WAITING FOR THE AXE TO FALL

In my previous gay political satirical novel, TOTAL MELTDOWN (Borgo/Wildside ) written with William Maltese, the demise of the USA began when former President Brown, on election eve, instead of sending a congratulatory message to his winning opponent, wired from off-shore that he abdicated, taking with him over a trillion dollars in petro-dollars worth of securities, triggering a total meltdown of the nation. President Elect Jackson ended up selling off the West and East coasts, creating a NewAmerica with its capital in Chicago. The result is the background for THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020). In this second book, NewAmerica, a shadow of its former United States of America, once again commands wealth and power thanks to a series of sociopolitical advances and technical innovations like Eugitors, ShimmerSuits, ContraSpray, T-rips, CandyShades and CandyCable. Set in the near future, THE EDGE OF MADNESS explores the evolving relationships between three friends, all of whom know little to nothing about their past and even less about their futures. What they do know is that each is unusually gifted: Rob, an uber-conscious male with an enhanced sense of smell; Frann, an ostentatious gay male with an Olympian physique; and Andry, a brilliant moon-child and professional acronymeur with a taste for Wicca…and her two male friends.

THE EDGE OF MADNESS is an exploration of an entirely plausible future, where every hedonistic pleasure is available — if one can afford it. People work in order to purchase the newest technologies promising ultimate pleasure. But as in Aldous Huxley’s BRAVE NEW WORLD and George Orwell’s 1984, citizens are watched carefully, this time by emotionless “Enforcers” who show up anytime unusual events occur.

But THE EDGE OF MADNESS is also a love triangle and a coming-of-age story of three youths in a future where anything and everything goes. The ultimate question for them is: Can true love or sanity be found in such a world?

This story will make some excited about what the future may hold while others may recoil at a world of such extremes. Either way, it’s an engaging ride in a world where, for example, teachers and students appear holographically together in instructional classrooms while remaining safely at home, begging the question of what, if anything, in this future world is “real.” Put on your CandyShades, breathe in a little ContraSpray and settle back for a T-rip like never before.