The Alcatraz Coup: A Prequel to the Red Dog Conspiracy by Patricia Loofbourrow

What if the man you swore to protect ordered you to commit genocide?

Inventor Benjamin Kerr built the domed neo-Edwardian city-state of Bridges in the center of the former U.S. Three hundred years later, Bridges is in trouble. King Taylor Kerr is elderly, the economy is struggling, and corruption is rampant.

Forty years ago, a fence was built outside of the "Pot of Gold" — the city proper — to keep out the growing numbers of homeless. This number has increased to over a hundred thousand, whole generations knowing nothing but life in the tent camps.

Xavier Alcatraz is head of the Palace Guard. When King Taylor is assassinated by his son, who then gives the order to slaughter everyone outside the fence, Xavier must choose between his vows and his conscience, making a choice which will affect Bridges for generations to come.

Set 100 years before the Red Dog Conspiracy series, this dark, violent story brings you a collision of science fiction, steampunk, and war fiction - Downton Abbey meets Black Hawk Down in a city gone mad.

Timeline:

Gutshot: The Catastrophe

The Alcatraz Coup <- you are here

Vulnerable

The Jacq of Spades

The Queen of Diamonds

The Ace of Clubs

The King of Hearts

The Ten of Spades

The Five of Diamonds

From the author:

How did you come to write The Alcatraz Coup?

The Red Dog Conspiracy story would never have happened without the events in The Alcatraz Coup, but I didn't consider writing about it until a discussion I had with one of the coordinators of an event I attended in April 2016. The idea of doing a stage play prequel to the series at the next year's event came up, so I began work on it.

In November, the stage play production fell through (although someday I may write one from the point of view of Jack Alcatraz), so I shelved it.

During the pre-order period for the Dark Humanity multi-author box set (Dec. 2016), it turned out that another book was needed in a hurry! So in six weeks - while sick, by the way - I wrote, revised, and edited The Alcatraz Coup. Whew! I re-edited it to publish as a standalone in ebook and paperback format in April 2017.

Is this a political book, or about current events?

They say all life is political. But this isn't intended as a commentary on current events. I dislike books like that.

The Alcatraz Coup takes place 100 years before The Jacq of Spades. It has no spoilers for the Red Dog Conspiracy steampunk noir series and can be read at any time.

Scroll up, buy your copy, and begin the adventure!

Warning: This is a story of urban warfare which contains on-screen major character death and graphic violence.