Sic Semper Tyrannis

Branaugh's foreword explains that his influences include Ayn Rand and Robert A. Heinlein; a bit of Frank Herbert's Dune appears as well. Two centuries from now, the U.S. has been replaced by city-states run as corporations. CEO Michael Crowley is falsely accused of lawbreaking after attempting to unite two cities and is cast into the "wasteland" between them. He survives by teaching people to read and unites many wastelanders into "Companies," forming an army ready to attack Tampa itself. Meanwhile, Terry Hailwood, scion of an economic and political dynasty, struggles with girlfriend troubles and the need to prove that he can handle himself in a fight. Branaugh includes swaths of dense, skimmable detail, such as pages of Terry's string-pulling grandfather explaining the family finances, and a tacked-on cliffhanger will dismay readers who persevere that far. (Aug.)