Is everything you are writing political? (Does everything you write have satire in it?)

The other day when outlining a blog post for my Occult Garden Parties blog, a post about why I don't do public speaking, I made a list of what political hot-button issues were in each of my currently planned Icarus universe stories. (And no, at the time I am writing this blog post, the other one has not been finished yet--I am a slow writer prone to migraines.)

The Homer Milton Dante stories

Astronauts and Snakeheads (original working title--Mercury Forty-Two): PTSD, propaganda, civil defense, immigration (merit-based), war crimes.

Southern Fried Android: Slavery, AIs, and "human" trafficking.

Now with an improved working title and tagline.

The Wolfgang Katz stories

Axe Murderer of Titan: Reality television, social media, and mental health issues.

Hanging Gardens of Jupiter: Economic safety net and apocalypse survival issues.

Red Hand: Political/military doomsday policies.

The God-King Wolfgang Katz: Political and national mythology. 

Stories where the main character has not been determined yet

Rise of New Egypt: Military dictatorship and technocracies.

Icarus--the Day Earth Went Dark: "A thousand people live and work in outer space. What are they willing to do to survive when their supply line is cut off?"

Fools, Charlatans and Rogues: AIs, religious and economic/ecological terrorism. [Double nerd points if you recognize the source of the title.]

 Escape From Mercury: Crime, prisons and capital punishment. [Sequel to Astronauts and Snakeheads.)

Hubwitch of L2: Censorship, terrorism, computer hackers, and remote news gathering,

Pirate Queen of the Asteroid Belt: Piracy.

Octopods and Witches: Genetic engineering.

Mad King of Io: Royalty, economic dynasties, and technological monopolies. 

Fiction inside the fictional universe of Icarus (maybe--or maybe this is what caused Icarus, a global EMP)

Nazis From the Twenty-Fifth Century: Time travel ethics, and racial/cultural issues.

Zombie Apocalypse From Mars!: Commercialism of outer space and tourism--besides the issues that one could find in World War Z (Max Brooks--I love that book). 

Present in all the stories to a lesser or greater extent

Invasive technology--civilian and military hardware ("For a small fee, we can surgically install your new iPhone directly into your cerebral cortex."), privacy issues, educational issues, economical empires.

And of course, satire and characters who break the fourth wall while being happy little cynics.

Updated: 2019.04.10--Revised title (EFM).

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