Matt Ruff noticed that a lot of books were being published in trilogies, so he decided to make up the silliest sounding trilogy names that he could think of. When he came to Sewer, Gas & Electric, he knew he had a winner, so he decided to actually write the book. The book has always been published in one volume, but he’s split it into for sections: sewer, gas, electric, & (yes, the fourth section is named &). The biggest issue I have with the book is the same issue I have with several “comedy” movies where it starts off funny and then halfway through they decide that it needs to have a plot. The plot is usually silly and makes you wonder why they decided to stop being funny. This book has that problem, but the lunacy does carry you through to the end…mostly. So, read on and see why you should read the public utilities trilogy.

Harry Gant is a capitalist at heart, but he isn’t interested in wheeling and dealing. He’s interested in finding a cool idea and making it available for everyone. He lets other people worry about the details and the finances. So, when he came across the Automatic Servent (from a subsidiary of Disney), he loves the idea so much that he buys the it and markets the hell out of it. The idea is so successful that it makes Gant rich beyond his wildest dreams. He takes his money and starts doing every other cool idea he can think of including building huge skyscrapers as a monument to himself and society.

The other thing that helps the Automatic Servent succeed is the Negro plague. Sometime in the mid 2000s, there was a plague that killed all Negros (except for those with green eyes). It not only killed them, but it quickly decomposed their bodies so that within a short time span there was no evidence of them left. Africa became a mostly unpopulated land.  The Gant industry did a sales check and found that the best selling model of their Automatic Servent was in their basic black color. Soon afterwards, no matter how hard Gant fought it, the term Eletric Negro entered the dictionary.

Gant’s ex-wife (and activist) Joan is now working on sewer duty, where they come across a shark. By the naming convention in place, the shark is named Meisterbrau. A rare surviving African man named Philo Dufresne has teamed up with an technical genius and has created a eco-terrorist submarine and organization that would put Paul Watson to shame. 


The book later brings in electronic versions of Roy Cohn, Ayn Rand (including a dissertation about Atlas Shrugged that makes it so you never have to actually read it) among others in a wild mess that ties in Walt Disney, Nazis, a mad genius who is replacing people with Automatic Servents, a threat to some lemurs and several interactions with Meisterbrau. 


The plot is pure lunacy and the laughs are fast and furious at the beginning of the book. Unfortunately as the book nears the end, Ruff abandons the laughs (mostly) to tie the plot up, but doesn’t do so in a satisfactory way. I would have much rather he just powered through with the comedy than to dilute it for no gain. Having said that, the sheer lunacy and unbridled joy of the book comes through the pages and helps carry the reader until the end. I would rank this as a poor imitation of Umberto Eco or Thomas Pynchon or even Neal Stephenson. Ruff makes a valiant attempt, but just can pull it off. But it is well worth reading. Recommended.