Capital 4 has solved every human problem, including human nature. Cast into the wild, four unlikely outcasts cross strange societies, each certain it has found the right way to live. All they want is somewhere no one will correct, classify, or tame them.
AN OFFBEAT, BREATHLESS, UNSETTLING DYSTOPIAN SATIRE. A darkly funny road trip through strange societies that look ridiculous until they start feeling familiar. *** In Capital 4, every human problem has been solved. Language, behavior, memory, desire. Everyone and everything has been made equal. Nature itself has been corrected. Even death requires approval. Thrown together by circumstance, Emily, an obsessive note-taker; Ziyue, a defiant runaway; Cesare, a disgraced guard dog; and Rossum, a rule-bound compliance bot, leave the suffocating perfection of Capital 4 and enter the wild. Savage Nature is far from pristine. Other cultures have carved out their own spaces, each certain it has found a better way to live. Moving from one to the next, the journey grows stranger, darker, and more dangerous. Survival is only the beginning. The harder part is finding a place where no one will correct, classify, or tame them. But somewhere along the way, the journey begins to uncover the nature they were taught to correct. “The deeper they went into Savage Nature, the deeper Savage Nature went into them. The journey demanded an even exchange.” *** Compact, illustrated, and tightly compressed, Nature Against unfolds in sharp, fast-moving episodes through a succession of strange societies, echoing the satirical journey structure of Gulliver’s Travels 300 years on. *** For readers who like their dystopia weird, fast, funny, and packed tight. There is plenty of white space on the page, but a lot going on underneath. Leave your expectations at the door and get pulled into something unusual.
Capital 4 has solved every human problem, including human nature. Cast into the wild, four unlikely outcasts cross strange societies, each certain it has found the right way to live. All they want is somewhere no one will correct, classify, or tame them.
Summary
AN OFFBEAT, BREATHLESS, UNSETTLING DYSTOPIAN SATIRE. A darkly funny road trip through strange societies that look ridiculous until they start feeling familiar. *** In Capital 4, every human problem has been solved. Language, behavior, memory, desire. Everyone and everything has been made equal. Nature itself has been corrected. Even death requires approval. Thrown together by circumstance, Emily, an obsessive note-taker; Ziyue, a defiant runaway; Cesare, a disgraced guard dog; and Rossum, a rule-bound compliance bot, leave the suffocating perfection of Capital 4 and enter the wild. Savage Nature is far from pristine. Other cultures have carved out their own spaces, each certain it has found a better way to live. Moving from one to the next, the journey grows stranger, darker, and more dangerous. Survival is only the beginning. The harder part is finding a place where no one will correct, classify, or tame them. But somewhere along the way, the journey begins to uncover the nature they were taught to correct. “The deeper they went into Savage Nature, the deeper Savage Nature went into them. The journey demanded an even exchange.” *** Compact, illustrated, and tightly compressed, Nature Against unfolds in sharp, fast-moving episodes through a succession of strange societies, echoing the satirical journey structure of Gulliver’s Travels 300 years on. *** For readers who like their dystopia weird, fast, funny, and packed tight. There is plenty of white space on the page, but a lot going on underneath. Leave your expectations at the door and get pulled into something unusual.
About the Author
Delenda Carthago. Not your usual read.
A European author of speculative fiction that moves across genres without settling neatly into any of them. His work blends dark satire, an allegorical edge, and idea-driven narratives where characters are pushed through strangely familiar systems.
He builds stories on compression and ambiguity, leaving space for readers to complete what remains unsaid. They reward careful attention.
For adult readers interested in uncomfortable questions rather than easy answers. For those who enjoy connecting the dots.
Not for readers seeking comfort reading, familiar formulas, or recycled story promises with different names.
Imagine a world where human nature has been meticulously perfected by a computer system, leaving the inhabitants yearning for a taste of authentic chaos. In this richly imaginative landscape, Ziyue finds herself cast out from the sterile confines of Capital 4, embarking on a wild journey with a quirky band of misfits, including a talking dog and a rule-following android. As they traverse bizarre societies, each with its own eccentric take on existence, they seek a space free from the relentless gaze of their former home. The question looms: can true independence ever be found in a world so intricately crafted?
