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Future X
By the mid-21st century, global communication is dominated by “the feed,” an advanced A.I. system that renders notions of truth obsolete. The feed alters all aspects of social reality, from human-machine sexual relations to the eventual breakdown of global communication. Then the virus strikes. Human civilization goes quiet in a matter of weeks…
Years pass as Jane Ballard searches for survivors until one night she comes across the body of a recently deceased man. The dead man’s journals send Jane on a quest of self-discovery—one that will lead her to the very ends of the Earth, into the dark abyss of her soul and her own past, invoking the question that haunts Jane Ballard forever: why can’t the dead stay dead?
Years pass as Jane Ballard searches for survivors until one night she comes across the body of a recently deceased man. The dead man’s journals send Jane on a quest of self-discovery—one that will lead her to the very ends of the Earth, into the dark abyss of her soul and her own past, invoking the question that haunts Jane Ballard forever: why can’t the dead stay dead?
198 pages, Unknown Binding
Published September 5, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 2, 2025
“a single death is a tragedy, a million deaths are a statistic”
-Joseph Stalin
Georg Kozulinki is a force to be fuckin’ reckoned with from page 1. He grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go until the end. For a debut novel, and really compared to any novel, this is a masterwork of storytelling, narrative voice, and world building.
I’m trying to write this without spoiling anything, but this 200 page novel reads like a thousand page epic. It’s crazy comparing this to the world building of a novel like Battlefield Earth… it just blows a lot of dystopian out of the water. It’s emotional, shockingly so, politically relevant (AI, machine learning, drones, mega plaques) and enthralling. It’s a world that feels lived and alive. There are side characters, an inner monologue on par with “The Martin,” and lore galore.
Each chapter is a journey into a fictional version of history, a dissertation of how the world went to shit and how the world is STILL shit and depressing, and man, it’s interesting to read. The only separation is through brief pieces of poetry ending and beginning each chapter:
The future is written in ash.
Dissent is poison; swallow it whole.
Suffering is a virtue; glorify your wounds.
The true wilderness is the mind of the unmonitored.
Despair is the cornerstone of civilization.
Progress is a warm grave.
“What is the definition of getting lost in a
world where there is nowhere in particular to be? “ the narrator asks at one point, and that’s the beauty of the book. It’s a world that’s easy to get lost in and even easier to want to stay in, maybe because it feels so close to reality if we continue on our current path.
One element I also adore about Future X is that it feels like a love letter to not only writing, but also art. There are a lot of allusions to writers throughout history and the power of the written word over AI BS. Not only that, but Kozulinksi wields his writing as a weapon and seems to understand how to maximize the art form. I attribute much of this to his background as a film maker. The same way that film should never be defined as simply the narrative/plot ( it’s a combo of sight, sound, composition, etc), Kozulinski does not a lot with inner monologue and thought processes that only feel possible through the written word. Writing is communication, a lack of communication is how we die, and we die when-
Okay, I’ll shut up, just read the book.
-Joseph Stalin
Georg Kozulinki is a force to be fuckin’ reckoned with from page 1. He grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go until the end. For a debut novel, and really compared to any novel, this is a masterwork of storytelling, narrative voice, and world building.
I’m trying to write this without spoiling anything, but this 200 page novel reads like a thousand page epic. It’s crazy comparing this to the world building of a novel like Battlefield Earth… it just blows a lot of dystopian out of the water. It’s emotional, shockingly so, politically relevant (AI, machine learning, drones, mega plaques) and enthralling. It’s a world that feels lived and alive. There are side characters, an inner monologue on par with “The Martin,” and lore galore.
Each chapter is a journey into a fictional version of history, a dissertation of how the world went to shit and how the world is STILL shit and depressing, and man, it’s interesting to read. The only separation is through brief pieces of poetry ending and beginning each chapter:
The future is written in ash.
Dissent is poison; swallow it whole.
Suffering is a virtue; glorify your wounds.
The true wilderness is the mind of the unmonitored.
Despair is the cornerstone of civilization.
Progress is a warm grave.
“What is the definition of getting lost in a
world where there is nowhere in particular to be? “ the narrator asks at one point, and that’s the beauty of the book. It’s a world that’s easy to get lost in and even easier to want to stay in, maybe because it feels so close to reality if we continue on our current path.
One element I also adore about Future X is that it feels like a love letter to not only writing, but also art. There are a lot of allusions to writers throughout history and the power of the written word over AI BS. Not only that, but Kozulinksi wields his writing as a weapon and seems to understand how to maximize the art form. I attribute much of this to his background as a film maker. The same way that film should never be defined as simply the narrative/plot ( it’s a combo of sight, sound, composition, etc), Kozulinski does not a lot with inner monologue and thought processes that only feel possible through the written word. Writing is communication, a lack of communication is how we die, and we die when-
Okay, I’ll shut up, just read the book.
July 20, 2025
I’m a huge fan of post-apocalyptic fiction. Future X is a solid entry in the genre, but it’s also a great read for anyone looking for a sharp, unsettling story in any category. Every week since I read it, the news cycle has made it feel less like fiction and more like prophecy.
That’s what makes it special—Koszulinski’s vision not only feels plausible, it feels present. AI for war. AI for sex. AI for distraction and collapse. And through it all, we follow a lone survivor trying to make sense of what’s left.
What elevates Future X is the voice: cynical, fragmented, deeply human. Koszulinski blends memoir, manifesto, and metafiction in a way that feels urgent and true. I hope for a better future than the one laid out here—but if it comes to pass, you can’t say he didn’t warn us.
That’s what makes it special—Koszulinski’s vision not only feels plausible, it feels present. AI for war. AI for sex. AI for distraction and collapse. And through it all, we follow a lone survivor trying to make sense of what’s left.
What elevates Future X is the voice: cynical, fragmented, deeply human. Koszulinski blends memoir, manifesto, and metafiction in a way that feels urgent and true. I hope for a better future than the one laid out here—but if it comes to pass, you can’t say he didn’t warn us.
October 17, 2025
Thank you for this complimentary copy of Future X.
Future X follows the ramblings of Jane Ballard, possibly the last woman on Earth. Global warfare and pandemics have decimated the human race and Jane is wandering throughout California and the West coast, alone for at least 10 years. Future X swings between Jane's point of view, Dead Man's writings and historical insight. Jane's mind becomes increasingly fractured throughout.
At a brisk 188 pages you can devour this novella in one sitting, but it is the kind of story you will be thinking about for weeks, wondering how your mind would hold up in those circumstances.
Future X follows the ramblings of Jane Ballard, possibly the last woman on Earth. Global warfare and pandemics have decimated the human race and Jane is wandering throughout California and the West coast, alone for at least 10 years. Future X swings between Jane's point of view, Dead Man's writings and historical insight. Jane's mind becomes increasingly fractured throughout.
At a brisk 188 pages you can devour this novella in one sitting, but it is the kind of story you will be thinking about for weeks, wondering how your mind would hold up in those circumstances.
September 15, 2025
A depressing look at the end of civilization. The book rambles on and on, and you wonder what the point of moving on in such a world. The ending is open-ended which annoys me to no end. Jane seems like she's happy with her found friends, and then at the end it's like they don't exist anymore? What a waste of time.
September 6, 2025
This award-winning dystopian spec fiction debut about life after global ecological collapse will move and unsettle you in the best way. It's a wonderful balance of meditation and harrowing survival. Highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews