Originally published a few years ago as a part of the Sci-Fi anthology Chronicle Worlds: No Way Home, Revolver is a longish short story set in the near-future and draws directly from today's politically charged atmosphere.
"The price tag on my head was $ 5,000. Easy money." - An opening line that immediately drew me into the story. I need to know more.
While the left will likely find this piece something to rally behind, those on the right will no doubt take offense, (damn snowflakes).
The story itself is well written and follows what may be Cara Stone's final day as she prepares to appear on the far-right podcast, Revolver. A show often reserved for members of the LBGTQ community as an alternative for jail. You're given a handgun and you are asked to commit suicide on live TV in exchange for cash for your surviving family members. While Cara does not fall into this category, she is a down-on-her-luck, homeless, alcoholic and a drain on society.
Revolver is a sick and twisted look at where we are headed. From the Author's note...
"This story is not meant to comfort, nor is it meant to be an easy read. It is also not the least bit subtle, as more than a few readers have mentioned. Revolver was written mostly in a fit of anger. It’s not subtle and it is not meant to be subtle. It’s meant to be disruptive and challenging to the status quo. As such, depending on your political predilections or how well tempered you are toward heavy-handed narratives, it might not necessarily be the type of dystopian science fiction you are looking for."
With Revolver, Michael Patrick Hicks certainly stirs the pot. As someone who leans a bit to the left politically, I thoroughly enjoyed venting a bit through this book and it's one I can carefully recommend.
Published by High Fever Books, Revolver is available for the Kindle and in Audible format.
Michael Patrick Hicks is the author of the science fiction novels Convergence, an Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award 2013 Quarter-Finalist, and its sequel, Emergence, as well as several horror titles, including his most recent novel, Mass Hysteria. His work has appeared in several anthologies, and he has written for the websites Graphic Novel Reporter and Audiobook Reviewer, in addition to work as a freelance journalist. In between compulsively buying books and adding titles that he does not have time for his Netflix queue, he is hard at work on his next story.
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