure how it would
read today.

A non-fiction recommendation that reads like fiction: "The Soul of a New
Machine".

~~~
bmm6o
I immediately thought of "Microserfs", but you might be right about it being
dated. Coupland also wrote "JPod", which was also about programmers. I would
not recommend it (or any of his books since "Microserfs") at all.

------
metageek
Cryptonomicon.

~~~
Travis
I second this one. It's more than just about code -- it's a multiple narrative
that touches on 2 different WW2 stories, along with a modern tech narrative.
Which all tie in together. It's awesome, but it's a bit overwhelming.

I'm surprised you didn't say Snow Crash. Same author (Neil Stephenson), and
also about coders. Specifically, languages, viruses, and reality. It's also
much, much more accessible. I usually recommend that people start with Snow
Crash and move to Cryto, if they like Stephenson's stuff.

~~~
metageek
I just thought of Cryptonomicon first, mostly because I've been rereading the
Baroque Cycle. I think it also matches the original poster's request better,
though, because it covers life in a raw startup.

~~~
Travis
Fair enough. I just usually avoid recommending Crypto, due to its sheer size
and density. At least until someone finishes Snow Crash -- if they're
interested in more Stephenson, then I go to Crypto.

What did you think of Anathem? I thought it was interesting, but pretty much
agree with the XKCD comic -- <http://xkcd.com/483/>

~~~
metageek
> _I just usually avoid recommending Crypto, due to its sheer size and
> density._

Good point. And you can hook someone on _Snow Crash_ by reading them the
opening bit about the Deliverator.

> _What did you think of Anathem?_

I love it. It pulls in hard science, philosophy of science, epistemology,
geometry, geek love, sociology...wonderful.

> _but pretty much agree with the XKCD comic_

I really didn't have any trouble with the vocabulary. There was a lot of it,
but it was introduced gradually, and most of it was from European roots. And I
_don't_ consider it gratuitous; it was a big part of setting the mood of the
book.

------
allwein
Here's a couple that I've enjoyed lately. Only "The Deal" and "21 Dog Years"
are tech centered, but all of them are good reads and amusing. Descriptions
are pulled from Amazon. I've included affiliate codes, but feel free to strip
them.

"Then We Came To The End" by Joshua Ferris

[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/031601639X?ie=UTF8&tag=...](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/031601639X?ie=UTF8&tag=keysofgeni-20)

It's 2001. The dot-com bubble has burst and rolling layoffs have hit an
unnamed Chicago advertising firm sending employees into an escalating siege
mentality as their numbers dwindle.

"Company" by Max Berry

[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400079373?ie=UTF8&tag=...](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400079373?ie=UTF8&tag=keysofgeni-20)

Barry once again satirizes corporate America. This time, he takes aim at the
perennial corporate crime of turning people into cogs in a machine. Recent
b-school grad Stephen Jones, a fresh-faced new hire at a Seattle-based holding
company called Zephyr, jumps on the fast track to success when he's
immediately promoted from sales assistant to sales rep in Zephyr's training
sales department. "Don't try to understand the company. Just go with it," a
colleague advises when Jones is flummoxed to learn his team sells training
packages to other internal Zephyr departments. But unlike his co-workers, he
won't accept ignorance of his employer's business, and his unusual display of
initiative catapults him into the ranks of senior management, where he
discovers the "customer-free" company's true, sinister raison d'être.

"The Deal" by Joe Hutsko

[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1438235844?ie=UTF8&tag=...](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1438235844?ie=UTF8&tag=keysofgeni-20)

Hutsko debuts with an effort to re-create the near-demise of Apple Computer
with a thinly disguised cast of fictional alter egos. Hutsko, who worked
closely with Apple CEO John Sculley, casts Peter Jones in the role of Apple
founder Steve Jobs. As the novel opens, Jones is unseated from his position by
his best friend, Matthew Locke, a buttoned-down Sculley type who engineers a
power-play and steals control of Jones's innovative computer company, Via
Technology.

"The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement" by Eliyahu M. Goldratt

[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0884270610?ie=UTF8&tag=...](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0884270610?ie=UTF8&tag=keysofgeni-20)

In this intriguing, readable business novel, which illustrates state-of-the-
art economic theory, Alex Rogo is a UniCo plant manager whose factory and
marriage are failing. To revitalize the plant, he follows piecemeal advice
from an elusive former college professor who teaches, for example, that
reduction in the efficiency of some plant operations may make the entire
operation more productive. Alex's attempts to find the path to profitability
and to engage his employeesi n the struggle involve the reader; and thankfully
the authors' economic models, including a game with match sticks and bowls,
are easy to understand. Although some characters are as anonymous as the goods
manufactured in the factory, others ring true. In addition, the tender story
of Alex and his wife's separation and reconciliation makes a touching contrast
to the rest of the book. Recommended for anyone with an interest in the state
of the American economy.

"21 Dog Years : A Cube Dweller's Tale" by Mike Daisey

[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/074323815X?ie=UTF8&tag=...](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/074323815X?ie=UTF8&tag=keysofgeni-20)

In 1998, Daisey gave up his life of frequenting cafes, temping and
participating in small-time theater to join an up-and-coming bookseller called
Amazon.com. Here, he offers a kind of workplace coming-of-age memoir the young
hero comes to terms with his ambition, synthesizes it with his liberal arts
education and finally spits it out. All the dot-com punching bags are here:
the lampooning of new economy jargon, the girlfriend worrying about her
boyfriend's sudden obsession with the company picnic, and jokes about
Pets.com. What saves the book from being an exercise in shooting fish in a
barrel is Daisey's sharp eye: he renders even banal corporate moments with
energy and wit.

