Lexicon by Max Barry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Went to the library to pick up a book, saw this one on the “New” shelf. How come no one told me Max Barry had a new novel out? I need to update my Google alerts.
And it’s about words and more specifically linguistics and even more specifically neurolinguistics (actually, psycholinguistics, but let’s not split hairs). Even better! The NLP thing taken to it’s inevitable end, nice. I’m all in.
21 hours later and I’m all done. Max Barry knows how to pace a thriller, doesn’t he. With just enough pseudo-science thrown in to keep this from being a Lee Child joint but not so much that you feel you’re getting Dan Browned.
However, once I stepped back, found myself trying to explain the book to my wife, I realized it was a bit thin. A blurb on the book jacket used the phrased “weaponized Chomskian linguistics.” But no, not really. More like J.K Rowling’s magic-word-creation trope used to good effect. Another blurb said “Elmore Leonard high out of his min on Snowcrash.” Not really.
I realize I’m more reviewing blurbs here than the book. Fine, whatever. My point is—it’s better to go into Lexicon with no expectations, because then it’s a mighty good read. But you’ve read this review now, the shape of the book is already haunting your expectations like a ghost. I’m programming you.
Unwittingly, though. I’m just saying—not as deep as Jennifer Government, or even Company, but it has their paranoia and Barry way-ups the thrill ride, so worth it.