Plus, to be totally honest, I already know the flaws in my books better than the people reviewing them. Nobody is tougher on me than me. I can't pick up any of them without finding additional flaws. I used to agonize over that, but I no longer do. Now, I just do my thing, put it out there, and move on to the next thing.
But last night I was looking for some reviews for one of my other Eckhartz Press authors on Goodreads to post on the Eckhartz Press blog, when temptation got the best of me. I checked the page for "$everance". I figured that was safe enough. After all, it came out more than five years ago--a bad review wouldn't have bothered me anymore. I was pleasantly surprised to see there were several new reviews I hadn't seen before, including this one posted earlier this year. It was written by a reader named Edward LoPinto. Thanks Edward. I appreciate it. You made my day.
$everance by Richard Kaempfer is a hilarious and pointed satirical novel about the absurd world of media conglomerations. The protagonist, Tom Zagorski, is a morning radio DJ at WCLR, a commercial radio station in Chicago. The station is owned by Sierra Megamedia, who constantly finds ways to cut costs and increase revenues, even when it means reducing the quality of programming and treating their loyal employees like scum. The station manager, Sherman Rose, wants to get rid of Zagorski, but not wanting to pay severance, he tries to make Zagorski’s life so miserable he will quit. Zagorski fights back by trying to make Rose’s life so miserable he must fire Zagorski – and pay his severance. Hilarity ensues…
For what he hopes to be his most irritating prank, Zagorski writes a list of ideas for cutting costs and increasing revenue, and e-mails it to every employee of Sierra Megamedia, including the CEO. His list, he thinks, is so obviously a crude joke that it is guaranteed to get him fired. However, the CEO, Franklin Siegel, sees it as a brilliant business strategy. Zagorski soon finds that in the world of Big Media, there is no idea too ridiculous, and no strategy too cynical.
Kaempfer has created some very memorable and vivid characters. Tom Zagorski and his on-air partner Richard Lawrence are loosely based on caricatures or stereotypes; Zagorski is the mischievous morning-show DJ, Lawrence the straight-laced news reporter. But Kaempfer, by drawing on his personal experience, has turned them into characters who feel very real. Their interactions, no matter how zany, always seemed believable.
As with many great novels, the plot seems to flow naturally from the characters and their circumstances. The plot of Severance is also engrossing because so many of characters are obviously based on real people, and as a reader, you feel as though you are getting a glimpse into the minds of the most powerful men in the business (you’ll meet characters who resemble Rupert Murdoch, Ted Turner, and many more . . . coincidence of course). And while some of Zagorski’s antics seem to push the boundaries of what an audience will believe, they are juxtaposed against equally absurd situations that we know to be real – it’s one of the ways all great satire works, and Kaempfer does it expertly.
Zagorski finds that, contrary to popular belief, the people running the media are not too ideological, but rather have no ideals at all. They simply want to attract the most customers and sponsors – they have no regard for factual or ideological truth. And while there are seven entire companies competing for market share, they work together in ways that make them a virtual monopoly.
I really enjoyed Severance. I often found myself laughing aloud at Zagorski’s antics. Kaempfer’s prose is clear, simple, and witty, and the subject matter is fascinating. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in good satire or the media industry.
