Short Noir: The Thirteenth Prophet
Hi, bookworms! Last month (and year), we did a short story review and we are doing another one again because we love T. Lucas Earle's story that much. This time his short story is titled The Thirteenth Prophet.
Book Blurb:
Mulligan Burke, an over-the-hill P.I. who has forsaken the
evils of Personality implants, is brought back from Alaska to investigate the
murder of one of the Prophets. The Prophets inhabit the highest position of the
social hierarchy - they dictate fashion trends. Fashion, in this instance,
encompasses much more than clothing. And, as Burke discovers, being fashionable
is something to die - or kill - for.
At first, I
was quite confused when I started reading this short noir story. There are several references that make myself pause and
re-read to understand the meaning of the story depiction. Great thing is the editing is done nicely with almost neither typos nor grammar mistakes. Earle
has created a complex dystopian setting with terms that painted a world full of
Prophets aka government controls, cult followings, and rampant trends. The
concept of The Thirteenth Prophet makes sense as nowadays, I find myself
becoming a follower of consumerism and part of a social dysfunction. Our
personality might even change due to the society. That is exactly what happens
in The Thirteenth Prophet. The so-called Prophets (who people worshipped)
have different personalities that are copied and uploaded into other people so
they can be gods, in some sort of sense.
