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OFFICIAL AUTHOR BIO:  Al Hess is author of World Running Down and the self-published Hep Cats of Boise series. Semi-finalist in the SPSFC with Mazarin Blues.
When not hunched before a computer screen, Al can be found at his art desk. He does portraits in both pencil and oil paint, and loves drawing fellow authors' characters nearly as much as his own. He writes cozy and uplifting stories with queer, trans, and neurodiverse representation.

OFFICIAL BOOK BLURB: Valentine Weis is a salvager in the future wastelands of Utah. Wrestling with body dysphoria, he dreams of earning enough money to afford citizenship in Salt Lake City – a utopia where the testosterone and surgery he needs to transition is free, the food is plentiful, and folk are much less likely to be shot full of arrows by salt pirates. But earning that kind of money is a pipe dream, until he meets the exceptionally handsome Osric. 

Once a powerful AI in Salt Lake City, Osric has been forced into an android body against his will and sent into the wasteland to offer Valentine a job on behalf of his new employer – an escort service seeking to retrieve their stolen androids. The reward is a visa into the city, and a chance at the life Valentine’s always dreamed of. But as they attempt to recover the “merchandise”, they encounter a problem: the android ladies are becoming self-aware, and have no interest in returning to their old lives.

The prize is tempting, but carrying out the job would go against everything Valentine stands for, and would threaten the fragile found family that’s kept him alive so far. He’ll need to decide whether to risk his own dream in order to give the AI a chance to live theirs.

FORMAT/INFO: World Running Down  is Al Hess' traditional debut, and was published by Angry Robot on February 14th, 2023. It contains 335 pages is available in paperback and ebook formats.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: This is a fantastic, heartwarming trade debut from Al Hess. I don't know where to begin talking about this book, but I adored every little part of it.

Valentine and Ace work petty salvaging jobs in the dystopian wasteland in Utah, and aim to get a citizenship in Salt Lake City. Valentine struggles with body dysphoria, and dreams of getting the hormones and trasitional surgery in the city, where everything seems to be in abundance. One day, Osric, a steward in android form, is sent to offer him a job in return for a visa into the city. They are expected to retrieve a set of escort androids, and when they get to them, they discover that the androids have started to gain sentience, and that they have no interest in being forced back to their employer.

The first thing that pops up in my mind when I think about this book is that it is filled with so much kindness. It centers around Valentine and Osric, each of them struggling to fight against being forced into a body they don't want, and all the difficulties that come with it. Valentine wants to transition, and constantly has to wrestle with being mislabelled. Osric, for the most part, is trying to understand the body he has been forced to, and if he even likes it. But both of them are extremely kind, and don't judge each other, and a lot of the book centers around delivering the message that it's never too late to figure out how you identify yourself. 

The dialogues and interactions are so beautifully written. These characters don't always do the best job at communicating some things in the first try, but they don't give up, and they learn over time. They try again and don't shy away from the harder conversations that might even be about things they don't relate to. But they accept the fact that they know best for themselves, and this is what I loved. There was no questioning, no lecturing, and no forcing of opinions on anybody(well, you'll see). Valentine's hurt at being misunderstood by his own, as well as his frustration at being systemically denied access to his own identity is palpable, and provides astute social commentary about the state of default gender assignments, and the denial of basic facilities for those who don't stick to the labels they've been given.

While this book delivers plenty of messages, the story is engaging, and the setting is sufficiently done. There are high stakes, and even some comedic moments. While it contains many harrowing moments, the ending feels like a cozy hug, and I would give a lot to go back and experience the book for the first time, again.

CONCLUSION: World Running Down is a character-focused adventure story with endearing protagonists who are not afraid of talking about difficult things. I loved every bit of it, and if you're looking for a book that advocates for individual input in identity assignment, this is the one to pick.