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Accountants in Science Fiction and Fantasy

No doubt there are many fans of science fiction and fantasy among accountants, but what’s surprising is how many accountant characters there are in the genre.

The science fiction and fantasy site Tor.com has a list of books and TV shows that have accountants and accounting-related plots in them, ranging from "Game of Thrones" author George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” to the late Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series of books, in which Professor Dunwiddie has to take on the role of the Bursar at Unseen University after the previous Bursar is killed.

TV series like “Daredevil” and “Archer” also have their own accountant characters. The only thing that seems to be missing is the dispute over the taxation of trade routes at the opening of "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace." Of course, that was also the most forgettable of the Star Wars flicks.

Also, even though it's more of a detective story than a science fiction novel, I would personally add Thomas Pynchon's brilliant 2013 novel, “Bleeding Edge,” about a “defrocked” certified fraud examiner who gets drawn into a mind-boggling intrigue involving hackers on the Deep Web, technology gurus, dotcom entrepreneurs and terrorists in the period around 9/11. It's a wonderful fantasy and a great satire about New York City, in whatever genre it belongs.

For Tor's complete list of "bad-ass accountants in sci-fi and fantasy," click here.

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