Prayers for the Assassin
Encyclopedia
Prayers for the Assassin is a political thriller, and a work of speculative fiction
, written by American crime
writer Robert Ferrigno
. The story is set in 2040, after economic strife and a pair of nuclear attacks have led to civil war, causing the United States to split into two hostile and competing nations: one a moderate Islamic republic
with its capital in Seattle, the other a breakaway Christian
Bible Belt
built on the ashes of the former Confederacy
and with its capital in Atlanta.
The hardcover edition of Prayers for the Assassin was published in the United States in February 2006 by Charles Scribner's Sons
.
, with a Muslim soldier dying in 2017 at the battle of Newark
, after a bloody battle with Bible Belt
paramilitaries that are attempting to capture the city. Flash forward to the Super Bowl in 2042 in Seattle, the capitol of the new Islamic Republic, the majority of whose inhabitants have converted to Islam
. The nation's culture is a fusion of traditional American and Islamic: the Super Bowl
is still played, but the cheerleaders are sword-wielding men and the participants break at half-time for afternoon prayers.
As the story opens, the country is facing a crisis, with competing political and religious factions threatening to destroy the fragile peace that exists within the Islamic States of America. At the same time, behind the scenes, a messianic
figure known as the Wise Old One contrives to seize power for himself, and fulfill the ancient prophecy of the restoration of the Caliphate
.
The story's protagonist
is Rakkim Epps, a Fedayeen
warrior who is devoted to his cause, even if he has lost his faith. Epps must risk everything to save the life of Sarah Dougan, the young historian
he loves.
suitcase bomb
s completely destroy New York City
and Washington D.C. and a dirty bomb
irradiates Mecca
the United States is split into four pieces.
The Islamic Republic comprises the west coast, southwest, and most of the Midwest. After the bomb attacks were revealed to have been done by Israeli agents and many celebrity conversions (including country star "Shania X") a large proportion of the country converted to Islam. The new country was founded as a beacon of light, but has failed to live up. Civil liberties are severely curtailed with the first and second amendments removed and a Wahabi/Talibanesque religious police called the Black Robes gaining more and more power.
Jews (blamed for the destruction of Washington and New York) are ostracized and Catholics have taken the role of second class citizens
. The roads are falling apart, satellite communications are often down, and the I.R. lacks scientific growth, living off excess technology stored by the former United States. The U.S. military has advanced little, with modern technology the best it can produce, the main reason that the two main power countries Russia and China avoid an attack is the elite training of the Fedayeen corps. The Fedayeen are essentially the guards of the republic, mostly made up of converts and veterans the civil war they are loyal to the democratic Islamic government though they are constantly courted by the extremist Black Robes whose police force are bitter rivals of the Fedeyeen. Many landmarks and warships were renamed after Islamic figures, the best example being the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76)
renamed the USS Osama Bin Laden
or Seattle's football facility
is called Khomeini Stadium. It is mentioned that the new government attempted to destroy Mount Rushmore, but gave up due to the sheer size of the monument.
The Bible Belt, a partially recognised separatist republic that comprises the old south plus Kentucky
, Tennessee
, West Virginia
, Virginia
and most of Missouri
disputed between itself and the Islamic State. After the transition millions of evangelical Christians immigrated here. Its government is thought to be much looser and decentralized, resembling the old Confederacy
. The technology they possess is not made clear, although it is mentioned they have the only recipe for Coca-Cola; as a result the I.R.'s official soda is called Jihad Cola mentioned to be a less than equal comparison to its original.
Nevada is its own free state with a large and growing population, it serves exactly the same capacity as it does now.
The Mormon territories comprise Utah
, plus parts of Colorado
and Idaho
. Little is mentioned about it. They may however not be a separate state, the map in the book (please note the U.K. version of the book does not contain a map) suggests they may just be an autonomous region within the Islamic Republic.
