Dear Fellow Americans and Post-Americans,

An email was recently sent to us that spoke of Swiss UFO abductee Billy Meier having predicted in the 1980s that the U.S. would suffer two terrible civil wars, and then break into five different territories, with sectarian fanatics taking a "dictatorial role."

Interestingly, this scenario is echoed in the 2007 science-fiction novel "The Big God Network" by J.C. McGowan. Here is a description:

"THE SETTING: Twenty years from now, the United States has fragmented into liberal Pacifica (the West Coast), theocratic New America (the heartland), and other new nations. Against this contentious political backdrop, Baba Ed, the leader of a wealthy UFO cult, seeks contact with extraterrestrial civilizations via the Channel, a breakthrough communications interface with a high “AIQ” that renders the most secure system vulnerable, and threatens the new balance of power. A dystopic New America ruled by evangelicals hopes to bring Pacifica back into the fold, and the Channel may offer the means to subdue the “secular” region. Or to protect it, if the book’s hero Franz Sampaio is successful in his quest."

In the novel, the post-American landscape has formed after the Abortion Wars and the New Crusades. "New America" is Orwellian and dictatorial, while Pacifica is democratic, liberal and rather idyllic. There are also several other new nations.

You can find out more here:
The Big God Network (MySpace page)

Ready to be America's vice president?

After Jack Cafferty's introductory comments, Sarah Palin attempts to answer a Katie Couric question about the Wall Street bailout:

A Sarah Palin moment on YouTube (also featuring Jack Cafferty & Katie Couric)

Greetings Citizens of New America!

We are pleased to announce that author Nomi Prins has just reviewed "The Big God Network" at Amazon.com. She is the author of "Jacked: How 'Conservatives' Are Picking Your Pocket (Whether You Voted For Them Or Not) and "Other People's Money: The Corporate Mugging of America," and the financial thriller "The Trail" (under the pen name Natalia Prentice).

Here is her review:

COMPELLING ORWELLIAN SCI-FI WITH MORALITY TWIST

by Nomi M. Prins

"J.C. McGowan's The Big God Network is a masterpiece tale of techno sci-fi, political-cultural-economic commentary, and the path on which the likes of Falwell-Bush-Rove-Cheney and other hypocritically religious and moral extremists will take the country if its citizens don't fight back. Plus, it's incredibly funny, sardonic, visionary, and well-written. It has, not just a 'save the world' aspect to it, but a 'save the progressive thinker's place in the world' one.

"The Big God Network is set in a fantasy, yet eminently plausible, future, where America has divided into new countries defined along lines of beliefs and individual rights. There, McGowan's protagonist couple, Franz and Delores, use their sensibilities, logic, and friends with powerful technical skills to fight for Pacifica's brand of progressive, multi-cultural, and free-thought society against New America (N'Am's) crooked Christian fanatics and executive leaders that rule by fear and information manipulation (like banks accounts being scanned for pledges as N'Am citizens listen to extravagant sermons.)

"Moving at page-turning speed, the story has lots of action and well-drawn characters. But, broader than that, The Big God Network's themes are scarily potential outcomes based on the country's current direction. The details, humor and observations are exquisite. Hopefully, McGowan is working on the next installment, because once you put the Big God Network down, you want to pick it up again."

^ ^ ^

The Big God Network is available here:

The Big God Network at Amazon.com

The Big God Network (at Amazon U.K.)

The Big God Network (at Amazon Canada)

Greetings!

Early reviews of The Big God Network have been posted at Amazon, and I invite all those interested in post-America, Christian theocracies, Rapture-obsessed heads of state, and cyber evangelists to come take a look!

Immerse and be manifest: Amazon Reviews of the science-fiction novel The Big God Network

Now entering New America: New America (an excerpt from The Big God Network at Blogspot)

--J.C. McGowan,
author of "The Big God Network"

A Huffington Post blog by J.C. McGowan

'John McCain is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't accept endorsements from popular leaders of the Christian Right, many of whom have taken controversial positions regarding other religions, gays, women and God's plan for the Middle East."

Huffington Post Blog: McCain's Dilemma

John McCain is a secular liberal!

Read about it here:

McCain Will Have To Get Right With The Conservative God

What if the Christian Right, Fox News & Other Forces Polarize the USA to such an extent that it splits into several new countries? Read all about the near future in Post-America:

ANNOUNCING PUBLICATION OF THE BIG GOD NETWORK

J.C. McGowan is pleased to announce the release of his science fiction novel The Big God Network, available through Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and other leading booksellers. (Trade paperback, 304 pages, $22.99; hardcover, $32.99)

The Big God Network takes America's culture wars into cyberspace and embeds multiculture in the multiverse, with scenes set in Bali, Tokyo, California, and several virtual worlds. This work of satirical speculative fiction blends the wry humor of Kurt Vonnegut with the cosmic scope of Carl Sagan and the edgy near-future scenarios of William Gibson.

In McGowan's vision, set in the 2020s, the current growth in the power of the Christian Right has continued unabated, resulting in some less-than-desirable changes in the American political landscape. The United States has been carved up into a handful of politically themed new countries, including liberal Pacifica (the West Coast) and the country's theocratic heartland, known as New America (run by a president obsessed with the Christian rapture).

Against this contentious political backdrop, Baba Ed, the leader of a wealthy UFO cult, seeks contact with extraterrestrial civilizations via the Channel, a breakthrough communications interface with a high "AIQ" that renders the most secure system vulnerable, and threatens the new balance of power. McGowan envisions a dystopic New America ruled by evangelicals who hope to bring Pacifica back into the fold, and the Channel may offer the means to subdue the "secular" region. Or to protect it, if the book's Pacifican-Brazilian hero Franz Sampaio is successful in his quest.

The Big God Network will appeal to a wide audience: science fiction and cyberpunk fans, participants in Second Life and other virtual worlds, New Age spiritual seekers, critics of the religious right, and fiction lovers in search of witty and imaginative storytelling.

The book is available here:
The Big God Network (at Amazon.com)

The Big God Network (Amazon U.K.)

The Big God Network (Amazon Canada)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
J.C. McGowan (aka Chris McGowan) is a widely read commentator on world music, politics, digital media, arts and culture; his writings have appeared in The Huffington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Billboard magazine, and many other publications.

McGowan's previous books in print have been published by Random House, Billboard Books, and Temple University Press. With Ricardo Pessanha, he co-authored The Brazilian Sound, a seminal reference work on Brazilian popular music, which has been published in four languages and is slated soon for release of its third U.S. edition.

For more detailed information about The Big God Network and its author, please visit Big God Network MySpace Page.

MEDIA INQUIRIES
To arrange an author interview or book signing, or to obtain a review copy of The Big God Network, please contact Clay Lord, CVL Communications, by email at cvlcomm@yahoo.com.

The Big God Network
J.C. McGowan
XLibris Books
$22.99, 304 pages, 6x9 Trade Paperback
Science Fiction/Political Satire/Cultural Satire
ISBN-10: 1425769373
ISBN-13: 978-1425769376