Silo

By: Paul Mascott

Narrated by: Paul Williams

Marty Stemple thought he was too old to be in the rat race any more. He figured he would live out the rest of his days quietly plodding along with his wife, Syl, as they both waited for the years to catch up and finally release them from their mundane existence once and for all. But after five years of retirement, an accident at home unwittingly thrusts him back into "The System" just to pay the bills. Before long, his peaceful life becomes a hectic struggle to manage the expectations of a world he thought had lost all interest in him. Forcibly locked down from the rest of society, he is compelled to deal not only with personal isolation but also with the intrusion of a high-tech virtual gateway into the dark underworld of his country's corrupt government and its compulsive need to control the population with media, machines, and fantastic lies. A year later, he stumbles on a dark secret and lands in the middle of a desperate plight to save the planet from the ravings of a deranged lunatic posing as the president of his once great country.

Silo is an election-year novel about finding a sense of purpose in the face of true evil. When it's no longer clear what's true, what matters, and where you really are, how do you continue to function without sinking into the depths of depression and confusion? Is survival enough? Are we compelled, as humans, to "fight the good fight" for the benefit of all?

©2020 Paul Mascott (P)2021 Paul Mascott

The Narration Wins

The book itself has some issues - not the least of which is some really strange plotting - but the narrator, Paul Williams, saves the whole project. Williams has a companionable voice and a facility with characterization. Looking forward to more of his work. He's one to follow.