WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE WORLD RUNS OUT OF CHEAP OIL?
Oil and other resources are scarce. Prolonged blackouts have led to violent rioting and looting, forcing the United States to impose martial law. Valerie Pushem has been drafted into a new military unit because of her high “morality quotient.” Protected and justifed by her elite status, she dutifully travels around the ruined country on assignments, encountering a wide spectrum of menacing individuals—from the deranged and infirm to the criminal and savage to the powerful and privileged. As she gradually uncovers her role in the government’s heinous plans to deal with the resource shortages, Valerie remains loyal to the cause, espousing the belief that certain lives have more value than others. But her staunch support of the government may not be reciprocated, and might just be the biggest mistake of her life.
Provocative and disturbing, this Orwellian tale follows one woman’s odyssey through a philosophical minefield that throws basic assumptions about life, liberty, and equality into question, and exposes the underlying forces that drive people to adopt radical doctrines and to willingly part with their freedom.