Beyond the Pale

"A fascinating and frightening picture of a believable futuristic city where technology is king and the citizens are oppressed and their every move is recorded and monitored. There is a love story in here, a criminal underworld, spiritualism, dangerous journeys trying to evade the authorities. The pace of the narrative is exciting from start to end, an entertaining and thought provoking read." It is 2062 and the world is a very different place. It is 40 years since a series of natural disasters and earth changes have caused the world's economy to collapse and destroyed the old world system. Unable to protect their citizens from plagues and a climate out of control, nations and political systems have shown themselves to be impotent and inept. They have been replaced through the rise of self contained city states. The Earth's remaining population of approximately 500 million is now restricted to living within the confines of the 250 newly constructed citadels located worldwide. By their mutual consensus, it has been agreed that outside of these metropolises, the land is to be purposely depopulated and left to nature, so that the environment might heal and repair itself. With nations no longer fighting over control of natural resources, there is no more need for war. Citadels have replaced armies with strong internal security apparatus to police their citizens. Then there are the military Rangers who police the environment and relocate or cull any unauthorized population. Throughout the world, there are still small communities of outlanders who refuse to live in the new citadels. They stay hidden and live beyond the pale and control of these urban metropolises. They live a subsistence lifestyle which is both free and harsh, but they live in balance with nature and trust it to provide for them. Their inspiration is spiritual and they see the city dwellers as soulless automatons. One such outlander is a smart young Hopi with a unique physiology living in what was once the State of Colorado. He breaks cover to save the life of a security officer. As a result he is seized and taken against his will to be processed as a new citizen of the New Denver metropolis. Within its high perimeter walls, the citadel is an elitist technological dystopia where comfort, order and protection compensate for loss of personal freedoms and control. The people embrace transhumanist principles and many of the elite enhance their intelligence and bodies by integrating technology. They view the past as a history of failure, and believe that they have reached the pinnacle of civilization. They look down on outlanders as primitives. The young Hopi becomes the friend and house guest of the older security officer and his family. He soon finds himself seduced by both the glamour and excitement of city life and with his host's daughter. When he falls in love, he becomes an unwelcome guest, but unable to leave. The law requires him to stay and the prospect of escape means leaving her behind. He knows his spirit will suffer if he stays and he will compromise everything that makes him unique. However there are those outside that have not given up looking for him, and New Denver has a lot more adventure and intrigue in store for him. There is an underlying theme to this story which examines the pros and cons of the integration of technology into all aspects of humanity. Society is at the dawn of a transhumanist transformation which is using technology to master nature. The question is asked of the reader whether this is necessary for humans to evolve by design, or whether it hinders humanity in its natural evolution which may be along the spiritual path of transcendence.