A post-apocalyptic America, fueled by bigotry and the unintended consequences of technology, blooms behind a walled city run by the crisping-addicted strongman, George Polk. Enter Mere Roosevelt, a down and out sort, sick of his bad luck, but good at his job. He has a comfortable life working for Polk, but when Mere quits, he discovers Polk needs him for more than research. On the run for his life, Mere must seek out help in the underworld where skin hue means everything to characters from his dark past while the police and strange contract killers attempt to hunt him down. Spectrum asks us to examine the nature of black and white and, as Mere discovers, love and hate, in a world designed by a an organic supercomputer.
HYPE
"Martin Ott's Spectrum is a wonderfully thought out jump down a futuristic rabbit hole filled with tantalizing imagery, rich characterization, and well crafted prose. I wasn't sure where it would all lead but trusted that in Mr. Ott's capable hands, it would not disappoint. Hang on tight, you're in for one hell of a ride."
- Dani Kollin, Prometheus award winning author of The Unincorporated Man
"Martin Ott writes like a young Samuel R. Delany, mixing strike-hard language and razor-slicing ideas into a sensual mix of fictional possibilities."
- Jason Sanford, Nebula Award nominated author
"The best science fiction is always about building a bridge between experience and philosophy, and in Spectrum, Martin Ott gives us dust-ups and big ideas, schlubs and heroes, utopias and the people they're built upon. As familiar as it is futuristic, we can see ourselves in the dark streets in Spectrum. This book is hard to put down, and once you finish it, impossible to forget."
- Michael Buckley, author of Miniature Men