Silence Descends

"Silence Descends: The End of the Information Age, 2000―2500" is not as much a novel as it is an imaginary book of non-fiction: a history of the future, written in the year 2500―a look back at where we have yet to go. "Silence Descends" is a cautionary tale; it is a critique of "the Microsoft mentality"―the belief in the power of technology to save us. This is the story of how the information age goes awry, and rather than enhancing our lives, actually leads to the breakdown of society. The atomic destruction of the former Stalingrad by what will be suspected as fascist militants will become the first in a series of steps that will lead to the end of society as we will know it. Mixing real personalities with imaginary individuals from the future, George has done his research on this one, even if most of it is made up. References include Mary Xian (Night Thoughts, 2012), Carmen Jaeger (The First Day of Spring, 2029), Arthur Hong (RageRoots, 2041), Aldous Huxley (Brave New World, 1932) and George Orwell (Nineteen Eighty-Four, 1949). "Silence Descends" includes black and white photographs by Rosalee Hiebert.