It's the year 2040. A simultaneous nuclear strike—blamed on Israel—has destroyed New York, Washington D.C., and Mecca. The new America is divided into an Islamic Republic and a Christian Bible Belt, located in the South. Phoenix is abandoned. Chicago is the site of a civil war. There are Mormon territories and a new Las Vegas, known as a free state, where the factions coexist in uncommon harmony.
A young historian, Sarah Dougan, has discovered that the nuclear strike might not have been planned by Israel after all. It appears there is a key player who has been pulling political and social strings for years, and now operates from his hideout in Las Vegas. As Sarah rushes to uncover the truth, her lover and former elite warrior for the Fedayeen, Rakkim, must try to save her from the assassin's crosshairs before its too late.
This is the setting for the new novel, Prayers for the Assassin (Scribner). Its author, Robert Ferrigno, has a few words about gambling, writing, and Vegas.
Tell us a little about the Las Vegas of 2040 and how it came to be the only safe place in your new novel.
Las Vegas performs a crucial function in the book—it's safe ground, neutral ground for representatives of the Islamic Republic and the Bible Belt to meet, conduct business, and have covert diplomatic talks. Officially, there is no contact between the two nations, no trade whatsoever. In reality they need each other and Las Vegas provides perfect cover. Also, because the Islamic Republic and the Bible Belt are conservative, politicians and businesspeople from both nations need someplace where they can blow off steam and have fun ... where they can drink, gamble and just get loose. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
While reading the book, I kept asking myself—how would a Muslim, Christian, or Jew interpret this? Yet, your vision is very uncompromising. Did you have to push a few voices and fears out of your head before you completed it?
I was worried of course how the book would be viewed, by left and right, Muslim and Christian, but I couldn't worry about that or I couldn't have written it. I just did my research, had fun and wrote.
Any juicy hate mail yet?
My favorite from the right wing called me a "Terrorist dupe and a Muslim apologist." The left called me a "Wingnut" and a "Warblogger trying to scare white America." I post the best on my website, www.prayersfortheassassin.com
You were a professional poker player for five years and also ran your own punk zine, The Rocket. How have the ideals from these two scenes affected the content of your novels?
Poker is all about taking controlled risk, assessing potential rewards and going for the jugular. Punk rock is the razor edge of music, in-your-face raw emotion. Both are all about getting past your fears. The same goes for the way I write novels. The book is an attempt to use those skills and attitudes to craft a fresh and entertaining vision.
Turkish publisher Koridor Yayincilik has bought the rights to your book. How do you think a reader in that country might react when he picks up a copy?
I was very flattered when a major publisher in an Islamic country bought the book—it meant I had done the job I set out to do. I think the Muslim readers in Turkey will get a similar good ride as Americans reading the book, but they may also not feel nearly as frightened by the possibility of an Islamic U.S. as we do.
The assassin in the story had his own opinion on what separates a blackjack player from a craps player. What's your take?
Craps is a pure adrenaline rush, the most exciting table game in Vegas. The odds are not as good as blackjack, but blackjack is boring to me, a game for accountants and grinders. I'd much rather shoot dice or play poker.
Tell a little about the unique marketing approach for this book.
Scribner has placed a very heavy bet on Prayers. The dedicated website—www.prayersfortheassassin.com—cost almost six figures to create. It's interactive, filled with news stories from the world of the book, articles on fashion, sports, new products, everything. A staff of six journalists was hired to turn out copy based on ideas I came up with. They really had fun with the project. The publisher also reached out to blogs of all kinds of readers. The book has gotten great reviews on lefty sites, right-wing sites, Christian and religious sites, gun sites, and pop-culture sites. I think bloggers were pleased to be approached, and pleased that they were being recognized as valid commentators. The book made the New York Times extended best seller list, No. 31 its first week of publication, so the campaign must be working.