{"product_id":"the-felicity-complex","title":"The Felicity Complex","description":"\n\u003ctable align=\"center\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd class=\"productDetailSmallElements\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003ePraise for August Clarke\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\" \n\u003ci\u003eThe Felicity Complex\u003c\/i\u003e combines the simmering, righteous anger of \n\u003ci\u003eAnnie Bot\u003c\/i\u003e with the retro-futurist vibes of \n\u003ci\u003eFallout\u003c\/i\u003e, then throws in a little bit of humor and a dash of body horror for seasoning. This is a very strange book, and I could not put it down. Highly recommended.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Edward Ashton\u003c\/b\u003e, bestselling author of \n\u003ci\u003eMickey7\u003c\/i\u003e (inspiration for the film \n\u003ci\u003eMickey 17\u003c\/i\u003e) \n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\" \n\u003ci\u003eEx Machina\u003c\/i\u003e meets \n\u003ci\u003eFallout\u003c\/i\u003e in \n\u003ci\u003eThe Felicity Complex\u003c\/i\u003e this stylishly unsettling scouring of sexism and survival where the humans are grotesque and the monsters are touchingly human. Clarke is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Rebecca Roanhorse\u003c\/b\u003e, \n\u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003eBestselling and Hugo Award winning author \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Deeply weird, darkly funny, and always perfectly discomforting: a perfect satire for the current billionaires-and-megachurches-and-praying-for-guillotines era.\" \n\u003cb\u003e --Andrew Joseph White\u003c\/b\u003e, \n\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \n\u003ci\u003eYou Weren't Meant to Be Human, on The Felicity Complex\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\" \n\u003ci\u003eThe Felicity Complex\u003c\/i\u003e is the perfect book for our moment. Equally hilarious and sinister, Clarke's novel brilliantly explores billionaire paranoia, tradwife ideals gone awry, and the dangerous intersection between greed and scientific advancement. I had a blast.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--E.K. Sathue\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \n\u003ci\u003eyouthjuice\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\" \n\u003ci\u003eThe Felicity Complex\u003c\/i\u003e is a rollicking, raw rampage through womanhood, agency, identity, and humanity (or lack thereof), in turns archly funny, brutally tender, and excoriating. Clarke asks us to consider what can be created - or bought - and what cannot, and what true survival might look like.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Kat Dunn\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \n\u003ci\u003eHungerstone\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Whatever you're expecting, this is weirder. Wet and meaty, bursting to love you and take you on a wild ride. Hallelujah!\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Caitlin Starling\u003c\/b\u003e, \n\u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e Bestselling author of \n\u003ci\u003eThe Starving Saints, on The Felicity Complex\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"August Clarke is one of the most dynamic and talented authors working today, and with every new book, his star shines ever higher, ever brighter. \n\u003ci\u003eThe Felicity Complex\u003c\/i\u003e is a delightful and compelling read, where satire and reality tango over the corpse of truth. Body horror and hilarity, autonomy and camp, personhood and vengeance, this novel proves again what all Clarke readers know: when you see August Clarke's name on a book, you know you're in for a damn good time.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Martin Cahill\u003c\/b\u003e, \n\u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \n\u003ci\u003eAudition For The Fox\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"August Clarke is not afraid to do the weird thing, and the result is a beautiful, grotesque meditation on gender, sexuality, technology, and the body. \n\u003ci\u003eThe Felicity Complex\u003c\/i\u003e is a masterwork of prose, its rhythm and texture weaving a web both hypnotic and bizarre, til you can't look away. With its low simmer of dread building toward a ferocious conclusion, this tight, engrossing novella cements Clarke's position among the emerging greats of modern science fiction.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Bethany Jacobs\u003c\/b\u003e, Philip K. Dick award-winning author of \n\u003ci\u003eThese Burning Stars\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\" \n\u003ci\u003eThe Felicity Complex\u003c\/i\u003e is another audacious book from August Clarke with all of the hallmarks I come to expect from his work: it's a beautiful grotesquerie, made all the more real for the distorted reflections it shows us.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--C. L. Clark\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \n\u003ci\u003eThe Unbroken\u003c\/i\u003e and \n\u003ci\u003eThe Faithless\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"The funniest, darkest, science fiction fable I've read in a long time. There's a very thin line between the utopian and the dystopian, and the vat freaks...uh, ladies of the Felicity Complex tie it into a very pleasant-looking bow, or is it a too-tight tourniquet?\" -- \n\u003cb\u003eNick Mamatas\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \n\u003ci\u003eThe Second Shooter\u003c\/i\u003e and \n\u003ci\u003eKalivas! Or, Another Tempest \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Clarke creates an ornate, profane world and populates it with unforgettable characters, while the book's hairpin plot twists keep the reader guessing. \n\u003ci\u003eMetal From Heaven\u003c\/i\u003e was the most fun I've had in ages -- until it utterly wrecked me.\" \n\u003cb\u003e --\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e on \n\u003ci\u003eMetal from Heaven\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A work of feral and furious imagination. It's pulpy, bloody, sexy, gleefully seditious and seditiously gleeful. It's a battle cry of a book; read it, and rise up.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Alix E. Harrow\u003c\/b\u003e, Hugo Award winner and \n\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of Reese's Book Club Pick \n\u003ci\u003e Starling House\u003c\/i\u003e, on \n\u003ci\u003eMetal from Heaven\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"Clarke deeply engages with themes of labor rights, exploitation, and power within the pulpy, page-turning framework of a gripping revenge story. It's an impressive juggling act, and Clarke makes it look easy, rounding things out with wonderfully complex science-fantasy worldbuilding and a steamy lesbian love plot for good measure.