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Rohan (I.T. guy by day, Death Metal frontman by night) learns that his beloved music scene is under attack by racists and Nazis supported by the highest rings of political power. He rallies his friends (Bradamantica the Badass, bassist Roque Rodríguez, Angelic the Artist, Hardcore Mamma Camilla, Dharkness the Pâtisseur, et al.) to make a stand in Brooklyn and save Metal - and perhaps even America itself.
Inspired by the mock-epic tone and the broad plot outlines of Ludovico Ariosto's massive Orlando furioso and by the spirit of Heavy Metal music (from classic bands to NYC underground), and by the narrative techniques and socio-political commentary of Byron's Don Juan, The Metaliad is composed entirely in hendecasyllabic ottava rima. It annihilates false boundaries between high and low art, old and new, lofty and vulgar, as well as those between genders, genres, and genera (races). With an unforgettable cast of characters who seem both familiar and fantastical (Brunello the Hacker, skateboarders Tony Medoro and Troy Euryalos, Eryck the Dread and his gimp Wormfood, queer activist Nestor Oldpunk, Schmendrick the Developer, mad politico Rudy Monte, the bewitching Alcina and her niece Armida, and many others), The Metaliad delivers a savvy, comical-yet-deadass-serious adventure tale to anyone who has ever sensed a mythic undertow in the complex world that is New York.
All books will be signed. If you want a special inscription, order your book and then write us at WilliamBergerPresents@gmail.com!