The world is getting older.

The world is getting younger.

The United States is dead.

The Democratic Unity killed it.

After catastrophic wars and the Meltdown, the Unity rules from its East Coast citadel, leaving the outlands to savages and its strangely altered plants. Providing free health care, employment, computer-less surfing, and recreational drugs at quite reasonable prices, the Unity mandates retirement at 40 before fatigue and error contaminate a culture of youth, innovation, and vigor.

Seventeen-year-old, and thus middle-aged, Lieutenant Malila Chiu, is a veteran officer who, despite well-earned fame, finds her career in tatters. Vandalism at a distant station triggers her demotion. Facing denunciation, or worse, Malila's one option is to enter the outlands to repair the station herself. At first, the repairs go well.

Dropping from fatigue, she sleeps only to awake to find a hideously ancient savage, Jesse Johnstone, has murdered her platoon and now holds a knife at her throat, making her the Outland Exile.

Part coming-of-age, part political augury, part societal commentary, Outland Exile follows Malila on a brutal foot trek through a devastated America even as it reveals to her the lies about her advanced society. What unseen forces are holding her a pawn in unknown game? Is there escape?