Discordia
audio novel · First published 2021
Author guide
Max Barry Books in Order
Max Barry is an Australian novelist and creator of the online nation-simulation game NationStates. He worked in marketing and technology before writing full-time. His novels frequently combine satire with speculative fiction, exploring consumerism, corporate culture, persuasion, artificial intelligence, and alternate realities. His published fiction includes Syrup, Jennifer Government, Company, Machine Man, Lexicon, Providence, The 22 Murders of Madison May, and the audio novel Discordia.
satirespeculative fictionscience fictionthriller
Catalog record updated .
Max Barry's Newest Book
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
Syrup
Barry's debut novel and a concise introduction to his satirical style.
Lexicon
A representative standalone speculative thriller centered on language and persuasion.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (8)
- Syrup
novel · 1999
- Jennifer Government
novel · 2003
In Max Barry's twisted, hilarious and terrifying vision of the near future, the world is run by giant corporations and employees take the last names of the companies they work for. It's a globalised, ultra-capitalist free market paradise!…
- Company
novel · 2006
On his first day of training, Stephen Jones, a young recruit, reports to the Zephyr Holding Building, where he finds a company defined by its lack of clarity, a building numbered in reverse, an invisible CEO, and a crisis over the theft…
- Machine Man
novel · 2011
- Lexicon
novel · 2013
At an exclusive school somewhere outside of Arlington, Virginia, students aren’t taught history, geography, or mathematics—they are taught to persuade. Students learn to use language to manipulate minds, wielding words as weapons. The…
- Providence
novel · 2020
The video changed everything. Before that, we could believe that we were safe. Special. Chosen. We thought the universe was a twinkling ocean of opportunity, waiting to be explored. Afterward, we knew better. Seven years after first…
- Discordia
audio novel · 2021
- The 22 Murders of Madison May
novel · 2021
From the critically acclaimed author of Jennifer Government and Lexicon comes mind-bending speculative psychological suspense about a serial killer pursuing his victim across time and space, and the woman who is determined to stop him,…
Frequently asked questions about Max Barry
Who is Max Barry?
Max Barry is an Australian novelist and the creator of NationStates, an online nation-simulation game. He lives and writes full-time in Melbourne.
Sources: maxbarry.com (opens in a new tab)penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)
What did Max Barry do before becoming a full-time writer?
He worked for Hewlett-Packard, selling high-end computer systems, before pursuing novel writing full time.
Sources: maxbarry.com (opens in a new tab)penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)
Which writers influenced Max Barry?
Barry has cited Stephen King as a major formative influence, along with Philip K. Dick, Margaret Atwood, Neal Stephenson, and Shirley Jackson.
What awards has Max Barry won?
His novel Lexicon won the Aurealis Award for science fiction and was selected for the 2014 Alex Awards.
Sources: hachette.co.uk (opens in a new tab)ala.org (opens in a new tab)
Why is Max Barry notable beyond his novels?
Barry created NationStates as a promotional game for Jennifer Government, but it grew into a long-running online community of its own.