John C.A. Manley's Blog, page 4

Disneyland in Ruins: Finding Magic in Fiona Moore’s Dystopian Novel

Normally, the setting of a story is last on my list of reasons to read a novel. Plot and characters are what attract me. So, I was a little surprised when reading Fiona Moore's Rabbit in the Moon to find myself flipping pages principally to explore more of the world she has created.

Rabbit in the Moon takes place after environmental disasters have rendered most of the earth uninhabitable. In particular, I was hooked by the flashbacks of the character Ken Usagi growing up in Toronto. In this future version of my hometown, Queen St. is now a canal with a public ferry service instead of streetcars.

Beyond Toronto, Rabbit in the Moon spans most of North America, starting in Nunavut and ending in Mexico. There is no communication with the people (if any still exist) of Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. What's left of the United States is mainly in a state of civil war, as survivors fight over fertile land and dwindling resources.

The following paragraph is an example of Moore's ability to create a sense of wonder with the dystopian world she depicts:

By nightfall, it was still with them as they made camp in the shelter of what Ken thought might have been a highway underpass, now almost beautiful with trailing vines, dangling from its edges, making a curtain around the interior, like some kind of magical pavilion.

Later in the story, the characters arrive at The Magical Kingdom — the ruins of Disneyland — which has been taken over by highly evolved mice (turns out Douglas Adams might have been right).

Side Note: That quote, however, also illustrates one of the few things that irked me about Fiona's writing style — many of the sentences stretch longer than a Nunavut winter. They could easily have been split into two, allowing her dystopian tale to flow faster.

Next post, I'll talk more about the plot and characters. At first, I thought both were underdeveloped and mainly served as a medium through which to explore the sci-fi setting. Upon reaching the more-than-satisfying conclusion to Rabbit in the Moon, I realized both had a depth that was closely interwoven with the world Moore has created.

John C.A. Manley

P.S. While you wait for part two of my review of Rabbit in the Moon, you can purchase yourself a copy of Fiona Moore's British Science Fiction Association Award-nominated novel through my Blazing Pine Cone Shop.

John C. A. Manley is the author of Much Ado About Corona, All The Humans Are Sleeping and other works of philosophical fiction that are "so completely engaging that you find yourself alternately laughing, gasping, hanging on for dear life." Get free samples of his stories by becoming a Blazing Pine Cone email subscriber.

Rabbit in the Moon

Rabbit in the Moon. A couple of months ago, I was reviewing the novel shortlist for the 2024 British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) Awards, and this title immediately caught my attention.

But it was the author's name that really made me do a double-take: Fiona Moore.

Could that be the same Fiona Moore? I wondered.

When I was a teenager, growing up in the Greater Toronto Area, I used to attend various sci-fi and fantasy conventions, hangouts and even pool parties. That's where I met Fiona Moore. I remembered that when she wasn't dressing up as a short Cyberman from Doctor Who, she would be compiling research about various sci-fi TV shows.

Taking to the internet, I googled her name. In addition to Rabbit in the Moon, I saw she has written Fall Out: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to The Prisoner (one of my favourite TV shows) along with guides to Blake's 7 and Battlestar Galactica. Plus, her Management Lessons from Game of Thrones: Organization Theory and Strategy in Westeros sounds adventurous.

Her website's bio said she's a Professor of Business Anthropology at Royal Holloway, University of London. So I dropped Professor Moore an email and asked if she was the same Fiona I knew on the other side of the Atlantic, back in the 90s.

Indeed, it turned out she was.

Eager to see what an old friend wrote, and loving the book title, my wife ordered me a copy from Bol.com (the Amazon of the Netherlands). A few days ago, I finished reading Rabbit in the Moon to my son, Jonah. I'll give my highly biased review in the next post.

Until then, you can check out Dr. Fiona Moore's fiction and non-fiction publications on her website at fiona-moore.com.

John C.A. Manley

PS Also check out my previous post about Fiona's essay on "Postcolonialism in Late 1980s Doctor Who."

