(Rotary Press 2025)
CAY, a young member of The Commonalty who possesses the unpredictable “Y” gene, is under continuous threat of Eradication if he does not meet the expectations of his parents, teachers, and peers. An underachiever at the Pyramid, the school where he prefers spending time with NES and researching the cast aside texts and objects of the distant past rather than complete his Tasks and Urgents, CAY seeks a mental quiet place far from the perpetual neural hum, and longs for the company of his dying grandmother, YAT, whose memory is being downloaded into the Communion.
When the Reticulum—the vast network of information shared by the neurally interconnected members of The Commonalty—suddenly shuts down after a violent storm, CAY finds YAT dead, and wanders out to the woods where he discovers a tree with a secret door it in. The door leads him to a Room outside of the reticular range that is occupied by a mysterious man called Simon. Simon shows CAY wonders within, but what is the true nature of the Room, and what will happen to CAY if they find out he has been there, and has even created his own Room?
Praise for Joshua Rex
“I love to read Josh Rex. He’s the poet’s novelist. Dark, funny, mysterious–Josh creates pages that are a joy to get lost in. I would lavish more praise on him if I weren’t so jealous of his writing.”
– NY Times Best-Selling Novelist THOMAS LENNON
“One of the dynamic young luminaries of weird fiction. There are very few writers about whom one can say that they are a pleasure to read regardless of subject-matter, but Joshua Rex is one of them. There is a sheer intelligence to his writing that is highly impressive. He wields a prose style of admirable fluency, elegance, and emotive power, and his weird conceptions are strikingly original and vital.”
– S. T. JOSHI
“A fantastic new talent with a deep appreciation of history, an eye for the telling metaphor and above all a flair for storytelling.”
– SHIRLEY JACKSON AWARD-WINNER ALISON LITTLEWOOD
JOSHUA REX 