Sunday, September 4, 2011

MANIFESTO DESTINATION by Alec Cizak

Most of you who read this blog know about Mr. Cizak from his excellent short stories and from his publications, All Due Respect and Pulp Modern. He's also the author of Manifesto Destination, a modern dystopic tale about corporations run amok.

The book follows alcoholic/photographer/ex-cop/investigator Elmore. His ex-girlfriend, Felicia, is the publisher of an independent newspaper and asks him to tail a CEO's daughter and see what dirt he can find. Things get very complicated for Elmore after that, as he stumbles upon a corporate plot to enslave the good people of Indianapolis and beyond.

It's a fast, hardboiled read made for fans of noir and conspiracies alike. Cizak manages to create a plot that's simultaneously realistic and ridiculous, complete with a mad scientist, a strip club, a "rehab" clinic straight out of Brave New World, and plenty of dark humor. Highly recommended.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for the kind words, Chris. I'm glad you picked up on the fact that the whole thing is a little absurd. Close readings of the old Chandler books sort of reveal the same thing. When I wrote this, way back in the dark ages of pre-9/11 America (back when we still had a few of the freedoms the framers of the Constitution intended), I was definitely reading Chandler at the time and it shows. Anyone not familiar with Indy could read MD and use it as a road map!

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