The prose of Nature Against captures both the absurdity and poignancy of this quest, blending sharp humor with biting social commentary that resonates with our own reality. Readers have praised its unique structure, likening it to a fast-paced road trip through a funhouse mirror, where the unexpected is the norm and every encounter sparks thought. The illustrations add a delightful touch, softening the narrative's impact while guiding you through the chaos. With its quick wit and layered storytelling, this novella invites you to reflect on the nature of freedom—and challenges you to keep up with its exhilarating pace.
"Nature Against by Delenda Carthago starts in a sterile dome city where a computer system controls every human decision. We follow Ziyue, a woman who is done with this forced perfection and just wants an exit from the system, but the rulers won’t even let her die without permission. After she sets a fire to escape a reeducation ward, she gets kicked out into the wilderness alongside a quiet observer, a rule-following robot, and a talking dog. The outside world isn’t empty at all; it’s filled with bizarre, isolated societies that have their own extreme ways of living. The group travels through strange territories, hoping to find a corner of the world where they can live without being monitored constantly. Will Ziyue ever find a place that offers true independence, or will the outside world completely crush her first?
Nature Against by Delenda Carthago is a satirical sci-fi novella that feels like a bizarre road trip through a funhouse mirror of modern society. I love how fast this story moves without losing any of its sharp humor, especially with Cesare the dog adding such fun energy to the group dynamics. Carthago uses a clean, engaging writing style that makes totally ridiculous situations feel surprisingly relatable. It was fascinating to see how every new faction the travelers met offered a completely different kind of social madness, keeping their entire journey fresh and unpredictable. The character growth feels natural as the machine-like dome citizens learn to navigate real, unhygienic reality. Overall, this is a creative look at humanity that keeps you smiling while making you think about how we live today. Ultimately, this little volume packs a lot of imagination into a memorable package. Very highly recommended."
"A unique, compelling, and deeply satirical dystopian adventure!
Nature Against is a book I picked up on a whim – the promo art and blurb doing their work well – and I’m delighted that I did. This is a deeply satirical adventure, often laugh-out-loud funny, surprisingly sad in places, and bursting with ideas. The prose is descriptive, punchy, and clever, and the characters extremely memorable – Emily and Cesare being personal favourites. There’s plenty of biting commentary packed into this novella, but it’s all handled with skill, control, and absurdist humour. It was a pleasure to read something genuinely unique, with plenty to say, but never at the cost of a compelling story. The illustrations are also quite wonderful.
Highly recommended."
"This book had me hooked from the very first page. It is gloriously funny and yet, when stripped of its comical and often bizarre surface, it holds up a mirror to our modern times with unsettling clarity. Nowhere is this better illustrated than when the characters, in their search for the truth about the past, discover in a library that history has been rewritten with each new edition.
Along the way, Carthago introduces memorable satirical terms such as “Naturally Correct,” the Consent Form, and the Ivory Man.
If you enjoy dystopian fiction that entertains while giving you something to think about long after you have turned the final page, I highly recommend it."
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Nature Against
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Capital 4 has solved every human problem, including human nature. Cast into the wild, four unlikely outcasts cross strange societies, each certain it has found the right way to live. All they want is somewhere no one will correct, classify, or tame them.
