Monday, January 12, 2015

'People Who Need To Die' Book Kills with Future Technology

(Washington, D.C.) January 12, 2015 -- The future is not bright for the annoying and obnoxious people of the world in the satirical horror-story collection 'People Who Need To Die,' authored by award-winning filmmaker Victor Rook. In fact, it's downright deadly. Bad drivers, cell phone addicts, spammers, cyberbullies, litterbugs, horrible bosses, mean neighbors, and Black Friday shoppers are just a few of the many groups who meet their bitter end in 2021, when the governments of the world decide that thirty percent of the population needs to go. Get your application approved and you're free to kill offenders of your choice within the year. Think of it as 'The Purge' with a purpose.

As well as snuffing out social misconduct, this nine-story collection also puts a spotlight on technological advances: self-driving cars, drones, advanced GPS devices, taser wristbands, superhuman drugs, and the Internet underbelly known as the DeepNet. Even Alan Turing's artificial intelligence test is referenced. "Though the stories happen just six years into the future, I wanted to predict what we may see in the world at that time," says Rook.

'Cell Phonies' short story
In the short story "Cell Phonies," Rook predicts that not only will cell phone usage be allowed on all planes inflight, but that abstaining passengers will have to pay extra to sit in a cell-phone-free section. "It's that bleak outlook that makes people want to kill the bad seeds," he adds. In that story, a former prison guard, a vigilante, and an app developer each come up with creative ways to eradicate obnoxious cell phone users. 

"All the stories have a satirical edge to them, but some, like 'Internet Trolls,' which deals with cyberbullying, I took very seriously, " adds Rook. "People may be shocked on how I handle trolls in that piece."
'Spammers' short story
In "Spammers," a man and a woman who fall victim to online SPAM scams join together to rid the world of those cyber menaces. Another story, "Terror Garden," is about a sweet, elderly woman and how she deals with mean neighbors. "That was a fun one to write," says Rook. "I'm sure a lot of readers will relate to having awful people living in close proximity to them."

Reception to the new book has been more than positive. Pulitzer prize-winning TV critic Tom Shales lent his name to the book's cover and describes the stories as "Clever, funny, shocking, and cheerfully vindictive." "A gentleman visiting from Florida told me I was his hero at the first book signing at McKay Used Books in Manassas, Virginia." Rook laughs. "People love the title." Patricia Petitt, owner of The Man Cave in Old Town Manassas, writes in her Amazon review of the book, "I can truly say that there are many out there who have, at one time or another, had the same diabolical thoughts about the most irritating and inconsiderate people. I love that it is futuristic and that it could really happen!"

'People Who Need To Die' is available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and victorrook.com.


Author Bio:

Victor Rook has produced several award-winning films, as well as written and edited several books. His nature film 'Beyond the Garden Gate' aired on PBS for four years and won two Telly awards. Other books include 'In Search of Good Times,' a story about a man who believes that the TV sitcom families from "All in the Family" and "Good Times" are real, and 'Musings of a Dysfunctional Life,' a humorous and poignant compilation of everyday mid-life musings. 

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