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Welcome to my place in the blogosphere!
feel free to explore the Flight Deck and check out my books and website.
Then fasten your seatbelts, sip a glass of something sparkling and let's chat awhile!
I hope you'll stop by again for guest authors and spotlights from time to time.

Beloved Enemy joined Starquest and Children of the Mist to continue the Destiny Trilogy and I'm thrilled to announce was shortlisted for the R.N.A. RoNA Awards 2017, awarded 2nd Runner up in the RONE Awards 2017 and was the winner in the SF/Fantasy category of the 'Best Banter Contest'.

Friday 8 January 2016

Hedon - Spotlight and #Giveaway


Hedon


by Jason Werbeloff

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GENRE: Dystopian Science Fiction
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BLURB:

What if happiness were compulsory?


What if your thoughts were not your own?


Plunge into HEDON for soul-twisting sci-fi.


In 2051, the Bhutanese Empire rules post-apocalyptic Shangri with iron-fisted Buddhist compassion. Happiness is compulsory, but making everyone happy isn’t easy in an overpopulated world. Breeders are ghettoed, homosexuality is mandatory, and Shangrians’ happiness levels are strictly monitored by hedometers implanted in their heads. Become depressed, or feel too happy without helping others feel the same, and The Tax Man will get angry. Very angry.


Gemini and Cyan, winners of the pregnancy lottery, are on the run. Cyan can’t fall pregnant, and Gemini is addicted to the Experience Machine. Will they evade The Tax Man, and find a way to end the brutal pleasures of Shangri?



The lovechild of Brave New World and The Handmaid’s Tale, HEDON is gritty satire on a dystopia drunk with bigotry and positive thinking.


“A one of a kind dystopian novel.”


“As politically depraved as anyone could desire.”


“This is storytelling at its best”.


– ReadersFavorite.com 5 star review of HEDON

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Excerpt:


The day before his father died, Gemini had carried the old, old man to the summit of the district heap. Cardboard boxes, plastic packets, clothes hangers, rags, and a thousand other remnants of the past had sagged, crunched and scratched beneath Gemini’s bare feet. By the time he’d reached the top, he was out of breath. But it wasn’t the weight of his father in his arms, clinging to his neck. His father weighed less than a memory. No, it was the thought that this would be the last time they would share the view together.

The heap was higher than the ghetto Wall, higher than the Devas. From the top, they could see it all. Rows and rows, and rows, of tin shacks stretched behind them. And before them, a mile away, was the great Wall, brown as the earth. Beyond was the city, its brown-white spires shrouded in fog. Brown fog.

His father had looked at Gemini then. Really looked. Looked at him, his son, not as a war veteran. Not as someone from the past. “Boy,” his father’s voice was hollow, soaked up by the heap, “are you happy?”



The breath in Gemini had caught. Of course he was happy. Everyone was happy. It was Shangri. But his lips formed a different reply. “No,” he said, and stared out beyond the Wall. His cheeks burned.

“That’s okay, boy. They say they’re happy. But they’re not. Nobody is.”

Gemini swung his head to study his father’s eyes. The blasphemy. Sure, there was unrest here, in the ghetto. Sure, there was discontent. But few spoke such … such blatant heresy. Such negativity.

“Find a girl,” his father said, placing a veined hand on his son’s. “Be happy with her, but not too much. Never forget …” His head twitched. “Never forget that there is more.”

His father fell silent. Gemini scooped together a pillow of detritus so the dying man could lie comfortably as he stared out at the city. The city the old man had fought for, and lost.



AUTHOR Bio and Links:


Human. Male. From an obscure planet in the Milky Way Galaxy. Sci-fi novelist with a PhD in philosophy. Likes chocolates, Labradors, and zombies (not necessarily in that order). Werbeloff spends his days constructing thought experiments, while trying to muster enough guilt to go to the gym.

He's written two novels, Hedon and The Solace Pill, and the short story anthology, Obsidian Worlds. His books will make your brain hurt. And you'll come back for more.

Subscribe to his newsletter to receive a free novel, and a lifetime of free and discounted stories: http://smarturl.it/werbeloff

**Amazon Author Page: http://smarturl.it/AuthWerbeloff  – download all of Werbeloff's fiction from Amazon.

**Newsletter: http://smarturl.it/werbeloff – subscribe to get 'The Solace Pill' free, as well as VIP access to Werbeloff's latest fiction.


**Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7340789  – read and submit reviews of Werbeloff’s fiction.


**Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/solaceseries  and Twitter: https://twitter.com/JasonWerbeloff – follow Werbeloff for release date information on upcoming shorts and novels.

**Website: http://www.jasonwerbeloff.com/ - read about the author, and the philosophy behind his fiction.



Purchase link for Hedon: PLEASE NOTE YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THIS FOR  F R E E today!



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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION 

Jason will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway 




12 comments:

  1. Thank you for featuring my book! Readers, the book is available for FREE download today from Amazon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're most welcome, Jason, I love featuring fellow SF writers on my blog, and I wish you much success. I've updated the post to include your FREE DOWNLOAD today and downloaded your book myself. I look forward to reading it.

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    2. Thank you, Hywela! Hope you enjoy the book. Please let me know what you think of it when you're done? Would love to hear your thoughts.

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    3. Will do, though it might be a while but I'll try to do a little review for you too.

      Delete
  2. Always happy? There are so many daily routines which could cause unhappiness. The normal functions of the body are depressing or at the very least unhappy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for hour visit, although not too sure what your comment has to do with Jason's book!

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    2. I think Brian is onto something. In the world of 'Hedon', characters are forced to be happy constantly, at least on balance. Some philosophers, myself included, believe that it's impossible to be happy all the time precisely for the reasons Brian outlines - the day-to-day requirements of life (getting hungry, having to clean, etc.) are monotonous. There's a great book by David Benatar called, 'Better Never to Have Been', where he argues for an extreme version of this position. You can read more here:
      http://www.amazon.com/Better-Never-Have-Been-Existence-ebook/dp/B000TODSCY/ref=mt_kindle?_encoding=UTF8&me=

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    3. Ah, I see your point, sorry Brian, I really need to read this don't I!

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