Juicy Ghost: Rudy Rucker's tale of an American coup

"Juicy Ghost" is a new tale from Rudy Rucker (previously), an explicitly politican sf story told from the point of view of a suicide-assassin who is getting ready to take out an illegitimate president during his inauguration; as Rucker describes, he really struggled with the story, and couldn't figure out where or if to publish (he even contemplated rebooting his late, great, much-lamented webzine Flurb with an "all-politics" issue as a means of giving the story a home).

Ultimately, Rucker decided to publish the tale on his own site, in both text and audio formats.

I listened to Rucker's reading of the story yesterday and it's quite an experience: all the whimsy and playfulness that is Rucker's signature, blended with a dark, almost frantic view of the moment we're living through today. Strong tonic for a Sunday.

"A mob of Freals," says Leeta. "I feel safe. For once."

She makes a knowing mm-hmm sound, with her gawky mouth pressed shut. She's not one to think about looks. Lank-haired and fit. A fanatic. I'm a fanatic too. We're feral freaks, free for real.

Is Leeta is my girlfriend? No. I've never had a girlfriend or a boyfriend. I don't get that close to people. My parents and brother and sister died when I was eight. A shoot-out at our house. I don't talk about it.

It's nine in the morning on January 20, a cold, blue-sky day in Washington D.C. Inauguration Day for Ross Treadle, that lying sack of shit who's acting as if he's been legitimately re-elected. Treadle and his goons have stolen the Presidency for the third time in a row, is what it is.

"Juicy Ghost." A Political SF Story [Rudy Rucker]

Podcast #109. "Juicy Ghost" [Rudy Rucker]