by John Brunner
First published 1984
Matthew Flamen works as a spoolpigeon for the television networks, but his job hangs by a thread. He needs a major story to hold onto his audience and his livelihood. Several explosive possibilities present themselves. The Gottschalk weapons cartel stirs up conflict between the knees and blanks to boost arms sales. The X Patriots movement grows more active by the day. A notorious British revolutionary may receive an American visa, an event many consider impossible. Then a story drops directly into Flamen's hands. Evidence suggests the respected Director of New York State Mental Hospital operates as a fraud. Flamen must navigate a world where violence erupts routinely, drugs flow freely, and corruption reaches the highest levels of power. The state commits people to mental institutions with frightening ease. As Flamen digs deeper into these interconnected scandals, he discovers how completely his society has begun to fall apart. The stakes rise beyond his personal survival to the very fabric of American civilization.
Genres: science-fiction, dystopia, american-fiction, 20th-century, action, 21st-century
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigative-journalism, social-commentary
Setting: New York, America
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
318 pages · Mass Market Paperback · DAW Books, Inc. (NY)
Content warnings: mental-illness