NextGen - Steven Cary

In the year 2050, the vast majority of Americans make up the liberated class: promised freedom from labor, but given inescapable poverty and societal decay. In spite of his dystopian upbringing, 18-year-old "libertine" Henry Simon starts a band with his friends in a desperate attempt to find meaning and happiness in a world ruthlessly deprived of both by its automated authoritarian government.

Meanwhile, Helene Shock is a fully conscious musical "autogen" whose continual refinement as an artist and outsized clout as a superstar leads her to help the forsaken libertines in any way she can. As their paths cross, Henry and Helene must navigate the treacherous conditions of the liberated cities, mind-bending developments in automated technology, and the overwhelming political pressures placed upon them by a government increasingly controlled by the autogens that ushered in their dangerous new world. 

Jam-packed with music, humor, and politics, NextGen is the apocalyptic story of one generation's headlong plunge into a world dominated by automation, and the next generation's fight to reclaim their humanity. Steven Cary's first novel offers thrilling suspense, thoughtful analysis, and-most importantly-a bright glimmer of hope.

After all, the future is unwritten...