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. Shes not one to think about looks. Lank-haired and fit. A fanatic. Im a fanatic too. Were feral freaks, free for real.

Is Leeta is my girlfriend? No. Ive never had a girlfriend or a boyfriend. I dont get that close to people. My parents and brother and sister died when I was eight. A shoot-out at our house. I dont talk about it.

Its 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 whos acting as if hes been legitimately re-elected.