First published 2010
Captain Julian Comstock returns from the war in Labrador as a celebrated hero. The press chronicles his victories. Soldiers worship him. But President Deklan Comstock fears his nephew's growing popularity. Julian's father Bryce once threatened Deklan's rule and died for it. Now Julian follows the same dangerous path. This reborn America stretches from Athabaska to New York. The Dominion controls spiritual life from Colorado Springs. Oil ran out over a century ago. Cities fell. False prophets rose and disappeared. Pious Presidents ruled and passed away. Through it all, the nation rebuilt itself under sixty stars and thirteen stripes. Julian climbs toward ultimate power, but his fascination with forbidden secular knowledge puts him on a collision course with the Dominion. Enemies plot against him. The presidency awaits, yet so does the fate that claimed his father. Julian pursues one consuming dream above all others: creating a film about Charles Darwin's life.
Genres: science-fiction, dystopia, historical-fiction, political-thriller, alternate-history
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, forbidden-knowledge
Setting: Athabaska, Colorado Springs, Labrador, New York
Period: 19th-century, 20th-century
689 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Tor