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--Publishers Weekly, \u003c\/i\u003eBest SFF of the Year \u003c\/b\u003eon \n\u003ci\u003eMetal from Heaven\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"The worldbuilding is as intricate as the language, with vying factions and different religious traditions that complicate her quest for vengeance. Clarke's adult debut, an irreverent queer fantasy novel, will thrill readers and appeal to fans of the \"Locked Tomb\" series by Tamsyn Muir, while the fusion of technology and magic and clash between industrialists and outlaws is reminiscent of Netflix's \n\u003ci\u003eArcane\u003c\/i\u003e.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--Library Journal \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eon \n\u003ci\u003eMetal from Heaven\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"An epic poem crossed with an industrial fairy tale, August Clarke's novel is, to put it simply, stunning.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--NPR\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, \"Books We Love, 2024\" on \n\u003ci\u003eMetal from Heaven\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Rich with lush prose... tackles important issues head on, and hits with a powerful ending that will stay with you long after the book is closed.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--C.S. Pacat\u003c\/b\u003e, \n\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Bestselling author of \n\u003ci\u003eDark Rise \u003c\/i\u003eon \n\u003ci\u003eMetal from Heaven\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"Clarke's voice is inimitable, shines hot and sharp.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Amal El-Mohtar, \u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling co-author of \n\u003ci\u003eThis Is How You Lose the Time War \u003c\/i\u003eon \n\u003ci\u003eMetal from Heaven\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"August Clarke is one of the most electrifying voices in genre fiction today.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Sarah Gailey\u003c\/b\u003e, Hugo Award winner and bestselling author of \n\u003ci\u003e The Echo Wife \u003c\/i\u003eon \n\u003ci\u003eMetal from Heaven\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"An ambitious, ferocious, sex driven fever dream. Clarke's prose is ornate, enveloping, radiant. \n\u003ci\u003e\"\u003cb\u003e --\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eMegan Whalen Turner, \u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Best Selling Author on \n\u003ci\u003eMetal from Heaven\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Delicious, chaotic, and whip smart, \n\u003ci\u003eMetal from Heaven\u003c\/i\u003e will leave you with the burning urge to rise up and revolt against tyranny. What starts as a swashbuckling tale of horny, queer outlaws blooms into a mediation on otherworldly geopolitics and consciousness itself. August Clarke has written a freakishly original novel and I love it.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Annalee Newitz\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \n\u003ci\u003eThe Terraformers\u003c\/i\u003e and \n\u003ci\u003eStories Are Weapons \u003c\/i\u003eon \n\u003ci\u003eMetal from Heaven\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"Hits like a piston, loves like an outlaw, and thinks like China Mieville. Made me want to cry, left me feeling like a giant. I read this book and I must shout.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Seth Dickinson\u003c\/b\u003e, author of The \n\u003ci\u003e Traitor Baru Cormorant \u003c\/i\u003eon \n\u003ci\u003eMetal from Heaven\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"An essential read for any reader interested in SFF that says f*ck-you to boundaries.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--Strange Horizons \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eon \n\u003ci\u003eMetal from Heaven\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBiographical Note\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eAugust Clarke\u003c\/b\u003e is here and queer, etc. They have been published in PRISM international, Portland Review, and Eidolon. He was a 2019 Lambda Literary Fellow in Young Adult Fiction and a Locus Award, Dragon Award, and Pushcart nominee. They researched queerness, labor, and monstrosity at the University of Chicago. He is the author of the indie-bestselling series The Scapegracers, which he writes as H. A. Clarke.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Marketing\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAnnie Bot\u003c\/i\u003e meets \u003ci\u003eFallout \u003c\/i\u003ein this dystopian satire: six women created in a lab, designed to serve the billionaires of the future in a luxury fallout shelter, rebel against their programming after the end times arrive.\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWelcome to the Felicity Complex! Constructed during the height of the Cold War, our unique hotel is prepared to protect you, the billionaire class, from nuclear annihilation! Shielded from radiation and supplemented with closed air systems and hydroponic gardens, this resort bunker offers a prime existence underground: full gymnasium and spa, gourmet meals, top-tier medical care, and the best in entertainment. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMeet Hallelujah! Grown in a lab and educated in the ways of concierge hospitality, she believes in her duty to comfort the Lord-anointed refugees of the apocalypse. (Even if her lover Anastasia disagrees. Even if her creator Dr. Younghusband is disappointed in her.) Don't worry--everyone is safe from communists in the Felicity Complex! \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLook, Hallelujah, guests have finally arrived! Hallelujah and her sister specimens have waited ages for you. Never mind the secrets other rich survivalists may be hiding. Just make sure they don't notice the violent intentions behind our staff's wide, wide smiles... \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA sendup of traditional womanhood and lampooning the paranoias of the elite, \n\u003ci\u003eThe Felicity Complex\u003c\/i\u003e questions the ambitions behind the entitled few who plan for the end times--and who truly survives them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/span\u003e 06\/01\/2026 pg. 70 (EAN 9781645661177, Hardcover) - *Starred Review\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/span\u003e 06\/29\/2026 (EAN 9781645661177, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n","brand":"Erewhon Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51496180318486,"sku":"9781645661177","price":33.6,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0857\/9910\/8886\/files\/9781645661177.jpg?v=1783056806","url":"https:\/\/lusper.myshopify.com\/products\/the-felicity-complex","provider":"Lusperbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}