Alongside Night

Alongside Night
Author J. Neil Schulman
Country United States
Language English
Subject Agorism
Genre Science fiction
Publisher Crown Publishers
Publication date
 October 16, 1979
ISBN 978-1-58445-120-4
OCLC 43026939

Alongside Night is a dystopian novel by science fiction writer J. Neil Schulman intended to articulate the principles of Agorism, a political philosophy created by Samuel Edward Konkin III, to whom Schulman dedicated the work.[1] It was first published during 1979 by Crown Publishers, with subsequent paperback editions released by Ace Books during 1982, Avon Books during 1987, Pulpless.com during 1999, and Amazon Kindle during 2009. It was released as a feature movie by Stonegait Pictures, Braeburn Entertainment, and Jesulu Productions.[2] and is in theatrical distribution via TUGG.com as well as being for sale on Amazon.com as a streaming video and as a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. A new movie tie-in edition of the novel was released by Pulpless.com in 2013 as both a trade paperback and a Kindle edition, and an Unabridged Audible.com audio book edition is linked from the Amazon.com catalog page. Also released in 2013 is J. Neil Schulman's Alongside Night—The Graphic Novel, based on Schulman's movie screenplay. The novel received endorsements from Anthony Burgess and Milton Friedman and was entered into the Libertarian Futurist Society's Prometheus Hall of Fame in 1989.

Plot

The story begins with the United States collapsing economically -- inflation increasing rapidly, the government struggling to keep its power. Trading in foreign currency has become illegal. Businesses are subject to rationing. As a result, there is a growing black market for everything. It's the world as Samuel Edward Konkin III conceived it would be just prior to a successful agorist revolution.

Elliot Vreeland, son of Nobel Laureate Austrian School economist Dr. Martin Vreeland, learns of his father's apparent death and is rushed home from school. But the death is fake, a plot concocted by his father to escape arrest by the FBI who are collecting "radicals" accused of worsening the economic crisis. Eliot is sent by his father to collect some gold coins that had been stored in case the family ever had to escape.

Upon his return home Elliot finds his family missing. FBI agents enter the house searching for Eliot, who manages to escape.

Elliot becomes acquainted with the Revolutionary Agorist Cadre, an organization plotting the end of the US government by means of counter-economics. The cadre is strong and well organized, and has its own militia. Elliot enlists their help and meets Lorimer, a girl similarly hiding from the law, with whom he soon develops a personal relationship.

As the government's stability weakens, its leaders tighten controls on communication, travel and trade. But this fails to avert economic collapse, causing the private sector -- the unions, syndicates and many unorganized individuals) to take control of the old infrastructure.

The 2013 graphic novel and 2014 movie update the original book's plot with more current references and technology. The story is relocated from New York City to Las Vegas.

References

  1. ↑ ISBN 978-1-58445-120-4
  2. ↑ Alongside Night (2014)

External links

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