CommWealth

by Michael D. Smith

The CommWealth system, introduced just six months previously, has created a society in which there is no legal claim to any kind of private property. Any object from your house to the clothes you’re wearing can be demanded by anyone, to be enjoyed for thirty days before anyone else can request it. As actors in the Forensic Squad theatrical troupe struggle to adapt to the resulting chaos, CommWealth probes their breaking of the Four Rules sustaining the system, and several members navigate a twist of betrayals, double agents, and murder to find themselves leading a suicidal revolution.

Genres: Science Fiction

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 14, 2015

About the author

Michael D. Smith was raised in the Northeast and the Chicago area, then moved to Texas to attend Rice University, where he began developing as a writer and visual artist. His Jack Commer, Supreme Commander science fiction series is available from Sortmind Press.

Sortmind Press also publishes his literary novels Asylum and Mirage, Sortmind, CommWealth, The Soul Institute, Akard Drearstone, The University of Mars, and Zarreich, as well as his picture book, Trip to Mars. At blog.sortmind.com, Smith explores art and writing processes, and his web site, sortmind.com, contains further examples of his writing and art.

Supreme Commander Laurie, 2024
Before he suicidally blasts his spaceship into a star to confront a dangerous cosmic irregularity, Jack Commer elevates genius physician/engineer Laurie Lachrer to lead the United System Space Force. Supreme Commander Laurie, Book One in a series of the same title, follows her new challenges, beginning with the overthrow of the United System by fascists who hunt her down as a traitor.

The Jack Commer Series:

1. The Martian Marauders, 2020
After the Final War and the evacuation of the Earth’s population to Mars, Typhoon I Captain Jack Commer fights native Martians led by their traitorous new human Emperor.

2. Jack Commer, Supreme Commander, 2020
Newly-promoted Jack Commer brings poor negotiating skills to the war with the fascist Alpha Centaurian Empire.

3. Nonprofit Chronowar, 2020
Jack’s younger brother Joe time travels from 2036 to lecture complacent nonprofit ladies about the coming destruction of the planet.

4. Collapse and Delusion, 2020
Supreme Commander Jack Commer and his wife Amav journey to the paradise planet Andertwin for a painful visit with their reclusive son Jonathan James, author of a bestselling novel about the collapse of the Centaurian empire.

5. The Wounded Frontier, 2020
Jack Commer pushes for exploration far beyond Sol in the untested Typhoon V when a star thirty-four light years away abruptly vanishes, leaving the infrared signature of a Dyson sphere apparently built within one week.

6. The SolGrid Rebellion, 2020
When the solar system adopts the buggy SolGrid telepathic network designed by former Space Force officer Patrick James, Jack Commer’s charismatic but impudent son Jonathan James instigates a rebellion against fascist brainwashing.

7. Balloon Ship Armageddon, 2021
Eight hundred years after his death as a human, Jack Commer’s rebellious son Jonathan James rises as a Wounded bio-robot to captain Balloon Ship Armageddon on a toxic waterworld in the Large Magellanic Cloud, 163,000 light-years from Sol.

Literary novels:

Zarreich, 2025
An adolescent sent to live with his grandmother finds his memory wiped out. He panics and commits a murder, then becomes a member of a mystical commune beneath the ruined city of Zarreich.

The University of Mars, 2024
In a dysfunctional 2065 where religious zealots restrict the world to obsolete technology, eighteen-year-old Zeke Venan seeks comrades dedicated to the further evolution of humanity.

Asylum and Mirage, 2023
A naïve and disconnected artist gives a party to celebrate his success, only to find himself drafted that same night into a mindless war against the Reunion, an unstoppable army of hallucinatory consciousness.

CommWealth, 2020
When the Forensic Squad theatrical troupe breaks CommWealth's Four Rules of property sharing, several actors lead a suicidal revolution against the government.

The Soul Institute, 2020
Himal Steina fulfills his dreams of sanctuary when he becomes Writer in Residence at The Soul Institute and falls in love with one of its numerous faculty goddesses.

Jump Grenade, 2019
Berserk at missing his five hundredth point in a row, psychopathic Junior Dropout Basketball League star Billy Bolamme kills a taunting radio announcer with hand grenades, then blows up an entire sports arena to erase all witnesses to his crime.

Sortmind, 2019

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

CommWealth is a story of human greed, in its many and varied facets. What if you could simply walk up to that jackass in the Aston Martin and ask for the car—and get it for 30 days of enjoyment? The theme is original and refreshing (if scary and thought-provoking). The characters and their motivations are realistic and develop the story realistically. They carry out their parts in CommWealth with reluctance or vigor, depending on the character or the particular moment in that person’s life. The premise of this book is hard to sell but Mr. Smith manages quite well.

To avoid a plot spoiler, I’ll simply say that there is a sudden twist in the plot that I didn’t see coming though there were hints sprinkled throughout the book. The pace and dialogue are snappy. On the surface, CommWealth is a quick read, but beware and don’t become complacent. You can be coasting along and find yourself on the wrong road.

I found the character Allan annoying but am almost certain Mr. Smith intended him to be. Richard was a bit pathetic, but again very human with human reactions to a CommWealth claim for property that would be dear to any artist.

I can recommend CommWealth as an excellent read but the premise is indeed frightening to a capitalist. I’d read Mr. Smith’s Jack Commer books, but CommWealth is a far cry from that series. The author’s imagination and command of writing make his books well worth the investment of time and (close) attention. Enjoy (and be glad CommWealth is only a book).

[Harriet Lulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

CommWealth explores the principles of capitalism in a very unique way. The premise is based on the idea that we can level the socio-economic playing field by allowing everyone to have whatever he or she wants, just by asking for it. Obviously, this new kind of capitalism is too good to be true and actually incites more greed.

What I appreciate the most about this novel is that it is closer to a farce than a typical dystopian novel, which I found refreshing. The metaplot surrounding the theater troupe putting on a "play of sorts" in real-time is an especially intriguing element.