by Michael Schulman - undifferentiated
First published 2020
Christian Little walks through New City in 2070, where fusion power delivers luxury for almost nothing. Suburban mansions, Italian sports cars, and Parisian couture cost pennies. Mood capsules and freebased pop create artificial euphoria that flows through your entire body. Most people embrace this effortless abundance. Christian fights it. He champions authentic living and deals RealFeel, leading a resistance against the era's manufactured paradise. His allies include Macks Buddy, his close friend, and Karen, his hacker daughter who operates outside the law. Together they wage war against the Custodian Corporation. Their enemies are Hal Haldor, a powerful executive, and the Guest, a mysterious and dangerous figure. Both men seek to dominate New City through corporate power. The world no longer requires jobs or money to obtain material desires. Christian discovers that humanity needs something beyond physical comfort and instant gratification to remain truly human.
Genres: science-fiction, dystopia, adventure, action, 21st-century, artificial-intelligence
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: New City
Period: 2070
188 pages · Paperback · Independently published