Zanesville (novel)

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Zanesville

Zanesville cover.jpg

Cover of first edition (paperback)
Author Kris Saknussemm
Cover artist Christopher Sergio
Country United States
Language English
Genre Science fiction
Published 2005 (Villard Books)
Media type Print (paperback)
Pages 496 pp
ISBN 0-8129-7416-6
OCLC 57641675
813/.6 22
LC Class PS3619.A425 Z24 2005

Zanesville is a science fiction novel written by Kris Saknussemm and published by Villard Books, an imprint of Random House in 2005. [1]

Kris Saknussemm American writer

Kris Saknussemm is a cult novelist and multimedia artist. Born and educated in America, he has lived most of his life abroad, primarily in Australia and the Pacific Islands. He has published ten books that have been translated into 22 languages.

Random House general-interest trade book publisher

Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. As of 2013, it is part of Penguin Random House, which is jointly owned by German media conglomerate Bertelsmann and British global education and publishing company Pearson PLC.

Contents

Plot summary

The story is set forty years into the future, in an America in which distinctions between government, religion, and corporations have vanished. The main character, Elijah Clearfather, is found by a resistance cell outside their camouflaged borders in Central Park, New York City. After the cell witnesses the Clearfather's powers, they learn a little about his true identity but decide, in the interests of everyone, to send him away, with the only safe clues to his identity they can provide: a bus pass marked with three important locations and a note written in disappearing ink. Clearfather is set on a journey of self-discovery pursued by murderous Vitessa Cultporation agents, and accompanied by Aretha Nightengale, once a lawyer, now a cross-dressing resistance leader; Dooley Duck and Ubba Dubba, hologram cartoon characters leading a sexual revolution; and the mysterious Kokomo.

Central Park Public park at the center of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States

Central Park is an urban park in Manhattan, New York City. It is located between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side, roughly bounded by Fifth Avenue on the east, Central Park West on the west, Central Park South on the south, and Central Park North on the north. Central Park is the most visited urban park in the United States, with 40 million visitors in 2013, and one of the most filmed locations in the world. In terms of area, Central Park is the fifth-largest park in New York City, covering 843 acres (341 ha).

Cross-dressing practice of dressing and acting in a style or manner traditionally associated with the opposite sex for performance purposes

Cross-dressing is the act of wearing items of clothing and other accoutrements commonly associated with the opposite sex within a particular society. Cross-dressing has been used for purposes of disguise, comfort, and self-expression in modern times and throughout history.

Reception

Zanesville has been called a "revolutionary work of surreal black comedy," [2] and touted as being "pretty cool" with "good word play" by Rudy Rucker. [3] The novel was hailed by The Austin Chronicle in 2005 as "the most original novel of the year." [4] The novel is said to have offended fringe feminist groups and conservative organizations like the Right to Life movement, the Catholic Church and the Republican Party. [5] In 2007 the author of Zanesville threatened to sue Michael Jackson upon reports that the singer was going to erect a giant robotic model of himself in Las Vegas, claiming the idea was his. [6]

Rudy Rucker American mathematician, computer scientist, science fiction author and philosopher

Rudolf von Bitter Rucker is an American mathematician, computer scientist, science fiction author, and one of the founders of the cyberpunk literary movement. The author of both fiction and non-fiction, he is best known for the novels in the Ware Tetralogy, the first two of which both won Philip K. Dick Awards. Until its closure in 2014 he edited the science fiction webzine Flurb.

<i>The Austin Chronicle</i> American newspaper

The Austin Chronicle is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demographic. The newspaper reported a weekly readership of 545,500. It is part of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia and it emulates the typical publications of the 1960s counter-culture movement.

Michael Jackson American singer, songwriter and dancer

Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century and one of the greatest entertainers of all time. Jackson was a global figure in popular culture for over four decades.

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References