THE CONSCIENCE OF THE C.O.D.

Terminiello’s comic novel, set during a whirlwind sea voyage, offers a satirical look at the chaos and unrest of revolution.

This fast-paced, action-packed story uses Trip Torrent, the public relations director of the titular Climax of Dreams cruise liner, as its central character. He lives in New York City, an uncertain number of years in the future, and he describes the place as having “become the Crossroads of the World” in its vast diversity—as if it hadn’t already been so for more than a century. He also makes a point of referring to the people living there as “never-ending immigrant hordes.” Upon his arrival at work, readers learn that the owners have donated the Climax of Dreams to a group of refugees; shortly afterward, the ship is hijacked by an armed group led by the eccentric Simón Bolívar Francisco de Miranda Bernardo O’Higgins, who seeks to lead an uncertain revolution. From this point forward, the U.S. government gets involved in an attempt to rescue the refugee inhabitants of the craft—who have now become hostages—as well as defuse what’s become a volatile situation aboard the ship. But bonds form between Torrent and the revolutionaries, a media storm ensues, and, eventually, it becomes clear that not everyone’s goals are what they seemed to be at the start. Terminiello’s novel is fast moving and full of incident. But although the book is purportedly a comedy, it features many moments of intended humor that simply don’t land; the humor often uses sensitive issues as punchlines or relies on tired stereotypes (such as calling the New York mayor’s political party the “Democratic-Socialist-Neo-Nonsexualist Vegans”), while lacking in nuance or clever wordplay. These jokes often involve exaggeratedly elaborate descriptions, which makes the already highly eventful story difficult to follow. The narrative’s sequence of events feels somewhat aimless and lacking in either momentum or direction.

An eventful narrative that’s hampered by lackluster humor and a disorganized plot.