The Little Green Book of Chairman Rahma

Twenty years after the Corporate War of 2041, the Green States of America follows its radical environmentalist leader, Chairman Rahma Popal, and two trusted eco-techs, Joss Stuart and Kupi Landau, to the brink of another battle. Joss and Kupi use science overseer (SciO) “splitting” and “greenforming” tools to fragment man-made constructions into basic molecules and return land to its natural state. Meanwhile, Rahma must defend the GSA against the nuke-wielding Panasians and plug a security leak of the SciO technology. The tale becomes much more electrifying when a freak explosion gives Joss splitting and greenforming superpowers. Kupi, who is a much more interesting character than Joss before his transformation, slowly fades once he gets his powers, while Joss embarks on a rushed romance with a new love interest, Evana, one of Rahma’s hundred children. Herbert skimps on dystopian motifs, creating a fresh and forbidding near-future world. (July)