Hostile Takeover

A science fiction novel by Susan Shwartz.

Corporate climber CC Williams is sent to the asteroid Vesta-g to investigate possible insider trading, fraud or embezzlement.

CC puts on all the appearances of being a perfect corporate drone. But having bootstrapped her way out out of the slums and into an upwardly mobile career, her debts mean she is one false move away from forced emigration, indentured servitude, organ harvesting or worse.

While it lands very high on the Mohs Scale of Sci Fi Hardness, Hostile Takeover has several unique twists to classic science fiction formulae. For instance, in approved Golden Age manner, the main protagonist is a hard-science type; however, instead of nuclear physics or mechanical engineering, she is a financial analyst.

This work is Troperiffic in the extreme. Gleeful shout outs abound to both classic and contemporary media.


Tropes used in Hostile Takeover include:

He hadn't even tried to kiss her. Not that he should, seeing as she was engaged. And not that she wanted him to. But he hadn't even tried.

  • United Europe: Also we have The Americas and Eurasiazone.
  • Unusual User Interface: Having jacks in your wrist (or scars from their removal) is stigmata of the academic and administrative underclass, who need the efficiency and speed they offer. CC and John are both in deep debt to cover the scar-covering surgery. Also, some Earthserv pilots have neurocannulae to interface with their Space Fighters, but that's considered, well, really cool.
  • We Will Use Manual Labor in the Future: A major internal inconsistency with this one. Early in the book, CC observes that there is near-universal employment on Vesta because human labor is cheaper than robot assistants; but later she admires how Margaret cleverly programs her party lighting to make up for the fact that human labor was at a premium. Wut??
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