Cyriaque Lamar

“I work for the internet, so you don’t have to!”

Future, NJ

Illustration by Xiaoling Li

Future, NJ

After working in digital media for 13 years straight, I spent a year writing my debut novel, Future, New Jersey.

The first book of a sci-fi trilogy, Future, New Jersey follows a week in the life of Tippi, a genetically bespoke teacup hypermini pig, centuries after the disappearance of Homo sapiens.

For the past two years, Tippi has lived in a subterranean “century shelter” with her two roommates: Xoz, a massive octopus bred for microgravity warfare, and Lina, a doting supercomputer who has only met one human, ever. But when an ominous turnip ruins Tippi’s brunch, the three friends must leave their underground home, for the wilds of New Jersey, to save Lina from geothermal collapse.

Prescient, terrifying, and adorable, Future, New Jersey is a book about the importance of friendship in the face of an incomprehensible universe.

Starting January 28, 2025, Future, New Jersey will be serialized weekly on this website. Chapters will be released until June 2025, and the book features gorgeous illustrations by fantasy art mega-talent Xiaoling Li.

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