Brilliant dystopian vision of persecution of those infected with AIDS
LOS ANGELES—June 30, 2020—Jed A. Bryan debuts with a shocking dystopian tale – “A CRY IN THE DESERT.” A wonderful example of an author who found his voice in the 1980s as AIDS oppressed a generation of us and the world changed overnight. His first novel is a magnificent dystopian vision of what it might be like if the unfolding plague resulted in gay men being hunted down, “quarantined” and “disappeared”, all with the power and sanction of “trusted” institutions..
“An unforgettable and harrowing account of the horrors resulting from the health crisis. The best novel to date about AIDS and the gay community.”
— Stan Leventhal, author of Mountain Climbing in Sheridan Square
A story of the battle against tyranny that remains as relevant now as when it was written.
A group of friends living in Las Vegas are happy and successful: doctors, lawyers, journalists, and decorators. However, their lives go from utopian to dystopian when a law passes to allow the quarantine of those suspected to have AIDS. The government, in a blatant overreach, closes the Nevada border. Those tagged as homosexuals disappear in the middle of the night. Spurred on, former Public Defender wunderkind Larry Armstrong and his lover Dr. Carl Woodsford fight Dr. Alfred Botts, a brilliant strategist who creates a concentration camp in the middle of the Nevada desert where, once behind the tall walls, people are never seen again. They fight him in the halls of hospitals and in the halls of justice but are constantly outmaneuvered by others in high places that are loyal to Botts or being blackmailed into supporting him. As more and more of their friends are snatched in the night, their fight must go underground if they have any hope to stop Botts!
“The novel is a skillfully written and structured piece of fiction with the power to make those of us who haven’t, look into the mouth of the AIDS beast and cry out in terror … A Cry in the Desert should be mandatory reading for anyone who thinks we are liberated, gay or straight.”
— Lee Lynch, author of Home in Your Hands
Originally published in 1987, this dystopian tale returns for the first time in a generation. This new edition contains a 2020 foreword by the author.
A CRY IN THE DESERT e-book:
Kindle: https://amzn.to/3i6cHqd
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3fX4Lpw
Nook: https://bit.ly/2NBEKQl
Apple: https://apple.co/2YF6UAr
385 pgs • ISBN 978-1-951092-26-9
US $5.95 • CAN $7.95 • UK £4.95 • EU €5.95 • AU $8.95
