This dystopian novel with a hard-edge satirical cast is a dialogue between the distant future and the near future, with many topical references to current and recent events. Zelec, our protagonist, like other members of the ruling class in this confined new world is a head without a human body. The story is all about the ruthless pursuit and use of power, the one constant feature of society that survived the Great Rupture of 2097. Hub 2312 into which he is re-born is a strict meritocracy where social position is determined by individual merit, defined by the equation: M= D + R Merit = Determination + Ruthlessness.