They might have picked the wrong messenger...

In 1969, Gable Fugue lives by one simple code: Do not rock the boat. By day, he manages a local grocery store. By night, he hides in his garage from the turbulent times and his hippie stepdaughter, writing horror stories. But his anonymous, stay-out-of-the-way lifestyle shatters when he begins receiving what appear to be cryptic, otherworldly transmissions about the end of the world.

When Gable turns these interstellar warnings into a short story, he accidentally sparks a firestorm. His story grabs the attention of not only a fringe sci-fi magazine but also the U.S. government. Suddenly, this mild-mannered hobbyist writer is caught in a web of Cold War paranoia, suburban rot, and psychedelic madness.

As Gable's reality fractures, he faces the ultimate cosmic joke. He, who does not wish to rock the boat, might be the only one who can save humanity.

The Arc of Annihilation is a darkly comic exploration of failed men, failing systems, and the absurd burden of delivering a dire message when no one's listening.

Paul Brad Logan is the writer of Halloween Ends, Manglehorn, and Hallelujah!