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Although each of the short stories or essays in "Installing Linux" stands alone, you'll find a few common themes. Most touch on technology. Many have mythical creatures: zombies, fairies, trolls, and such. Some may have a dark side, but all are humorous, with many satirizing something or someone in the process.
The title story gives directions for installing the Linux operating system on a badger. When you're done you'll have a zombie badger that can be operated like a robot. Doesn't that sound like fun? This piece satirizes computer installation manuals.
Multiple stories imagine a future where reanimated corpses or zombies provide a cheap workforce for corporations. This example passage is the response of the owner of a fast food restaurant, addressing concerns that his "zombloyees" (zombie employees) present a health risk, and clearly satirizes a typical corporate spokesperson putting a positive spin on a situation for good public relations:
"There's still this perception that they're these oozing corpses dropping parts everywhere, but that's completely outdated. When properly plasticized, our zombloyees are cleaner than our regular employees - all you do is wipe them down with orange cleaner every shift to get the grease residue off."
Of course this brave new world isn't good for everyone. We also get to meet the IT employee injured while trying to exterminate trolls from his company's computer network and the unemployed worker who masquerades as a zombie to get a low paying job in a call center. Overall, I found "Installing Linux" to be a quick (just shy of 20,000 words) and fun read.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
AceBitbucket
Posted September 2, 2010
A series of vaguely Zombie-themed shorts. Well-written but a tad uneven in some stories. Still, nice blend of zombies, computers and geekdom.
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LendMe™
Overview
This book contains a dozen tales to amuse any fan of technology humor or science fictional dark comedy. Many of the stories are what Green Man Review has dubbed "cyberzombie humor"; the title story is one of the most popular features ever to appear at the acclaimed science fiction magazine Strange Horizons.