An insecure, reclusive Earth scientist is almost killed by a Martian assassin with a focal razor. For his survival, and to uncover the problem with the "deviant diggers" on Mars, he must become a brash and promiscuous Martian mining tycoon.

Sci-fi

Mik Sturm, with his companions, struts into the Concourse Connector at Port Vandenberg for departure to Luna. Mik is beginning to feel confident that his disguise as Ace Bing Wong will succeed. Then a stasis siren screams and a massive security grid descends, its field-effect fencing snapping.

Chanting with the Psimon in their Great Hall, Mik becomes immersed in the thrumming and is carried by an endless, thundering ocean. He feels comingled with endless quantum fluxes that set the universe on a slightly different path into a future that, if Zeus smiled on them, would be woot-da.

Earth (Mount Etude), Luna (Alpha Base), Mars (Olympus City)

No

Quest,Voyage and Return

Philosophical Questions,Twist

Nudity

Name: Mik Sturm (alias: Ace Bing Wong)

Age: 25 years

Gender: Male

Role: Protagonist

Key Traits: Educated,Insecure,Naive,Funny

Name: Venna McKinsey

Age: 25 years

Gender: Female

Role: Mentor

Key Traits: Charming,Confident,Empathetic,Educated

Name: Dagg Lordson

Age: 30 years

Gender: Male

Role: mentor

Key Traits: Complex,Heroic,Educated,Religious,Selfless,Strong Moral Code

Name: Dr. Jaqee Charon

Age: 50 years

Gender: Female

Role: antagonist

Key Traits: Criminal,Educated,Villainous,Power Hungry,Secretive

Mik Sturm stutters and hesitates a lot. He's unsure of almost everything except that he's an orphan and eager to begin work as a reclusive scientist. Then, an assassin with a focal razor almost kills him. For his first job assignment, he must assume the identity of Ace Bing Wong, a recently deceased Martian mining tycoon whose dark skinned body is a good match with his. Both Mik and Ace must fix something wrong on Mars. But can either of them endure the torment in a desolate, painful VAR world designed by some of Mik's former professors? Probably not. Zeus Alone is a strong candidate for adaptation as a movie because it has many vivid graphic elements--including immersive VAR scenes (like a sex romp in the Aquarium of the Gods or torture in a desolate space of endless sand). Also, the consistent feedback from Beta readers is that many of the book's scenes lend themselves to a movie or TV series. Plus, this well-crafted science fiction novel breaks the typical dystopian mold of many recent sci-fi offerings. Movie goers will be entertained by the many quasi-intelligent bots and holosims, as well as a giant squirrel and miniature leopard (Dagg Lordson's donzi).

Joseph Corrado is the publisher of the Portland Metrozine, an online literary journal that he first published in print in 1992. Also, he teaches philosophy as an adjunct instructor at Portland Community College. He was an editor at McKinsey & Company, Computer Technology Review, and Design News. He is an avid reader of philosophy and speculative fiction, and is especially interested in the challenges posed by immersive virtual violence. His new novel, Zeus Alone, explores the meanings of privacy, identity, and cognitive manipulations at the beginning of the 22nd century. Joe and his wife cultivate a wee, urban garden near the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon.

Age: 18-34,35-54,55+

Target Gender: Universal

Information not completed

Status: No

No

Information not completed