World Running Down

(Paperback, Revised edition)

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Description

A transgender salvager on the outskirts of a dystopian Utah gets the chance to earn the ultimate score and maybe even a dash of romance. But there's no such thing as a free lunch... --- Valentine Weis is a salvager in the future wastelands of Utah. Wrestling with body dysphoria, he dreams of earning enough money to afford citizenship in Salt Lake City - a utopia where the testosterone and surgery he needs to transition is free, the food is plentiful, and folk are much less likely to be shot full of arrows by salt pirates. But earning that kind of money is a pipe dream, until he meets the exceptionally handsome Osric. Once a powerful AI in Salt Lake City, Osric has been forced into an android body against his will and sent into the wasteland to offer Valentine a job on behalf of his new employer - an escort service seeking to retrieve their stolen androids. The reward is avisa into the city, and a chance at the life Valentine's always dreamed of. But as they attempt to recover the "merchandise", they encounter a problem- the android ladies are becoming self-aware, and have no interest in returning to their old lives. The prize is tempting, but carrying out the job would go against everything Valentine stands for, and would threaten the fragile found family that's kept him alive so far. He'll need to decide whether to risk his own dream in order to give the AI a chance to live theirs. File Under- Science Fiction Finding Your Way | Everybody Hurts | Body Bound | City Dreams

Reviews

Full of adventure, charm, and deeply human insights, the world in HesssWorld Running Downis an apocalypse you wont want to leave.
A piercing mix of relevant social commentary braided into a riveting scifi adventure."
"Books, like Hess's characters, still dare to love"
"A rousing and touching read."
"It poured warmth and light into my chest"
"playful and lovingly crafted romp."
"Aprofoundly charming, funny, romantic, and endearing read."
"wildly fun trans sci-fi adventure"
"World Running Downis a Valentines Day release in the vein of Becky Chambers cozy, progressive science fiction."

Author Bio

Al Hess is the author of the self-published post-apocalyptic Travelers series and the 1930s flavoured dystopian series, Hep Cats of Boise. When not hunched before a computer screen, Al can be found at his art desk. He does portraits in both pencil and oil paint, and loves drawing fellow authors' characters nearly as much as his own. He writes cozy and uplifting stories with queer, trans, and neurodiverse representation.