Parts of New Mexico
, Arizona
and Southern California
have been claimed by the Aztlan Empire (formerly Mexico
) and tension between the I.R. and A.E. have risen due to land claims.
Hawaii
is described in the same context as Canada
so could be independent. Alaska
and the most Northerly New England States are not described.
Canada has snatched some of Minnesota and Wisconsin as "ancestral lands" for its native population.
Additionally, Southern Florida has become its own state, using a flag similar to Puerto Rico or Cuba.
The Islamic Republic has long been suffering an internal war between its moderate/modern wanting to preserve its democratic traditional government and fundamentalist factions wishing to create an fundamentalist Islamic State under the strict form Sharia law.
hired interactive design firm LevelTen Design to promote the book online through three websites, including one, "Republic World News", which was a fake news site for the "Islamic States of America". The Denver Post wrote, "With Prayers campaign of so-called "viral marketing" to generate buzz, instead of traditional advertising venues, could this be a new world order in the way books are sold?"http://www.denverpost.com/reviews/ci_3656786
Speculative fiction
Speculative fiction is an umbrella term encompassing the more fantastical fiction genres, specifically science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, and alternate history in literature as well as...
, written by American crime
Crime fiction
Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
writer Robert Ferrigno
Robert Ferrigno
Robert Ferrigno is an American author of crime novels and of speculative fiction. Eight books published between 1990 ad 2004 were well received additions to the detective and thriller genres, while the post 9/11 'Assassin trilogy' is set in an imagined United States dominated by Islam.-Novels:*...
. The story is set in 2040, after economic strife and a pair of nuclear attacks have led to civil war, causing the United States to split into two hostile and competing nations: one a moderate Islamic republic
Islamic republic
Islamic republic is the name given to several states in the Muslim world including the Islamic Republics of Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Mauritania. Pakistan adopted the title under the constitution of 1956. Mauritania adopted it on 28 November 1958. Iran adopted it after the 1979 Iranian...
with its capital in Seattle, the other a breakaway Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Bible Belt
Bible Belt
Bible Belt is an informal term for a region in the southeastern and south-central United States in which socially conservative evangelical Protestantism is a significant part of the culture and Christian church attendance across the denominations is generally higher than the nation's average.The...
built on the ashes of the former Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
and with its capital in Atlanta.
The hardcover edition of Prayers for the Assassin was published in the United States in February 2006 by Charles Scribner's Sons
Charles Scribner's Sons
Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing a number of American authors including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King, Robert A. Heinlein, Thomas Wolfe, George Santayana, John Clellon...
.
Plot summary
The book starts off during the second American Civil War between the Islamic States and the seceding Bible BeltBible Belt
Bible Belt is an informal term for a region in the southeastern and south-central United States in which socially conservative evangelical Protestantism is a significant part of the culture and Christian church attendance across the denominations is generally higher than the nation's average.The...
, with a Muslim soldier dying in 2017 at the battle of Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, after a bloody battle with Bible Belt
Bible Belt
Bible Belt is an informal term for a region in the southeastern and south-central United States in which socially conservative evangelical Protestantism is a significant part of the culture and Christian church attendance across the denominations is generally higher than the nation's average.The...
paramilitaries that are attempting to capture the city. Flash forward to the Super Bowl in 2042 in Seattle, the capitol of the new Islamic Republic, the majority of whose inhabitants have converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. The nation's culture is a fusion of traditional American and Islamic: the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
is still played, but the cheerleaders are sword-wielding men and the participants break at half-time for afternoon prayers.
As the story opens, the country is facing a crisis, with competing political and religious factions threatening to destroy the fragile peace that exists within the Islamic States of America. At the same time, behind the scenes, a messianic
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
figure known as the Wise Old One contrives to seize power for himself, and fulfill the ancient prophecy of the restoration of the Caliphate
Caliphate
The term caliphate, "dominion of a caliph " , refers to the first system of government established in Islam and represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah...
.
