First published 1988
Jonny works the streets of a decaying Los Angeles where basic necessities are controlled and distributed by force. He deals black market drugs that can heal bodies and calm minds, focusing only on his own survival in a city where anger and hunger define daily life. Disease spreads freely through the population while authorities ration hope along with food and medicine. When a mysterious plague begins killing people throughout L.A., transforming the city into a zone of death, Jonny finds himself pulled into something bigger than his usual hustle. The outbreak forces him to risk everything he has built to search for a cure. His quest becomes a race against time as the plague consumes more victims. Jonny must decide whether to maintain his self-centered approach to survival or commit fully to finding a solution that might not even exist on Earth. The search will test every skill he has learned on the streets and demand sacrifices he never planned to make.
Genres: science-fiction, dystopia, adventure, action
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, race-against-time
Setting: Los Angeles
Period: 21st-century
256 pages · Paperback · Hardwired
Content warnings: violence