Rating: 
Summary: Next Overnight Sensation
Review: Maxx Barry, author of "Syrup" has written a brilliant, satirical novel of marketing. Maxx or Max ( he added an extra "x" to make his name look more worldly) was a teacher of marketing back in Australia. He used to work for Hewlett Packard, and he has imagined life in the US-he has never visited us.Scat, also know has Micahel George Holloway, wants to be famous. He could be an actor, but he can't act. He does have one option: he can be very young, very cool, and very, very rich. This line of fame is open to everyone. All he has to do is find something he is so good at that he can make a million dollars by the time he is twenty-five. Scat has read somewhere "that the average adult has three million-dollar ideas per year. Ideas are cheap, what you need is the conviction to follow through!" Scat's life started at ten past two in the morning of January 7th. He got THE IDEA. Scat developed the idea for a new cola drink with a name so smooth all the "x" generation would drink it up. Scat got the inside scoop and developed a meeting with a representative of a cola company. The rep who's name is 6, was quite interested and brought Scat into the company. Unfortunately, someone stole the idea and Scat and 6 are left to reclaim their careers. Scat and 6 have energy, imagination, ambition and just enough of a work ethic to follow through. The novel follows their paths as they heed the underhandedness of the Black Hats. The brilliance of Maxx Barry is evident in his writing. His humour and intelligence bring us through LA, Hollywood, corporate America and Madison Avenue and into the marketing world. Marketing is the biggest industry in the world, and it is invisible. "Marketing is like Los Angeles. It is a gorgeous, brainless model on cocaine having relations, drinking Perrier."
The characters that Maxx Barry has developed, Scat, 6, @, Sneaky Pete more than live up to their names. They are cool, charming and hilarious. This novel is a must read- move on over Seinfeld- Maxx has arrived.
prisrob
Rating: 
Summary: Goes down sweet
Review: Every once in a while a book flies in under your radar. Usually, it's been recommended by a friend, or worse, an acquaintance who thinks you'd just love it. You've never heard of it, the cover looks suspicious and you just know that, if it were any good, the publisher would have spent more money and effort marketing it. But to be a good friend or acquaintance you just have to read the darned thing, especially since you've shoved at least four "great" books down this person's throat over the course of the last couple of years. "Syrup" by Maxx Barry is just such a book. A friend gave it to me because I studied Marketing in college, thinking that I would find it more hilarious than might the average Joe. I was going to do my usual book-borrowing routine (read a chapter in the middle, then hand the book back saying "It was great, but I especially loved the part where...", then quote chapter on verse on the small part I actually read),but something terrible happened...I became interested. I actually laughed. Out loud. As has been mentioned, this is the story of Scat (who changed his name to "Scat" in order to become wealthy, powerful and famous), developer of great Marketing ideas, his partner and object of unrequited love, 6, and their arch-enemy, Sneaky Pete. The three wage war on the landscape of Coca Cola Corp. in LA. The trouble with just about any novel in which the characters must come up with brilliant ideas is that the ideas are generally only good within the confines of the novel, where the writer can edit out any realists who might claim, "Um, that couldn't possibly work in this context." But that's a small suspension of disbelief to make when the payoff is this much fun. Scat, frankly, is an idiot. But an idiot with charm. 6 is unkind, but crafty, and warms up. Sneaky Pete is...well, nothing. He's a cardboard villain with no real personality. But that's okay, he serves his purpose well. There's no real depth to this book, but that's okay, too. It's hilarious and warm and sweet and worth a good look. If you get the chance, buy the hardcover, as the cover on the trade paperback is absolutely distracting and ridiculous.
Rating:
Summary: Buy Me !!
Review: The funniest thing I have read in a very long time. Any description falls flat.
Rating:
Summary: An addictive, laugh out loud book from start to finish.
Review: Not only did Syrup manage to make me laugh out loud in the first chapter, I read it with a permanent smirk and certainly didn't want to put it down. Having been a victim of advertising many a time, I gained great satisfaction at this comical and satirical look at the lengths Scat, '6' and Sneaky Pete go to in order to create the ultimate consumer product. Especially amusing are their antics to try and stay a step ahead of their knife-you-in-the-back peers. While fun was poked at the marketing industry by often showing the stereotypically shallow side of marketing execs, the eccentricities of each character added to the humour and entertainment value of the novel. All in all, a fantastic read!
