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The Surrogate
Sunopsis:
Obesity is a thing of the past; it was eradicated at the cellular level, many generations ago. The populous is now healthy, beautiful and promiscuous, but all is not as it should be. Ronald Calico is renowned for being the world’s only living obese man. He is the proprietor of Little Harajuku’s premier cuddle-lounge, the destination for those who crave intimacy. He is The Surrogate, and he has requested my presence, so that I may tell his story.
The Surrogate is a science fiction novella about sexuality, intimacy and the societal narrative behind the subjects deemed as 'taboo.'
Also included is the short story entitled: 'Collector.'
A story in it's own right, but also a teaser for Gavin's upcoming novel; 'Almost Surely,' which will be available in November 2018.
Obesity is a thing of the past; it was eradicated at the cellular level, many generations ago. The populous is now healthy, beautiful and promiscuous, but all is not as it should be. Ronald Calico is renowned for being the world’s only living obese man. He is the proprietor of Little Harajuku’s premier cuddle-lounge, the destination for those who crave intimacy. He is The Surrogate, and he has requested my presence, so that I may tell his story.
The Surrogate is a science fiction novella about sexuality, intimacy and the societal narrative behind the subjects deemed as 'taboo.'
Also included is the short story entitled: 'Collector.'
A story in it's own right, but also a teaser for Gavin's upcoming novel; 'Almost Surely,' which will be available in November 2018.
108 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 18, 2017
273 people want to read
About the author
Gavin Jefferson
9 books23 followersGavin Jefferson is a writer of genre-fluid fiction.
Richard Slinger is a vessel for Gavin's more experimental, outlandish works. A thinly-veiled 'nom de plume,' if you will.
Follow him on Threads, IG, and Bluesky, with the handle @GoliathWriter
Novels:
Almost Surely
Nursing Home of the Damned
Novellas
The Surrogate
'Lit' Grindhouse: (As Richard Slinger)
Vol.1 LOVEGUN
Coming Soon
Our Nomad Souls Trilogy
LUCID (#1)
TRIAD (#2)
PRIDE (#3)
(As Richard Slinger:)
*Trotsky ('Lit' Grindhouse Vol. 2)
*Blancemange!
Richard Slinger is a vessel for Gavin's more experimental, outlandish works. A thinly-veiled 'nom de plume,' if you will.
Follow him on Threads, IG, and Bluesky, with the handle @GoliathWriter
Novels:
Almost Surely
Nursing Home of the Damned
Novellas
The Surrogate
'Lit' Grindhouse: (As Richard Slinger)
Vol.1 LOVEGUN
Coming Soon
Our Nomad Souls Trilogy
LUCID (#1)
TRIAD (#2)
PRIDE (#3)
(As Richard Slinger:)
*Trotsky ('Lit' Grindhouse Vol. 2)
*Blancemange!
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 13, 2018
A fantastic read. Read in an hour so short but touches on some very deep issues of sex, relationships and intimacy whilst in a post apocalyptic world
Loved it and will be following with interest
Loved it and will be following with interest
February 1, 2018
The Surrogate is a science fiction novella and debut release from author Gavin Jefferson. The setting is a world in which obesity has been eradicated, leaving behind a ‘healthy, beautiful, and promiscuous’ populous. All, that is, except for one man: a man named Ronald Calico, a.k.a. The Surrogate.
This book grabs the reader from the intriguing first scene where we meet an old man (with a much younger public face) boarding a cruiser with his robotic assistant. It is through his eyes that we are shown the way society has developed, and through his conversation that we learn who The Surrogate is and how his unusual career came about.
This is a straight forward read, and a quick one at just 100 or so pages. What amazes me is that in so little space, and without being immediately obvious, Jefferson skilfully poses important questions about the way we interact and, in particular, the way we perceive intimacy. The Surrogate addresses such issues as body image, sexuality, personhood, and the messages filtered down to the masses from powerful decision-makers. I was left contemplating the role direct and diverse human contact plays in our sense of connection, and whether it could be considered endangered as we reach new levels of scientific and technological discovery.
The characters are well-rounded: likeable but realistic, and the ending made me a bit emotional!
There is also a bonus story included in the book called ‘The Collector’, which is a great teaser for Jefferson’s next release ‘Almost Surely’. I am very much looking forward to reading that and more from this author.
This book grabs the reader from the intriguing first scene where we meet an old man (with a much younger public face) boarding a cruiser with his robotic assistant. It is through his eyes that we are shown the way society has developed, and through his conversation that we learn who The Surrogate is and how his unusual career came about.
This is a straight forward read, and a quick one at just 100 or so pages. What amazes me is that in so little space, and without being immediately obvious, Jefferson skilfully poses important questions about the way we interact and, in particular, the way we perceive intimacy. The Surrogate addresses such issues as body image, sexuality, personhood, and the messages filtered down to the masses from powerful decision-makers. I was left contemplating the role direct and diverse human contact plays in our sense of connection, and whether it could be considered endangered as we reach new levels of scientific and technological discovery.
The characters are well-rounded: likeable but realistic, and the ending made me a bit emotional!
There is also a bonus story included in the book called ‘The Collector’, which is a great teaser for Jefferson’s next release ‘Almost Surely’. I am very much looking forward to reading that and more from this author.
March 22, 2021
This novella is an intriguing exploration of what intimacy and relationships really mean, alongside sexuality and attractiveness. Set in a semi-post-apocalyptic future, the story revolves around a journalist and his interviewee who has....an unusual job.
I really enjoyed reading this. Gavin does an excellent job of asking some thought-provoking questions in this short work, and I feel that the story is ripe for expansion, either in an extended version of this novella or another tale set in this world.
The only downside for me was some iffy grammar, but unusually for this grammar nazi I had no problem getting past it as I was swept away by the story.
As a bonus, Gavin's short story, Collector, is also included in this book. I enjoyed Collector very much; it's an accomplished and bittersweet tale, set in the universe of Gavin's first full length novel Almost Surely which is due to be published later this year.
Disclaimer: I was sent a free copy of this book by the author as I beta-read Almost Surely, but this is an honest review and the opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed reading this. Gavin does an excellent job of asking some thought-provoking questions in this short work, and I feel that the story is ripe for expansion, either in an extended version of this novella or another tale set in this world.
The only downside for me was some iffy grammar, but unusually for this grammar nazi I had no problem getting past it as I was swept away by the story.
As a bonus, Gavin's short story, Collector, is also included in this book. I enjoyed Collector very much; it's an accomplished and bittersweet tale, set in the universe of Gavin's first full length novel Almost Surely which is due to be published later this year.
Disclaimer: I was sent a free copy of this book by the author as I beta-read Almost Surely, but this is an honest review and the opinions are my own.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews