An anti-novel set at the end of history, The Pestilence is a cautionary tale about the threat and dangers of authoritarianism, totalitarianism, and autocracy, as well as an illustration of the lingering effects of colonization: the deprivtion of autnomy, self-reliance, and self-detremination.

For one man, there is only one way, and that way is obvious. But what happens when that way is no longer possible? A cautionary tale about the dangers of authoritarianism and totalitarianism, as well as the ever-present dangers of colonization, including by the increasingly ubiquitous use

of Artificial Intelligence, The Pestilence is a murder mystery set at the end of history.

A man, haunted by the memory of his dead wife, struggles to begin his day. However, things are not so simple. He might be the dead one. He might be the victim, he might be the murderer. The mystery deepens as the past, the dead, the never-having-lived, interrupt and disrupt the present,

and the living, as the two struggle for dominance. The dead wife—a mere ghost? A memory? An artificially intelligent entity? The earth? Mother Nature?—refuses to be forgotten, or ignored.

She tries to come (back) to life, while the man attempts to forget her, to prevent her from doing so. Worse for him, the small town in which he lives seems only to reflect his own increasing loss of control, as he seems to be losing his mind, and his sanity. Is he crazy, or is everyone else? Is his

wife really dead, or is he? Who is the murderer, who the victim, and most importantly: why did the murder occur at all?

The Pestilence explores timeless and universal themes including man versus woman; woman versus machine; the relations of knowledge and power to truth, the invention, creation, destruction, and denial, of it; the importance of sovereignty, autonomy, and self-determination in the face of unrelenting aggression; love, loss, and grief; and the inextricable ties and connections that unite all of humanity, for better or for worse.

Don't miss The Pestilence: Part Two, coming soon.