Stefanie Müller: "Trump or Biden, Pepsi or Coca-Cola, it’s all the same."

Blazing Reader,

John & Nisha Whitehead recently wrote in an article titled "The Police State Has a New Playbook: Martial Law, One City at a Time":

Building on the expanded emergency powers he has claimed to wage war on immigration, wokeness and the economy, Trump is taking aim at yet another so-called “crisis” — this time, by waging war on crime in the nation’s capital, despite the fact that crime is at a 30-year low.

Under the guise of “restoring order” and “cleaning up” the streets, Trump has called in the National Guard, dispatched the FBI, and federalized the local police in order to take control of Washington, D.C.

This is how the Emergency State operates in the open.

A real but manageable problem—crime, homelessness, public disorder—is inflated into an existential threat.

Fear is manufactured, then exploited to seize more power. (In many cases, the “facts” fueling these crackdowns come directly from the president’s own disinformation machine—manufacturing the perception of danger to justify the expansion of control.)

Whether the trigger is terrorism, civil unrest, economic instability, or public health, the aim remains the same: expand the reach of federal authority, justify more militarized policing, and condition the public to accept the suspension of rights in the name of national security.

It appears to be the same playbook the Biden/Harris administration executed with COVID and the same playbook that the Bush-Obama duo did with Middle Eastern terrorism.

As Stefanie Müller says in my novel, Much Ado About Corona: "Trump or Biden, Pepsi or Coca-Cola, it’s all the same."

John C.A. Manley

PS For a life-changing look at why government may be the world's most pervasive and dangerous religion - preaching a doctrine of control, theft and oppression - order yourself a copy of To See the Cage is to Leave It: 25 Techniques the Few Use to Control the Many by Étienne de La Boétie2.

John C. A. Manley is the author of Much Ado About Corona, All The Humans Are Sleeping and other works of philosophical fiction that are "so completely engaging that you find yourself alternately laughing, gasping, hanging on for dear life." Get free samples of his stories by becoming a Blazing Pine Cone email subscriber.

"He did burn down a barn, but that’s neither here nor there..."

Currently, Canada is wrestling with the age-old problem of how to prevent forest fires. By coincidence, my forthcoming novella, COVID Disobedience, touches on this theme. Half of the novel is set in the mid-1800s, when campfires were a necessity of life.

The following is a discourse between Constable Staples, his son Cotton, and Henry David Thoreau. Father and son have just arrested Thoreau for failing to pay the poll tax. Staples is telling Thoreau about Chester, the "first-rate fellow" Thoreau is going to be locked up with:

Staples pulled his pipe out of his pocket and chuckled softly. “Chester is a first-rate fellow and a clever man.” He turned to face Thoreau. “I suspect you’ll get on quite well. He did burn down a barn, but that’s neither here nor there, as I do believe it was an accident. Something, Mr. Thoreau, I’m sure you can sympathize with.”

Thoreau raised an eyebrow and then bowed his head.

That’s when Cotton remembered where he’d heard Thoreau’s name before. Two years ago, he and another fellow had been fishing in Walden Pond. They’d built a fire in a stump near Fair Haven Bay to cook their catch, but the flames spread to the surrounding dry grass. In the end, Cotton remembers his mother saying how those “damn rascals” burned down 300 acres.

“Though it was an accident,” said Thoreau, “I think that mishap, rather than my current charge, would have more appropriately justified a night in prison."

COVID Disobedience will be a prequel to my first novel, Much Ado About Corona. If you haven't read Much Ado About Corona, you need only head over to MuchAdoAboutCorona.com to order a copy or preview a sample. There's still time before I release the prequel.

John C.A. Manley

PS For more about the forthcoming prequel check out Henry David Thoreau and "COVID Disobedience".

