Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
"After the most recent Forgetting, Ohle's luckless protagonist Moldenke is in possession of only his name and the bare facts of his former life. He finds himself cruising on the Titanic through a bizarre alternate reality where elective deformation is a fashion trend, neuts and human settlers do their best to live together in relative harmony, and the only available sustenance is stomach churning." "Everyone agrees the Stinkers are troublesome and something must be done. President Ratt not only fails to control the Stinker problem, but he also has a penchant for decreeing absurd laws and issuing random vouchers of innocence. Violators with valid vouchers defer their punishments to guiltless bystanders - regulations that land Moldenke and his fellows in prison more than once." Rumors are circulating that another Forgetting is imminent and that the Forgettings are induced by Ratt's radio broadcasts. The prison guard Montfaucon emerges as Ratt's political rival, and Moldenke, ever the yes-man, finds himself inadvertently involved in a plot to assassinate the president. The rebels hope to return to the Age of Sinatra, "when happiness was not only considered achievable, but hailed as the ideal state of being."Synopsis
The Age of Sinatra is the long-awaited sequel to the 1972 sci-fi cult classic Motorman. Part political allegory, part science-fiction dystopia, the world David Ohle creates is disturbing, humorous, and oddly compelling. The novel catches up with the luckless protagonist Moldenke, after the most recent "Forgetting." Moldenke finds himself in possession only of his name and the bare facts of his former life while he cruises on the Titanic through an alternate reality where elective deformation is a fashion trend and grasshoppers are the main course. His travel mates are Ophelia Balls, an artist; Gerald Hilter, a journalist; Agnes Moldenke, his mother and the inventor of edible money; Dr. Burnheart, his old mentor; and a talkative neutrodyne named Hugo Vink. The Age of Sinatra is an entry in the new series Soft Skull ShortLit — Pocket Books for a New World.