Status Updates From And the Last Trump Shall Sound

The second novella in the collection, “The Purloined Republic”, was written by James Morrow, who happens to be one of my favorite authors. This novella follows the first as the breakaway nation of Pacifica hires a retired adult film actress to infiltrate the White House as doppelgänger of President Pence’s spiritual advisor. This was a lot of fun!

It’s a mind blowing experience to read a book that was speculative fiction about the coming decade when it was published less than six years ago in 2020. The first novella takes place in 2031 and centers on the secession of California, Oregon, and Washington seceding from the United States after years of Republican rule. There are elements that read more as alternate history and yet feel believable.