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<p align="left">“Echoes of Cormac McCarthy, whispers of Bukowski in a nascent Orwellian 1984-world, Off the Grid introduces Pan, a John Galt for the Everyman anarchist, in a near-future that’s frighteningly plausible.” (S.E. Whelan, Meson Media)</p> <p align="left">From the opening chapter we are invited to meet "Pan", and in Brian<br /> Courtney's masterfully crafted debut novel that follows, though we may<br /> never know his given name, we come to deeply know Pan and who he is<br /> struggling to remain as the world around him begins to crumble. Off the<br /> Grid: The Catalyst chronicles the journey of the man who goes by Pan, as<br /> he moves through the levels of corruption and stands on the precipice of<br /> the world he inhabits, yet how deep that ravine will go we have yet to<br /> realize.<br /><br /> Pan lives in the shadows, at the end of a nearly abandoned street<br /> inhabited only by those whom this world has forgotten. And though Pan<br /> may be forgotten, he finds himself bearing witness to the flow of<br /> history in the wrong direction. He watches an abusive and corrupt police<br /> presence lead to the mysterious deaths of his neighbor and a homeless<br /> man, his neighborhood about to be bought and sold en masse for<br /> gentrification or worse, a city-wide road construction project with<br /> nefarious ends, mass deportations, and as the stakes continue to build,<br /> an event dubbed the Massacre on the Mississippi which then reveals the<br /> nail in the coffin - the government initiative LifeLine, a program to be<br /> able to track, and ostensibly save, anyone at anytime. Present<br /> throughout are the women in Pan's life, Natalie, and Darcy, themselves<br /> perched between the powerful flow of history against the painful ebb of<br /> what is right.<br /><br /> Pan is in constant battle with a looming presence that manages to be<br /> both mysterious and manifest throughout the work. It is the "they", the<br /> world on the horizon that others before have termed Babylon, the<br /> Machine, the powers that be ... it is the great beast whom Pan simply<br /> calls The Institution. And it is the dichotomous split between Pan and<br /> the Institution at the heart of the novel that allows it to achieve its<br /> ambitious scope. Both are ever-present and yet always enigmatic. Details<br /> of who Pan is, who he used to be, and what he is planning are meted out<br /> in careful measure as the story builds upon itself.<br /><br /> Timely and relevant in an ever-shifting post 9/11 landscape, Off the<br /> Grid addresses the rise of anatomical technologies, state control masked<br /> as security, and the proliferation of invisible surveillances. With<br /> deeply rooted philosophic foundations the book is underscored by an<br /> exploration of the existentially dislocated masculinity of the modern<br /> world, as Pan struggles deeply with what he calls "the void" inside.<br /><br /> Courtney confidently interweaves the political and the comedic alongside<br /> Pan's narrative to achieve an elusive literary layering, and in-so-doing<br /> manages to find a voice for that ineffable void within Pan, a voice that<br /> proves singularly unique, with an unexpected tenderness, and always<br /> punctuated with a striking wit. Pan's ornery sarcasm drips off the page,<br /> makes you laugh-out-loud, and you will find yourself rooting for him<br /> from the start.<br /><br /> The world that Pan inhabits is precarious, tychistic, and rapidly<br /> slipping through his fingers. Everywhere he turns are reminders that the<br /> change around him is reaching its apex, and if he isn't careful he will<br /> not be forgotten, but worse, he will join the ranks of the disappeared,<br /> as he begins to uncover the truth of LifeLine, whose origins are<br /> reminiscent of a pre-engineered Patriot Act, awaiting the political<br /> opportunity that 9/11 provided. Teeming with suspense and a building<br /> tension from the opening pages we are left in constant anticipation<br /> about whether Pan is guiding his own fate or being pulled in by the<br /> undercurrents. With a sense of desperation and urgency off-set by an<br /> eerie ominousness, we know that everything churning underneath for Pan<br /> is about to boil over.<br /><br /> The author never falls prey to literary archetypes or cliche, as he has<br /> artfully written characters who are always fully realized, even when not<br /> fully likeable. Pan is magnetic, full of contradiction, and might yet<br /> have an ace or two up his sleeves. Pan struggles to find a balance<br /> between his passion and his nihilism as he confronts the system that<br /> demands that choice. Fight, or be forgotten. Love, or walk away. Pan<br /> will constantly surprise you, and you will find that the void within him<br /> finds a foothold in you as he wrestles with those choices.<br /><br /> Pan struggles to decide if Darcy, a woman from great privilege and the<br /> superficiality that comes with it, herself full of contradiction, will<br /> ever be able to cross the divide between them and come to see some of<br /> the truths Pan has uncovered. The themes of the book are masterfully<br /> layered throughout as Pan questions whether Darcy could possibly fill<br /> that void, or will only add to it, and that conflict is echoed in his<br /> dealings with The Institution.<br /><br /> Not ever fully sure if Pan is one step behind or one step ahead of how<br /> his world is folding down around him, and never sure of what fate awaits<br /> him, the reader comes to deeply care for Pan. You are infuriated by the<br /> injustices levelled against him, and fearful of the sway of forces that<br /> surround him. Pan is the kind of figure who is alone in a room full of<br /> people, and you feel a painful longing for him to find reprieve from his<br /> isolation, for a connection that is meaningful. Yet through it all, we<br /> also trust Pan, that he might yet find his way out, find himself, and<br /> might yet be smart enough to make it.<br /><br /> Structurally reminiscent of Orwell, littered with a sensory imagery that<br /> recalls Hemingway, and punctuated by graphic sex for good measure, Off<br /> the Grid is a heartbreaking work of fiction that eludes easy<br /> categorization. It is reverential, remorseful, tragic, deeply nostalgic,<br /> yet always entertaining. Off the Grid is sure to alienate all the right<br /> people as it proves itself an important addition to the conversation.<br /> Pan will stay with you, and his journey will continue to haunt you. (Jessica Corin)</p>