What Is This? Why Read It?
2084 Quartet is a work of science fiction in the vein of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale or, more recently, The MaddAddam Trilogy and The Testaments. Like those works, my novels are dystopian speculative fiction and dark social satire envisioning an apocalyptic near-future. The broad action of these novels is the conflict and eventual warfare between a North American corporate state called TexArc versus a European commonwealth called EVe. As such, 2084 Quartet delivers a provocative warning: our current social-economic-political organization is horribly flawed; we must change course now or catastrophe is guaranteed.
In other words: Duh.
2084 Quartet is a tetralogy—a series of four novels. They are:
Book 1: Signifier/
Book 2: /Signified
Book 3: The Cure of All
Book 4: White Nights and Yellow Laughter
2084 Quartet is a work-in-progress. Book 1 and Book 2 are complete, ready for publication, and coming your way. Book 3 is well into draft stage. Book 4 is in planning stage.
Thus, as the chapters of these novels are serialized on Substack one-by-one, subsequent chapters will be in creation—meaning subject to the current events of our present social moment as they unfold.
Each book in the series features strong female main characters, the machinations of raw political and corporate power, the deceit of espionage, and the terrifying violence of postmodern warfare.
For my creation of a near-future society, I’ve invented a good deal of new terminology and language—for which I supply a Glossary—as well as incorporated the technological advances likely to take place over the next sixty to eighty years. Essential to my storytelling are probable developments in computer and communications networks, weaponry from underwater to outer space, the brain-machine interface of cyborgs, and, in particular, nanotechnology.
In his 1948 novel, 1984, George Orwell imagines the societal disasters that might occur if Stalinist dictatorships were to take control of the world. In hindsight, I think it safe to say that Orwell got it wrong with respect to the future political threat to humanity. It is not communism that currently menaces the world, but neoliberal corporate capitalism—a regime predicated on minority rule.
I think it is essential to unmask this destructive and anti-democratic force before it’s too late. 2084 Quartet takes a shot at excoriating current-day power.
PLEASE NOTE: These novels are intended for mature readers only.
What Will You Get?
Every other Wednesday a post will come your way. That post will consist of one chapter from 2084 Quartet.
On the other two Wednesdays of each month, I highly recommend that you subscribe to and read my other Substack newsletter, Rant Against the Regime at:
My two Substacks go hand-in-hand.
Rant Against the Regime explains and uses cultural theories to analyze our social moment by taking a look at cultural productions such as movies, politics, current events, literature, media, social issues/practices/beliefs of every stripe, education, money, language, sports, advertising, technology—and so on.
2084 Quartet is an example of such a cultural production. More than that, these four novels are a Rant against the Regime.
Why is this stuff for free? Why no paid subscriptions?
I’m just launching my Substack publications. Until there is a “there” here, I’ve no business charging anybody for them. Don’t get me wrong. I’m part of the American 99%, so I can use the cash. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Who Am I?
I’m a writer of fiction as well as of academic research and criticism.
As a college professor of literature and cultural studies, my specialty areas are in early modern British satire and drama as well as literary/cultural theory and popular culture. My academic works on these subjects are widely published, my most recent book being Speculative Satire in Contemporary Literature and Film: Rant Against the Regime (Routledge, 2021; Routledge Studies in Speculative Fiction; see here).
As a writer of fiction, along with the novels I offer on Substack, my short stories have appeared in The Write Launch (“Our Soldier of Fortune,” Issue 27, July 2019; see here) and Millwork (“Ironrite,” Issue 3, August 2018; reprinted by Defuncted Journal on Medium, 25 March 2023; see here). I also co-wrote and executive produced two short films, The Feed (2015) and Ironrite (2019; see here), which have been Official Selections at numerous U.S. film festivals.
The good folks at Substack recommend that on this page I say something endearing about myself. Here goes.
I’ve been married to my college boo thang for 44 years. We have three super snazzy kiddos and two extra snazzy grandkiddos. I was the two-time junior croquet champion of Idaho. (Not really.) My favorite meal is a breakfast of ranch style French toast, hash browns, and bacon at Angie’s Diner (“Where The Locals Eat”) in Logan, Utah (coffee comes with refills). I lived in Ohio for decades and recently escaped to live in the gorgeously blue state of California. One of my favorite memories is camping with my adult daughter in Yosemite Valley, spending each chilly morning playing backgammon and drinking coffee next to the campfire. I’m on a 450-day-plus streak learning Spanish on Duolingo. (¡A mí me encanta aprender español en mi computadora!) My mac-and-cheese is world renowned and features a top-secret ingredient. (It’s nutmeg!)
Maybe a few things that could be considered more tangibly interesting about me are these. I was fortunate to do my doctoral work at Oxford University in England. What an amazing experience. Before I became a professional egghead, I played several years of professional basketball in Switzerland and Germany. What an amazing experience. I was born and spent my early childhood years in Pocatello, Idaho. What an experience.
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