John C. A. Manley is the author of Much Ado About Corona, All The Humans Are Sleeping and other works of philosophical fiction that are "so completely engaging that you find yourself alternately laughing, gasping, hanging on for dear life." Get free samples of his stories by becoming a Blazing Pine Cone email subscriber.

"I wanted to see a waterfall firsthand, not online"

So, provinces in Chinada are now banning hiking, with one daring man already fined $28,872 (HST included). This, sadly, was exactly what I depicted in my near-future sci-fi novel, All the Humans are Sleeping.

Here's an excerpt from Chapter 3.05:

“You don’t like living in the city, do you, sir?”

Brent shrugged. “It’s a little too cramped and sterile.”

The purple robot nodded as if it understood.

“I just wanted to…” continued Brent, turning back to face the windshield, watching automated farms pass by. “I needed to get out of the city. That’s why I took this job. I wanted to see a waterfall firsthand, not online.” Just as his father had done — back before camping was made illegal.

Ironically, now, the only way to get a permit for such an excursion was to be certified in AI construction deployment. Brent looked past Domestico at the two bunk beds stacked against the rear of the motorhome. He’d never used them. Instead, they served as storage shelves for all his gear. Amazon had long ago stopped selling tents, but he’d inherited his father’s thirty-year-old Coleman. When Dad died, Brent had found a closet full of camping supplies in his condominium. Considering how small his dad’s place was, sacrificing any space for sleeping bags and tackle boxes — which he was forbidden to use — made no sense. Brent wished Dad was still alive, so he could ask him why he’d held onto his 2025 Gerber Bear Grylls Compact Compass and a Swiss Army knife from 1992. But he was sure glad his father had — it was costly enough to obtain a dozen matchbooks on the black market.

Honestly, I wrote All the Humans are Sleeping to prevent the future, not predict it.

As Ken McCarthy (founder of Brasscheck TV) said about my novel: "A remarkable book... the dystopian world he's summoned up is chillingly plausible. Forewarned is forearmed.”

You can read more testimonials, get a free sample of the first 24 chapters (or 2.75 hours in audiobook format) at: AllTheHumansAreSleeping.com

John C.A. Manley

The United States is dumping millions of dollars in mRNA contracts, while Canada is building plants to produce millions of vials

Replying to my post from yesterday, Pete Toccalino sent this email from California:

Here's the Rebel News report on Uncle Bobby's announcement regarding 'mRNA' quackzines... unfortunately they don't draw the obvious conclusion that Kennedy is really just reinforcing traditional quackzines, along with the usual pseudo-scientific assertions of virology (as you pointed out in your recent post).

It is interesting that Canada is doubling down on the mRNA shots, though, while the US is pulling back (clearly looking to boost the image of the NIH, I guess), while I guess some big back room deals have been made in Canada, where the government can seemingly get away with anything, including criminalizing hiking on your own property.

If you missed my controversial post about the cancellation of $500 million in mRNA contracts, you can read it here: HHS Storytime with Uncle Bobby Kennedy Jr.

John C.A. Manley

John C. A. Manley is the author of Much Ado About Corona, All The Humans Are Sleeping and other works of philosophical fiction that are "so completely engaging that you find yourself alternately laughing, gasping, hanging on for dear life." Get free samples of his stories by becoming a Blazing Pine Cone email subscriber.

HHS Storytime with Uncle Bobby Kennedy Jr.

Gather around, kids, the US Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Uncle Bobby Kennedy, has a story for us — a story about why mRNA vaccines are safe and ineffective. Yes, you heard that right, ineffective. But they're still safe. Sort of... It's a bedtime story for Americans to help them sleep away any memories of calamari-like clots, life-long injuries and turbo cancers that the COVID-19 injection has caused.

Ever since 2020, I've been warning about the dangers of mRNA vaccines. Nonetheless, I can’t say I’m too excited about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cancelling nearly $500 million in contracts and grants for the development of new mRNA vaccines.

After all, in Kennedy's announcement on X.com, he admits that the half-billion dollars is being redirected towards “safer, broader” and “whole virus” vaccines. In other words, back to the old-fashioned injections linked to everything from food allergies and autism to paralysis and SIDS.