Rating: 
Summary: whiz bang pop sizzle and all that
Review: a couple of weekends ago i received a copy of Syrup, a very hip and delightful short novel. in this particular story we find our characters, scat, six, and sneaky pete all work in the world of corporate advertising. they're all in their mid-20's, more successful (even before the story really gets going and they find employment) than you or i were at that age, and before you know it it's a dream/nightmare life for them. funny how fiction is like that ... barry creates a world where satire attacks corporations, the job world, and sexual ethics, all deftly told. definitely for the younger crowd, for people who view marketing with a strange mix of contempt and glee, and for people who enjoy a fast-paced story this summer. not a edgey as it could be, and it shows some failure in its execution, but a decent treatment of the subject of corporate marketing.
Rating:
Summary: Next Overnight Sensation
Review: Maxx Barry, author of "Syrup" has written a brilliant, satirical novel of marketing. Maxx or Max ( he added an extra "x" to make his name look more worldly) was a teacher of marketing back in Australia. He used to work for Hewlett Packard, and he has imagined life in the US-he has never visited us. Scat, also know has Micahel George Holloway, wants to be famous. He could be an actor, but he can't act. He does have one option: he can be very young, very cool, and very, very rich. This line of fame is open to everyone. All he has to do is find something he is so good at that he can make a million dollars by the time he is twenty-five. Scat has read somewhere "that the average adult has three million-dollar ideas per year. Ideas are cheap, what you need is the conviction to follow through!" Scat's life started at ten past two in the morning of January 7th. He got THE IDEA. Scat developed the idea for a new cola drink with a name so smooth all the "x" generation would drink it up. Scat got the inside scoop and developed a meeting with a representative of a cola company. The rep who's name is 6, was quite interested and brought Scat into the company. Unfortunately, someone stole the idea and Scat and 6 are left to reclaim their careers. Scat and 6 have energy, imagination, ambition and just enough of a work ethic to follow through. The novel follows their paths as they heed the underhandedness of the Black Hats. The brilliance of Maxx Barry is evident in his writing. His humour and intelligence bring us through LA, Hollywood, corporate America and Madison Avenue and into the marketing world. Marketing is the biggest industry in the world, and it is invisible. "Marketing is like Los Angeles. It is a gorgeous, brainless model on cocaine having relations, drinking Perrier."
The characters that Maxx Barry has developed, Scat, 6, @, Sneaky Pete more than live up to their names. They are cool, charming and hilarious. This novel is a must read- move on over Seinfeld- Maxx has arrived.
prisrob
Rating:
Summary: I don't normally give books 5 stars
Review: I read this book in 4 frickin hours. That's how good it is. Seriously. It is amazing. It's a hilarious, outrageous, fast-paced satire that doesn't require a lot of thinking but the social commentary on the absurdities of capitalism and the followers of it, i.e. marketers, is in-your-face. By the time I read the first page, I was hooked. It is fun, intelligent, and unpretentious and that's why I will recommend this book to anyone who can read.
Rating:
Summary: Marketing is the glue of SOCIETY IDIOT
Review: OKay okay, i came off a little standoffish there. i apologize for that. but first lets review this book, and not my spelling please. Barry's characters are instantly loveable, and those from California, know these people. From the delicious Six, to the evil Sneaky Pete, one can simply look in their own backyard to find these people. But my review of this book. Cast yourself as SCAT, remember that the only thing you know is CSU Marketing, and Scoring. But thats beside the point...the book review right? Coca Cola was quite brave in allowing this little bad boy to get out. however lets remember that the only reason im reading this book is because i drink coca cola and love their products. But the book like i said. Simply put, if you want to read something that makes you laugh, please read this book. carry yourself with dignity, and realize that there is nothing in this world that should make us take ourselves that seriously. So please...DON'T! buy it...its good...i promise.
Rating:
Summary: Most entertaining book ever!
Review: Well i'm only 40 pages into it and it's already the most enjoyable booki have ever read. The humor in it is simply amazing. I have never really laughed out loud while reading before.
Rating:
Summary: max barry's syrup
Review: Max Barry is a delightful voice in modern literacy. He decribes the corporate business world in a cleverly satyrical setting, leaving many assumptions about concepts and views for the reader to interpret as he or she might. Novels sometimes start out boring and slow. Withing minutes, you are already pulled deep into a horrendous back-stabbing, cutthroat business world. There are surprises on every page, and the ending to the book is more a shock than one could ever fathom. All in all, this novel is a glorious addition to any collection.
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