Xiphactinus
Could embracing our darkest impulses be the ultimate path to authenticity?
Dun is a successful Silicon Valley venture capitalist whose meteoric rise in tech—against all odds—has brought him wealth and notoriety. He’s been ruthless in business and it’s paid off, but a powerful demon gnaws at his conscience, and a mounting cascade of litigation threatens both his livelihood and his life.
In this moment of crisis, a monstrous voice counsels him, interpreting with a strange mixture of affection and disdain the events that have led him here. Recalling their dark kinship from Dun’s early years through his dysfunctional childhood and career, this unlikely mentor urges him menacingly toward a stark awareness of his true nature, and the inner predatory resources he might summon to set himself free…
Shot through with black humor and page-turning suspense, Xiphactinus is a boldly unorthodox work of startling originality that reads as psychological thriller, scientific meditation, and poetic excavation of the human condition.
About Xiphactinus
Q: Xiphactinus is a journey to hell with an artful devil.
RS: An understandable description. I have, over the years, been drawn to works with a persona like Xiphactinus. There aren’t a great many, but I would put The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, Les Fleurs du Mal, and Les Chants de Maldoror on the list. And Golding’s Pincher Martin, as well.
Q: You think this is a reality we have to face?
RS: I do, if we’re going to understand who we are.
The most charitable view—charitable to us—is probably the biological one. Because we’re a social species, we come equipped with a complex moral apparatus. We care about right and wrong, we feel guilt and shame and obligation to others. At the same time, we evolved to be hunters—to kill other creatures to live. Keeping the moral apparatus intact while being a predator is difficult. We’re smart enough and sensitive enough to understand what it means to prey on other sentient creatures.
The Animations
Xiphactinus in the TooFar Media App
The multimedia version of Xiphactinus combines Rich’s novel with captivating artwork by Júlia d’Oliveira and gripping animations.
Use your device’s camera to scan and download the TooFar Media App. Available on iOS and Android.
Acclaim for Xiphactinus
