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Book Synopsis***Editor's Choice, NEW YORK TIMES*** A literary coup d'etat, that ponders "What would the White House be like if U.S. Presidents of the past were not restricted by the time-honored hallmarks and traditional behavior of the office, leaving them free to do whatever they wanted, anytime and anywhere?" THE FAKING OF THE PRESIDENT: Nineteen Stories of White House Noir pulls back the curtain on the “new norm” for America’s highest office, with a collection of bizarre new stories by a diverse group of renowned authors that take readers across the chasm of reality into an alternate universe—where Nixon takes a wacky psychedelic trip with Elvis Presley; where a time-traveling renegade targets members of the George Bush administration with disastrous results; where a spy seizes a sudden opportunity for power after Woodrow Wilson’s stroke. The stories are outlandish but—when it comes to the White House of today—no longer implausible.
The line-up of award-winning authors includes
Eric Beetner,
Peter Carlaftes,
Sarah M. Chen,
Angel Luis Colón,
S. A. Cosby,
Nikki Dolson,
Mary Anna Evans,
Adam Lance Garcia,
Danny Gardner,
Alison Gaylin,
Christopher Chambers,
Kate Flora,
Greg Herren,
Gary Phillips,
Alex Segura,
Travis Richardson,
S. J. Rozan,
Abby Vandiver, and
Erica Wright.
In an era where the bar for what is acceptable has shifted beyond what the founding fathers ever imagined,
THE FAKING OF THE PRESIDENT is a highly recommended unique creative act of resistance, and a must-have for fans of politics, noir, and speculative fiction.
Trade Review***Editor's Choice, NEW YORK TIMES*** “The stories put arrows in the red ... [with] “Manchurian Candidate”-style Cold War paranoia ... exploitation ... actual history [and] first ladies who are the power behind the throne. ... The actual present is left until last, when [editor] Carlaftes himself appears for an audacious final story.”
—The New York Times "One of the strangest, most exhilarating rides you’ll take in noir this year...Editor Peter Carlaftes brings together a talented group of contemporary noir luminaries, each author offering a unique vision of executive excess and intrigue."
—CrimeReads “
The Faking of the President is equal parts historical and hysterical. The assemblage of authors is uniformly talented. They each start with as many real facts as are necessary and then, unconstrained by anything except their imaginations, produce delightful riffs on reality. They are fake news.”
—NY Journal of Books "Many of the 19 speculative stories in this highly entertaining anthology show U.S. presidents behaving badly, some with the same impunity as the current occupant of the White House. ... Fans of alternate history will have fun. This is the perfect diversion for those seeking a break from the more serious aspects of the election season."
—Publishers Weekly “In many ways, the collection is a lot of fun. There’s a schadenfreude aspect to some of it . . .
The Faking of the President offers a comical and twisted version of our history.”
—Portland Book Review “
The Faking of the President is a terrific burning barn of a book. Focused on the potential realities in past American presidencies (and a future glimpse) and written by 19 talented mystery writers who really know their American history, these great fictional takes on what could have happened, might have happened, and didn’t happen are really deep-dive marvels and often breathtaking wonders to take in. Then the real mind-bending occurs when you are inspired by the stories in The Faking of the President to imagine what directions we might have instead taken, and often tragically did not, particularly in the continuing saga of the most genetically twisted presidency we’ve yet experienced.”
—Hot Indie News "
The Faking of the President is a wild, rollicking ride through the corridors of power both past and present. These stories are dark, humorous and thoughtful; they take the presidency and its environs and turn it into a fun house of noirish story-telling. Get this book and read it during the presidential campaign to help keep your head on straight."
—T.J. English, New York Times Best Selling author of Havana Nocturne and The Westies “Whether burrowing into archival gaps, forging extraordinary connections between pivotal milestones, or conjuring up wild (and wildly entertaining!) alternative histories, these slyly subversive what-ifs and cutting critiques hit their marks on presidencies past and present.”
—Art Taylor, Edgar Award-winning author of The Boy Detective and the Summer of ’74Table of ContentsTable of Contents Foreword
By Peter Carlaftes Burning Love
By Alison Gaylin Is This Tomorrow?
By Angel Luis Colón Y2 Effin’ K
By Gary Phillips Article 77
By Eric Beetner All Big Men Are Dreamers
By Mary Anna Evans Reckless Disregard
By Abby L. Vandiver 999 Points Of Light
By S. A. Cosby The Dreadful Scott Decision
By Greg Herren The Great Compromise Of 1901
By Erica Wright The Madison Conspiracy: Dolley Madison’s Zinger
By Christopher Chambers Long Live Long
By Kate Flora Mother Of Exiles
By S. J. Rozan Services Rendered
By Nikki Dolson In Mother We Trust
By Sarah M. Chen Andrew Jackson Beats Death
By Adam Lance Garcia Old Pharaoh
By Danny Gardner The Camelot Complex
By Alex Segura The Event That Didn’t Happen
By Travis Richardson But One Life To Give
By Peter Carlaftes About The Contributors
