Sunday, March 3, 2019

Wired: A Dystopian Novel for the 21st Century by Tanner Nielsen

 Release date: February 28, 2019
Subgenre: Dystopian Fiction

About Wired: A Dystopian Novel for the 21st Century:


Set in the year 2029, our hero, Teton, becomes aware of the oppressive corporate regime controlling his life, as well as the 9 billion other inhabitants of the world. Through the use of wires, cell towers, and propaganda, the evil corporation dictates the unwitting citizens of the world, and the people must now face the challenge of an impending apocalypse that will be brought about by an asteroid in a month's time. A gritty, candid, and cerebral tale unfolds in this novel, bringing up poignant questions that must be answered to keep this book from becoming our history ten years from now.


Excerpt:

 

The message was important. In fact, it was the first time in Teton’s life that his fear of death conquered all other daily activities.

Denial is the strongest of all human emotions; if people knew how easy it would be to die in a simple accident, they would rarely leave the house… He thought back to a special AR program he had watched on human psychology.

With the new message that had come through, staying in the house to avoid death was no longer viable
The flashing, black, malicious text of the headline, “Impending Foreign Space Object Headed Toward Earth; Could Mark the End of Humanity,” had burned into Teton’s mind’s eye, and projected itself onto the floor in front of him as he flicked his eyes back and forth about his classroom.
The article would go on to explain, in the sterilized manner of mainstream news, that a meteor half the size of the moon, was due to cross Earth’s orbit in a projected span of one and a half months. A scientist by the name of Maratha Lecozotan had explained this in the article:

The space object was tracked and identified via orbital satellite ZH-46 as heading towards the Earth’s orbit last night at approximately, 10:36 P.M. EST. Due to occasional false alarms that occur, my crew and I double checked the meteor’s projected trajectory; we were able to confirm with a 98% accuracy that it would cross Earth’s projected orbit forty-eight days from yesterday. Due to the size of the space object, if collision with Earth were to occur (which is extremely likely), all life within a 5,000-mile radius would immediately be killed by the impact. The remaining population would most likely die due to atmospheric tearing, potable water and vegetation destruction, and blockage of sunlight.

The news article then linked to a clip of the presidential message from the White House, given thirty minutes earlier:

We are all doomed to the same fate! Humanity can descend into depravity to alleviate our deepest fears, or we can band together as fellow inhabitants of this planet to create the first global civilization with an emphasis on peace. Oh, how petty all conflict seems now! The only way we can save ourselves from eternal damnation, it would seem, is through unification! Diversity is our strength, and that must be called upon to ensure a final, and beautiful, existence!

Teton began to feel a pit in his stomach; his eyes burned, and it was as if a hard wad of paper had stuck in his throat. Could it be true? Was a global countdown really going to end with a nuclear-esque explosion, ending the lives of billions with a short white flash?
Teton looked out the windows to the world beyond the inside of the school walls. The muffling cotton in Teton’s ears was beginning to fall away, replacing the dull hum with a sea of screams of different pitches melding together to make a terrible, hellish sound; Teton’s mind flicked to the familiar phrase of the Bible occasionally brought up earlier in his life: “Wailing and gnashing of teeth.” What a laudable expression! No other phrase could sum up the sound infiltrating the inside of his head. It was then he realized, to his revulsion, that he was joining in the chorus: his mouth was open, and a dry, raspy cry was emerging from the back of his throat and echoing into the air outside.


Amazon


About Tanner Nielsen:

Tanner Nielsen was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and grew up there. He then moved to Colorado at age ten, and lived there until graduating from CNCC in 2016. He moved down to Phoenix, Arizona after graduation, and that is where he currently resides with his wife, Nicole, and a dog. Wired: A Dystopian Novel for the 21st Century is his debut novel and is an amalgam of his life experiences, philosophies, and dark humor.


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