Quantum Nightmares - by Jose Rodriguez (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Quantum Nightmares, a collection of dystopian sci-fi stories, contains the nuggets of bizarre psychological truth that help explain today's divisive United States, where myth collides with belief and fact is hard to find.

The first short story details how Betty Hill (the infamous first woman to report she was abducted by aliens) offers up her eggs to save a future infertile human species, connecting her mind to the whole stream of human consciousness-past, present and future-in the process. Betty Hill's dreams frame each of the fifteen stories in the collection. From "The Gender Revealing Party," set in a not-too-distant future, where scientists have eliminated sexual dimorphism; to "The Five Hives," in which teens are commanded to belong to a particular hive, each faction is led by one teen who manipulates their hive through social media to be compliant; to "Vicarious Intruders," which explores how the infamous Nazi doctor Joseph Mengele experimented on his son, this dystopian account warns of a possible future America if it doesn't return to some semblance of the natural world in both society, politics, and technology.

This collection of short stories can be compared to Clifford Simak's Dusty Zebraand Other Stories or Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others.

Review Quotes

"Debut novelist Rodriguez unloads a truckload of nightmares in a baker's dozen worth of stories, enveloped in a weird, circular narrative....Most of the stories lean pretty dystopian, but the heightened absurdity provides a welcome break in the tension....A chaotic first effort laced with surreal shades of Philip K. Dick and other unusual suspects." -- Kirkus

"I really liked how destabilizing these stories were to read. Just when I thought I understood what was happening I didn't. It's what I imagine an alien would feel trying to dissect a conversation around politics at a heated family dinner." -- David Prestidge, early reader

About the Author

Jose Rodriguez is a debut author of Puerto Rican descent, a veteran of the United States Military, a recovering drug addict, and a father. He lives in Iowa.