Pre-Order Terry M. West’s ‘All of the Flesh Served’ Now

50904303 - post apocalypse. sole survivor in tatters and gas mask on the ruins of the destroyed city

Hundreds of years after the great cataclysm, the Ministry of the 45th survive in a network of scientific bunkers. The last bastion of the old holy order, the 45th are bent on rebuilding the scorched earth and eliminating God’s enemies. The Ministry wages a war against the mutant topsiders that occupy the dead states of the Soviet Union of America. Defending the 45th are the Red Guard, genetically engineered soldiers who are programmed to obey through their lifebrand. Dr. Morgan is a serviceman for Unit 468 of the Red Guard. His lifebrand being medicine, Dr. Morgan is the longest surviving field medic to serve. But Dr. Morgan is a deeply conflicted man with violent fantasies that contradict his pledge to preserve life. After escaping an abduction by the topsiders, Dr. Morgan’s faith is cracked. During a furlough in the high Chancellor’s bunker, Dr. Morgan is hailed a hero and taken off the front lines. But he soon realizes that someone has altered his lifebrand and lifted the veil that concealed the greatest deception ever perpetrated. Dr. Morgan has just become the most dangerous man in the wastelands. And when he discovers who the real enemy is, the revelation unleashes a fury strong enough to destroy what is left of the earth.

Expanded from a post-apocalyptic short story Terry wrote two years ago, he decided to center the novella on a possible dark future caused by the political actions currently in motion. “An all out attack on humanity, endangered species, the planet itself, and democracy. You know, that pesky little thing many, many Americans have died to protect,” Terry elaborates.

“The story begins with a quote from Voltaire,” Terry said. “Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities. And there lies the center premise of the story. This isn’t a satire. I have been wracked with fear and anger, and rather than unleashing it on people who disagree with me, I decided to work it out in this story. And this isn’t a one-sided attack. I have tried to give a feasible motivation to the Ministry of the 45th. There is a message to this story. I honestly feel this is the most important tale I have ever created. I hope more artists express themselves during this insanity.”

50904303 – post apocalypse. sole survivor in tatters and gas mask on the ruins of the destroyed city