The story's protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
is Rakkim Epps, a Fedayeen
Fedayeen
Fedayeen is a term used to describe several distinct militant groups and individuals in West Asia at different times in history. It is sometimes used colloquially to refer to suicide squads, especially those who are not bombers.-Overview:...
warrior who is devoted to his cause, even if he has lost his faith. Epps must risk everything to save the life of Sarah Dougan, the young historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
he loves.
The New America
After nuclearNuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
suitcase bomb
Suitcase bomb
A suitcase nuke is a tactical nuclear weapon which uses, or is portable enough that it could use, a suitcase as its delivery method. Synonyms include suitcase bomb, backpack nuke, mini-nuke, pocket nuke and snuke....
s completely destroy New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Washington D.C. and a dirty bomb
Dirty bomb
A dirty bomb is a speculative radiological weapon that combines radioactive material with conventional explosives. The purpose of the weapon is to contaminate the area around the explosion with radioactive material, hence the attribute "dirty"....
irradiates Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
the United States is split into four pieces.
The Islamic Republic comprises the west coast, southwest, and most of the Midwest. After the bomb attacks were revealed to have been done by Israeli agents and many celebrity conversions (including country star "Shania X") a large proportion of the country converted to Islam. The new country was founded as a beacon of light, but has failed to live up. Civil liberties are severely curtailed with the first and second amendments removed and a Wahabi/Talibanesque religious police called the Black Robes gaining more and more power.
Jews (blamed for the destruction of Washington and New York) are ostracized and Catholics have taken the role of second class citizens
Dhimmi
A , is a non-Muslim subject of a state governed in accordance with sharia law. Linguistically, the word means "one whose responsibility has been taken". This has to be understood in the context of the definition of state in Islam...
. The roads are falling apart, satellite communications are often down, and the I.R. lacks scientific growth, living off excess technology stored by the former United States. The U.S. military has advanced little, with modern technology the best it can produce, the main reason that the two main power countries Russia and China avoid an attack is the elite training of the Fedayeen corps. The Fedayeen are essentially the guards of the republic, mostly made up of converts and veterans the civil war they are loyal to the democratic Islamic government though they are constantly courted by the extremist Black Robes whose police force are bitter rivals of the Fedeyeen. Many landmarks and warships were renamed after Islamic figures, the best example being the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76)
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76)
USS Ronald Reagan is a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier in the service of the United States Navy. The ninth ship of her class, she is named in honor of former President Ronald Reagan, President of the United States from 1981 to 1989...
renamed the USS Osama Bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
or Seattle's football facility
Qwest Field
CenturyLink Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. It serves as the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League and Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer...
is called Khomeini Stadium. It is mentioned that the new government attempted to destroy Mount Rushmore, but gave up due to the sheer size of the monument.
The Bible Belt, a partially recognised separatist republic that comprises the old south plus Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
and most of Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
disputed between itself and the Islamic State. After the transition millions of evangelical Christians immigrated here. Its government is thought to be much looser and decentralized, resembling the old Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
. The technology they possess is not made clear, although it is mentioned they have the only recipe for Coca-Cola; as a result the I.R.'s official soda is called Jihad Cola mentioned to be a less than equal comparison to its original.
Nevada is its own free state with a large and growing population, it serves exactly the same capacity as it does now.
The Mormon territories comprise Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, plus parts of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
and Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
. Little is mentioned about it. They may however not be a separate state, the map in the book (please note the U.K. version of the book does not contain a map) suggests they may just be an autonomous region within the Islamic Republic.
Parts of New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
and Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
have been claimed by the Aztlan Empire (formerly Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
) and tension between the I.R. and A.E. have risen due to land claims.
Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
is described in the same context as Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
so could be independent. Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and the most Northerly New England States are not described.
Canada has snatched some of Minnesota and Wisconsin as "ancestral lands" for its native population.
Additionally, Southern Florida has become its own state, using a flag similar to Puerto Rico or Cuba.
