It's a Strange Country

Or, how to get started reading Strange Country.

Hi there. You’ve found me. Welcome! I’m glad you’re here.

So, what exactly is Strange Country?

Strange Country - A Primer

Strange Country was born out of an original short story that I wrote while I was waiting to get some editorial feedback on my WIP novel.

The short story met a need in me that I didn’t know existed.

I wanted more stories that showcased the South, specifically the places and people I’ve encountered living in North Carolina my whole life. There are many North Carolinas to uncover, a strange patchwork of perspectives, culture, and people that continue to fascinate and inspire me creatively.

I also wanted to tell stories that let people think ahead of our time now. The times we are living in are strange and consequential. We seem to be destined as a people right now to make more planet-altering decisions than any generation that has ever preceded us. So the stakes are very high. I wanted to create a world 10 to 20 years out that showcases a future America living with those decisions, whether good or bad.

When I wrote my first story, Watch the Road, I didn’t know those were the things I wanted to read, but the story flew out of my fingers like a fever dream freight train.

So I went with it.

I kept writing about this world where the United States federal government is simply called The Union, and a corporation called Amity unleashes AI horrors within the world.

I also wanted everyone to be able to experience these stories. Each story comes with an audio version in the post, read by yours truly. In other projects, it was always a bummer to tell a prospective reader that I did not have an audiobook for my writing. I’m solving that for Strange Country, so there’s one with each entry. It slows the production a little, but I think it’s worth it.

How to Read Strange Country

There is only one rule. The first story you should read is Watch the Road.

Watch the Road establishes the world before the Turning, which happens specifically on March 18, 2045. When the weakened Union that is the future United States collapses under sentient AI, all from the perspective of John Franklin, a farmer who builds landminds to keep his enemies out and his family alive.

After Watch the Road, you can explore any of the other stories that take place right before the Turning.

You’ll follow Maxwell Flanagan, a veteran and lone trucker trying to make ends meet in a world where the benefits keep drying up for regular folks like him.

You’ll meet Sarah Panech, a memory trader, who navigates a crew of people and bots on Trading Floor Delta, in the business of selling and buying memories, thoughts, and feelings, all accessible on the Neuronets.

You’ll meet Faithful, a laborbot who tends the dead at Memorial Acres, wondering if there is any salvation for something like him.

The only throughline that runs through them all is this world.

This Strange Country - That is better with you in it.

Thank you,

-Seth