Cirrus@Austlit

'"The Last Clone "is set three generations into the future, in a place called The Homeland. This is a post-democratic world, constantly at war with a vaguely-defined terrorist threat. The slogan of the Homeland government is: The Terror Will Always Be With Us.

Citizens have willingly surrendered their civil rights because of on-going and ill-defined security threats in this post-democratic world. To be declared to have terrorist links is a death sentence.

An experimental clone generation has proven to be an abject failure - only a few survive. Now, parents prefer genetically manipulated transgenic children, selected from shopping catalogues. As everywhere, however, resistance exists. We meet a group of artistes, freethinkers, mystics, and others not totally in thrall to the prevailing ethos that sees security and making money as highest good.

Today, there is a festival in an old castle on the edge of The Homeland, to celebrate July 22nd, the Feast of Mary Magdalene, The Black Madonna of the Church of Amor. This heretical tradition is continued by Perilla, the charismatic, breatharian, Tarot-reading leader of the castle. She is linked by cloning to an ancient sect, the Cathars, and to Mary Magdalene herself. She is the last surviving member of the ill-fated cloned generation.

On this special feast night, storytellers and musicians compete for an elusive prize, awarded by Perilla. But in the midst of the festivities at the castle, Perilla disappears, apparently without trace. What has happened to her?

A quest is thus set in place, led by Hildegard, the psychic detective. A quest which reveals that the adored Perilla, famed for her Tarot readings and rumoured to be in possession of magic powers, has a dark past - linking her to the terrorist groups who are the declared enemies of the state.' Source: http://www.politicsandculture.org/2010/08/10/from-the-last-clone-a-novel-set-in-the-future-2/ (Sighted 07/06/2011).