Blog Tour: [Review] Big Egos by S.G. Browne

Title: Big Egos
Author: S.G. Browne
Genre: Science-Fiction, Satire
Series: N/A 

Paperback, 384 pages

Publication: August 6, 2013 by Gallery Books   

Source: Publicist, review copy for blog tour

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Does your lifestyle not fit the person inside you? Then try someone else on for size! Call him whatever. Call him whomever. He can be any legally authorized fictional character or dead celebrity he wants for six to eight hours, simply by injecting a DNA-laced cocktail into his brain stem. It’s called Big Egos and it’s the ultimate role-playing fantasy from Engineering Genetics Organization and Systems (aka EGOS.) And, as one of the quality controllers for EGOS, he’s the ultimate ego-tripper, taking on more artificial identities than advisable—and having a hell of a time doing it. Problem is, he’s starting to lose the ability to separate fact from fiction. His every fantasy is the new reality. And the more roles he plays, the less of him remains. Sure, it’s dangerous. Yes, he’s probably losing his mind. Okay, hundreds of others could be at risk. But sometimes who you are isn’t good enough. And the truth is, reality is so overrated. . . .

Ever wish you can walk in someone else’s shoes?  In Browne’s latest novel, Big Egos an unnamed narrator and countless of other people do just that…they become anyone they want to be whether it is a celebrity, or a fictional character for a couple of hours and three thousand dollars. Our nameless narrator works as a quality controller for EGOS (Engineering Genetics Organization and Systems). His job is to personally test out all the Big Egos to make sure there isn’t any side effects/ or deficiencies, and monitor which Big Egos are the most popular. This might be another satire novel from Browne but it does get serious toward the last half of the book when our nameless narrator and others starts to experience problems from using too much of ‘Big Egos’. Things go from happy-go-lucky to the total opposite when Big Egos related deaths start to occur.

The concept for Big Egos is so creative and fun. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book like it, nor seen anything currently published with a similar idea.‘Big Egos’ which is also what the product is called is a DNA-laced liquid that is injected at the base of one skull. Then for about six to eight hours the person can be whoever they want to be. Some of the fun celebs and fictional characters mentioned in the book were; James Bond, Jane Eyre, Harry Potter, Jessica Rabbit, and Elvis to name a few. 

What I really enjoyed about this novel is how Browne tied his unique story to relatable real life situations and society/modern culture today.  Identity is the main theme of the novel.  Everyone at one point in their life tried to search for their identity.  Asking themselves: who are they or who do they want to be? Some people try to set themselves apart, to be different/ original or to jump on the band-wagon to feel like they’re a part of something. I think Browne does an excellent job exploring this idea of Identity, and while this book had me cracking up from start to finish I also learned a lot from it which I didn’t expect (thought this book was going to be more for like brain candy). 

With so many celebrities and fictional characters possibilities and an ambitious plot, there is never a dull moment. I highly recommend Big Egos to those looking for something different and fun to read.  Anyone who loves pop-culture will also enjoy this book.