The Book: synopsis

The Book

“It is written that there lies an ancient book that when opened tells you of your life: what will follow and what has passed.  If The Council lays hold of it, they will burn its crisp tatters to a nice ash, and destroy the Uprise once and for all.  These are their laid plans.  This is how they will remain in control, for eternity.  In the New World, where Lists are doled out and enforced, a tale begins of a hero and his journey in the fight for freedom.  Only he will know how to conquer and destroy The Council, but the mystery lies deep.  But help from the Mantags are on its way and soon it will become revealed to him.   Though he will learn the secrets of The Council and how to destroy it, Brian still needs help.  The Manogts are a small group and more stragglers must be gathered if they are to stop the evil reign of the controlling Council.

“The year is 2140 and all books now tell of the future: the History books, once telling of the wars and nation’s struggles of the pasts, long and short, are now outmoded and replaced with the Future books.  The Future books oppositely tell of the wars and nation’s famines that will come to pass, when they will occur, where battles will be fought, and who the victor will be.  But many have doubts as to the writers of those books and wonder if they have not been tampered with, altering the truth.  The other Books of Knowledge, too, follow along this path; and they too, share in the doubtful minds of soon to evolve Revolutionists.  It is no longer necessary to learn for learning’s sake, or so say The Council; in fact, this has become an act against the law and punishable by immediate death. 

“There are no worries about who will become what, in the staid minds—although all innovation and discoveries trickle down from the government and those with power.  All Citizens of the World are given Lists to live by: Morning Lists, After Morning Lists, Daily Lists, Weekly Lists, Monthly Lists, Yearly Lists, Decade-Lists and Life-Lists, with an occasional Emergency List if the government senses a struggle for power or a revealing of its true plans.  Citizens are now told when to die, and are supposed to surrender when their name is revealed in Tomorrow’s News.

“Everything the Lists tell, you should follow or pay the consequences.  The holograms in the living rooms, and the newspapers, graphically and verbally forewarn that The Lists should be followed.  What you will have to study is written on your birth certificate, and your schooling—apart from General Math, Basic Grammar, and Nominal Science—is limited to this vocation.  If you are to be a Physicist, you will study only Physics books, be allowed to roam only the Physics section of the library, and ask and answer only Physics questions.  Everyone else—the Futurians, Chemists, Oceanographers, Mathematicians, Grammarians, Accountants, Homeless or otherwise degraded, etc.—are forced to stay within their Line of Work.  In the bulletins of the news, small uprises are heard to be started and as quickly and vehemently squashed, hoping to spread fear to those that think of revolting.”