Same Song, Different Beat

Somewhere after the 2036 elections, civil war broke out in the United States. In the region now known as South California, the Mutual Organization dictates every aspect of citizens' lives. One family entertains the masses, each member of the family being played by different actors as time goes on.

A veteran of the civil war named Teo Paz, who has suffered a severe ringing in his left ear since the conflict, one day notices that each version of the song "Sunshine Manifesto" sounds exactly the same, despite claims by the Mutual Organization that each version of the song is different. He makes the mistake of telling a coworker his suspicion and his life and identity are forever changed.

In the tradition of We, Brave New World, 1984, and Fahrenheit 451, author Ronin Heck fashions a severe critique of modern society in the form of a warning about the future. Heck simultaneously delivers satire and reprimand. If we do not heed this cautionary tale, hope for a human future is all but lost.

Praise for SAME SONG, DIFFERENT BEAT:





"Ronin Heck's grasp of grotesque future lunacy rivals the very best of Philip K. Dick. It is bleak, achingly vivid and deeply provocative. Like all effective dystopian works, its imagined tomorrow reminds us a lot of today."



- Copper Smith, author of Re-emergence : Book One of The Surviving The Blaze Series and Unnamed Future

"Grinding and hitching through the trash heaps of a near-future America, Heck summons a putrid-scented world of misguided desire, confusion, and societal brain rot. Same Song, Different Beat exists in that same special category of creative work that includes Dan Erickson's Severance, David Lynch's Lost Highway, and Charlie Kaufman's Antkind."

- Colin Jones, author of Project: Sleepless Dream

"A deliciously dark and gripping post-apocalyptic tale reminiscent of Philip K Dick."

- Mark Richardson, author of The Sun Casts No Shadow