But you know what really irked me about his story?

Find out here: https://blazingpinecone.com/news/2025/08/14#irked

John C.A. Manley

"I kind of thought that I would be even more overwhelmed and stressed"

Yesterday, I shared how Will Dove of the Iron Will Report found that my novel Much Ado About Corona created understanding and sympathy towards those who bought into the COVID con. Echoing his sentiments is this 5-star review on Amazon Canada, left by Anthony:

"I guess any fiction book can give us an escape from the stress of real life, but reading Much Ado About Corona was reading about the very things that most of us have been overwhelmed with, so I kind of thought that I would be even more overwhelmed and stressed. Surprisingly to me, therefore, reading it brought me to a welcome state of escape while at the same time brought me understanding of how and why others see the dystopia we are living through differently...

"It's always helpful to grow in understanding of others, and I think it might even be essential if we are going to try to reconcile family members, friends and neighbours, and work and business relationships going forward. I don't know if the author wrote it with those goals in mind, but I think that it might prove to be this book's legacy."

That was certainly a big goal I had with Much Ado About Corona. It feels good to hear others confirm that I may have achieved it.

John C.A. Manley

PS Anthony also said that Much Ado About Corona was "a really fun read that I found hard to put down..." So, if you haven't yet picked it up, you can order a copy at MuchAdoAboutCorona.com.

PPS And if you missed the two-minute clip from The Iron Will Report about the novel's villain you can watch it on YouTube (also available on censorship-free BitChuteand Rumble).

John C. A. Manley is the author of Much Ado About Corona, All The Humans Are Sleeping and other works of philosophical fiction that are "so completely engaging that you find yourself alternately laughing, gasping, hanging on for dear life." Get free samples of his stories by becoming a Blazing Pine Cone email subscriber.

My latest and scariest guest at today's book launch

Louise L. Tremblay writes scary stories. She's the French-Canadian author of two suspenseful novels in the supernatural genre — Seven Roses and Light Over Dark — inspired by her own experiences.

She had so much trouble putting down her advance copy of All the Humans Are Sleeping that it wasn't hard to convince her to join us today to talk about the craft of writing an emotional page-turner.

Here's what she had to say about All the Humans Are Sleeping:

"I had serious goosebumps... All the Humans Are Sleeping masterfully blends sci-fi thrills with thought-provoking insights into our future, making it a must-read for those curious about human technology's drastic transformation. I couldn’t put it down.”

Join Louise, me and six other guests today at 3 pm EST for a multi-cast reading and open Q&A and discussion. If you haven't yet, you can sign up here: https://blazingpinecone.com/books/all-the-humans-are-sleeping?source= good_reads

You can check out Liouse L. Tremblay's ghost stories at LLTremblay.com.

Aristotle with an Aussie accent

Dr. Grahame Booker holds a PhD in political science — though he once told me (with a snicker) that there is no science to politics (just theories).

He also looks like Aristotle — Aristotle with an Aussie accent.

He recently read my forthcoming novel (tomorrow!) and had this to say:

“For someone who generally does not include much futuristic fiction in his reading, All the Humans Are Sleeping was a sobering and enjoyable read. While the work paints a skillful picture of a possible transhuman future, it offers hope that humanity will triumph over the technocracy.”

With tomorrow's book launch, he'll be joining me (and six other guests) to discuss my dystopian tale about a farmer, a robot and the end of the world.

Attendees will get to hear a live, multi-cast reading, receive free preview copies of the novel in audiobook and ebook format, and ask the guests and me questions. If you haven't yet, you can sign up here.

Dr. Grahame Booker is the author of Coercion, Authority and Democracy: Towards an Apolitical Order. I own a copy, and if you abhor any degree of government oppression, I recommend you consider purchasing a copy: https://blazingpinecone.com/shop/coercion-authority-and-democracy/