AN OFFBEAT, BREATHLESS, UNSETTLING DYSTOPIAN SATIRE. A darkly funny road trip through strange societies that look ridiculous until they start feeling familiar. *** In Capital 4, every human problem has been solved. Language, behavior, memory, desire. Everyone and everything has been made equal. Nature itself has been corrected. Even death requires approval. Thrown together by circumstance, Emily, an obsessive note-taker; Ziyue, a defiant runaway; Cesare, a disgraced guard dog; and Rossum, a rule-bound compliance bot, leave the suffocating perfection of Capital 4 and enter the wild. Savage Nature is far from pristine. Other cultures have carved out their own spaces, each certain it has found a better way to live. Moving from one to the next, the journey grows stranger, darker, and more dangerous. Survival is only the beginning. The harder part is finding a place where no one will correct, classify, or tame them. But somewhere along the way, the journey begins to uncover the nature they were taught to correct. “The deeper they went into Savage Nature, the deeper Savage Nature went into them. The journey demanded an even exchange.” *** Compact, illustrated, and tightly compressed, Nature Against unfolds in sharp, fast-moving episodes through a succession of strange societies, echoing the satirical journey structure of Gulliver’s Travels 300 years on. *** For readers who like their dystopia weird, fast, funny, and packed tight. There is plenty of white space on the page, but a lot going on underneath. Leave your expectations at the door and get pulled into something unusual.
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Capital 4 has solved every human problem, including human nature. Cast into the wild, four unlikely outcasts cross strange societies, each certain it has found the right way to live. All they want is somewhere no one will correct, classify, or tame them.
Summary
AN OFFBEAT, BREATHLESS, UNSETTLING DYSTOPIAN SATIRE. A darkly funny road trip through strange societies that look ridiculous until they start feeling familiar. *** In Capital 4, every human problem has been solved. Language, behavior, memory, desire. Everyone and everything has been made equal. Nature itself has been corrected. Even death requires approval. Thrown together by circumstance, Emily, an obsessive note-taker; Ziyue, a defiant runaway; Cesare, a disgraced guard dog; and Rossum, a rule-bound compliance bot, leave the suffocating perfection of Capital 4 and enter the wild. Savage Nature is far from pristine. Other cultures have carved out their own spaces, each certain it has found a better way to live. Moving from one to the next, the journey grows stranger, darker, and more dangerous. Survival is only the beginning. The harder part is finding a place where no one will correct, classify, or tame them. But somewhere along the way, the journey begins to uncover the nature they were taught to correct. “The deeper they went into Savage Nature, the deeper Savage Nature went into them. The journey demanded an even exchange.” *** Compact, illustrated, and tightly compressed, Nature Against unfolds in sharp, fast-moving episodes through a succession of strange societies, echoing the satirical journey structure of Gulliver’s Travels 300 years on. *** For readers who like their dystopia weird, fast, funny, and packed tight. There is plenty of white space on the page, but a lot going on underneath. Leave your expectations at the door and get pulled into something unusual.
About the Author
Delenda Carthago. Not your usual read.
A European author of speculative fiction that moves across genres without settling neatly into any of them. His work blends dark satire, an allegorical edge, and idea-driven narratives where characters are pushed through strangely familiar systems.
He builds stories on compression and ambiguity, leaving space for readers to complete what remains unsaid. They reward careful attention.
For adult readers interested in uncomfortable questions rather than easy answers. For those who enjoy connecting the dots.
Not for readers seeking comfort reading, familiar formulas, or recycled story promises with different names.
Links & Contact
Official Site: https://delendastories.substack.com/
Amazon Nature Against: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GT7G67HY
Media Contact:
Imagine a world where human nature has been meticulously perfected by a computer system, leaving the inhabitants yearning for a taste of authentic chaos. In this richly imaginative landscape, Ziyue finds herself cast out from the sterile confines of Capital 4, embarking on a wild journey with a quirky band of misfits, including a talking dog and a rule-following android. As they traverse bizarre societies, each with its own eccentric take on existence, they seek a space free from the relentless gaze of their former home. The question looms: can true independence ever be found in a world so intricately crafted?
The prose of Nature Against captures both the absurdity and poignancy of this quest, blending sharp humor with biting social commentary that resonates with our own reality. Readers have praised its unique structure, likening it to a fast-paced road trip through a funhouse mirror, where the unexpected is the norm and every encounter sparks thought. The illustrations add a delightful touch, softening the narrative's impact while guiding you through the chaos. With its quick wit and layered storytelling, this novella invites you to reflect on the nature of freedom—and challenges you to keep up with its exhilarating pace.
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