The Phoenix Cycle: The Best Shall Rise
Publication Date: June 23, 2017
Published By: The Department of Smoke
Genre: Dystopian/ YA/ Sci-Fi
New San Francisco is the last city standing on a world ravaged by storms of ash and debris. The city survived by putting the ideals of the American dream on steroids and inspiring its people to persevere, though they have become ruthless in the process. Its citizens are ruled by the General, who has made sure that his people understand that gentleness and pity have become weaknesses that nature no longer tolerates. Now Steve and Leslie must choose whether they will apply for the General’s once in a lifetime opportunity to “Rise from the Ashes” and join the Inner Circle that rules the city. If they don’t, they will be damned to spend the rest of their lives in the ghettos of Edingburg, a place where virtual reality has become a government-subsidized addiction. For Steve, the choice is easy. His loyalties lie with the IRA, a revolutionary army led by a voice only known as “Mom.” They are trying to overthrow the General and free the people of New San Francisco from the cruelties of the City Guard. Steve’s mission is to broadcast a recording of a speech that a famous philosopher died to tell. Many thousands have and will perish to get this message out, but is anyone willing to listen?
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Excerpt
Every wrist in the stadium beeped. Every boy and girl glanced down at the face of their watch. “00:10” then “:09” then “:08.” Everyone turned their heads to the west. There it was. Right on time, as always. The nightly storm. A wall of blackness had lurched up into the sky, swallowing the setting sun. The hairs on Steve’s neck stood up, urging him to get the hell out of there. Instead he grabbed Leslie’s hand, who sat quietly quivering next to him, instinctively pressing her bow into her head for comfort. Steve knew her shaking wasn’t coming from Line’s yelling, the storm, or even the tank pointing at them. Her quivers never came from the barrel of a gun, no, the ragging agony she held within her was the very same thing that pushed him back into the sheets when the sun finally rose—are we going to lose each other? Leslie’s mind pushed the feeling away for at least another moment. “It’ll be all right,” she whispered. Her brown eyes guided him to the dozens of mortar tubes pointing upward and outward on the vibrant green field and then to the perfect line of churning ash that approached the stands. “Unity can only be achieved and be maintained when it is the STRONG who come together and fly under one flag! We, like no other in the world, have created a unity that has never broken, has never FLINCHED! When the rest of the world saw THAT—” Line’s long arm pointed at the coming avalanche of black— “They all fell to pieces!” The earth began to quake as the wall rose over them. Someone screamed. The mortars on the field fired as one at the roiling sky. The blackness spilled over the stadium, then slid over the perimeter of the frizzing wall of static that had encapsulated the field. No Phoenix Cycler had seen—only heard rumors from past Cycle Pref parties—this blackness that was sliding over and them whispering their deaths. - The Phoenix Cycle: The Best Shall Rise
Interview
If we Googled your name what would we see?
A whole lot of me...and some old guys.
You have multiple personalities, describe some of them.
One wants me to tell you we are nice. But the others want the nice guy to shut up.
Tell us about a unique or quirky habit of yours.
Winking semi-sexually at anyone who does a double take of me whenever we’re in a large group and they should be listening to/looking at someone else.
Have you ever had the feeling you were being watched?
Only always. Thanks NSA. *waves at laptop camera
If you were to create a slogan for your life, what would it be?
“That’s Dope”
If you could visit any place in the world, where would you choose to go and why?
The middle of an iceberg that has been converted into a house. That’d be dope.
If you wake up as (name any famous personality), what's the first thing you would do?
I’d plug Bob Collopy by putting him on my talk show because he is way more interesting than whomever I am now.
If I came to your home and looked in your refrigerator, what would I find?
Lots of super healthy stuff...that’s starting to look a little old.
About the Author
Bob is pretty dope. Firstly, his name is Bob, so...yea. Second, have you seen him rock that suit while in a maximum security prison? Epic. Yea. That's Bob. No psychological scarring with that author. Nope. Totally fine. Gosh he looks good in suits. Hey Have you read The Phoenix Cycle? He wrote that. One suggestion before you read it and become one of those fans that leaves him roses by his doormat. Read her slowly. This book is not Twilight. She's deeper than that. Take your time with her. Show the book you care. Cradle it and make it feel loved. If you do, she'll be good to you. Go too fast and you'll have no idea why she's acting so crazy.
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The Lit Cottage (Review)
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