Seedlings

Aliens, monsters, lunatics, and unlikely heroes abound in Seedlings, revealing the human condition in its raw glory. Aided by their own self-destructive nature, humans become an endangered species.

In the near future a trio of events shape a perfect storm, altering life on Earth forever. A corrupt agreement with the Mexican bureaucracy gives North America mining rights to an extinct volcano in Tlaxcala, which they claim to use as a radioactive waste storage site. Instead, the greatest technological achievement in the history of man, Esperanza, is built inside. Esperanza is a starship designed to carry seedlings of the richest 1% to the closest exoplanet.

A small, covert military alien population known as, The Collective, are stationed on Earth. For many years they’ve been waiting patiently for humans to annihilate themselves so that they can use Earth as a staging ground to conquer other (more important) planets. The Collective considers humans as parasitic—cattle to be driven into the slaughterhouse. Earth will make a suitable place for soldiers to take R&R.

A brilliant, unhinged, computer software engineer facilitates the domino effect when he invents a drinkable nanochip, linking users to the Internet with a blink of an eye. The chip is engineered so that, with time, users can’t disconnect, resulting in unimaginable horrors. After the damage is done, a few amazing survivors are left to fight against the alien presence.

Seedlings, is beautifully written, begging the question: Can we overcome our self-indulgent ways to become truly human again?