In John Brandon’s new collection, he proves himself a once-in-a-generation master of short fiction. In thirteen beguiling stories, Brandon plumbs the usually-ignored corners of America and the password-protected secrets of its inhabitants. In this unflinching examination of the absurdity of the world we've built for ourselves, readers will meet a meticulous pair of Luddite assassins; a humble-natured climber of skyscrapers; quintuplets stuck inside a sitcom; a misanthropic music professor forced into friendship; and a lovestruck in-flight lounge musician—all of them clawing their way through the digital mire for signs of real life. On every page of this book, Brandon's confident and fantastically entertaining writing probes the possibility that we are all already doomed, though likely to remain oblivious unless we squint and read the fine print.