What follows here, we fear, will be less than helpful, and will cover the major events of Ash’s chapter of 2032 and the impact of already anomic American polity on Ash’s greatest fears, his relationships, his insistence on the existence of sound science, and radicalization as this global emergency barrels forward. It concludes with a clandestine conference, which, I beg you, must remain ensconced in secrecy as it kind of breaks the novel.

AKA, Ash reflects on danger, where it comes from, how it works, and what it means for democratic politics as he confronts the impending election and the question of family. Never fear, Dawn Schafer and Oleg Burov avatars have you covered.

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Our theme music is from “I Can’t See the Milky Way Anymore” by Alex Rudnick. We heartily encourage you to check out Alex’s music.