First published 1975
The protagonist walks through Earth's segregated complexes in the twenty-third century, watching bodies pile up as suicide epidemics tear through the population. The unseen rulers have built a world that strips people of dignity and self-respect, making death seem like the only escape. Around him, fellow citizens struggle with psychiatric breakdowns. One man sees disturbing visions during the night hours. Another can only reach sexual satisfaction inside an old car. Others retreat into shared delusions that reveal their deep psychological wounds. The Church of the Epiphany offers technical solutions, but they cannot stop the wave of self-destruction. The protagonist investigates this social disease spreading through their dehumanized world. He knows the invisible authorities want everyone to choose the Final Trip. Each day he battles his own overwhelming desire to join the dead. If he gives in to that permanent temptation, the oppressors will have won completely. His survival becomes the last act of resistance against a system designed to make existence unbearable.
Genres: fiction, science-fiction, dystopia, psychological-thriller, 21st-century
Vibes: dark, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: dystopian-society, psychological-horror, social-commentary
Setting: Earth
Period: 23rd Century
140 pages · Hardcover · Bobbs-Merrill
Content warnings: depression, mental-illness, suicide