The Islamic Republic has long been suffering an internal war between its moderate/modern wanting to preserve its democratic traditional government and fundamentalist factions wishing to create an fundamentalist Islamic State under the strict form Sharia law.
Cast of Characters
- Rakkim Epps: The Story's protagonist, an ex-Fedeyeen warrior (trained in espionage) currently running a night club in Seattle's Christian zone. He is hired to track down Sarah (his longtime love interest) by her uncle, when it is discovered that she has disappeared.
- Sarah Dougan: Rakkim's lover, a young college professor who attracts a great deal of controversy in her short career, having recently authored a book on the American's conversion to Islam which angered the country's fundamentalist population. While working on her latest book, one of her sources informs her to go into hiding because her work has attracted the attention of a mysterious figure who was behind her father's assassination.
- Thomas "Redbeard" Dougan: Sarah's uncle and head of the Department of State Security. He is seen as the constant target of the country's fundamentalist leaders, a true patriot of his country. He took in Rakkin while he was a young orphan; he also raised Sarah after his brother's assassination and her mother's mysterious disappearance. They had a falling out when Rakkim joined the Fedeyeen and were not on speaking terms after he refused to grant Rakkim's request to marry Sarah. With the disappearance of his niece and knowing that his rivals were closing in on him, he overcomes his estrangement with Rakkim and asks him to find Sarah.
- The Old One aka Hassan Muhammed: a terrorist mastermind responsible for the shaping of much of the current world. Although his actual age is unknown due to scientific procedures that help him live longer, he is estimated to be around 70–90 years old. Possibly a Yemeni who speaks his English with a British accent, presumably indicating where he received his education. He is the one who ordered the assassination of Sarah's father and discovers that her latest work could threaten to expose his life work.
- Darwin: A psychopathic ex-Fedeyeen assassin hired by the Old One to track down Sarah (despite being described by the Old One's son as a demon), he leaves a bloody trail of murders throughout his journey.
- Mullah Ibn Azziz: The new leader of the Blackrobes order, a young extremist who seeks to create a fundamentalist society cleansed of Catholics, Jews, and non-fundamentalist Muslims. He knows nothing of the Old One though his swift rise through the Blackrobes ranks was mostly due to him; when he discovers Sarah's disappearance he believes she is seeing a lover; he proposes to find her and use her to destabilize Redbeard's leadership.
- Angelina: Redbeard's loyal, kind-hearted house maid.
- Anthony Colarusso Sr.: A Catholic Seattle detective who is a good friend of Rakkim; also a former Catholic priest who now has a family of his own. His son Anthony Jr. is local hoodlum but hopes to join the Fedeyeen which his father encourages to help improve their social standing. Initially Rakkim refuses to give his recommendation, until he recognizes that he will better off in the Fedyeen than the streets, and agrees.
- Mardi: Rakkim's business partner at the night club, she's also the widow of Rakkim's Fedeyeen friend Tariq. She largely blames herself for his death, believing her refusal to convert cost him a promotion. Occasionally they sleep together though he stopped after he started seeing Sarah, which makes her a bit jealous.
Marketing
Publisher Charles Scribner's SonsCharles Scribner's Sons
Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing a number of American authors including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King, Robert A. Heinlein, Thomas Wolfe, George Santayana, John Clellon...
hired interactive design firm LevelTen Design to promote the book online through three websites, including one, "Republic World News", which was a fake news site for the "Islamic States of America". The Denver Post wrote, "With Prayers campaign of so-called "viral marketing" to generate buzz, instead of traditional advertising venues, could this be a new world order in the way books are sold?"http://www.denverpost.com/reviews/ci_3656786
External links
- Robert Ferrigno's Official Web Site
- Prayers for the Assassin Official Web Site
- "Republic World News" - Fake news site for the "Islamic States of America," created to market the book
- Robert Ferrigno's Frightening Prophecy - Can it Really Come True?