Todd S. Glider is an author, musician, director, and producer. After 13 years of living in Europe, he, along with his wife Jeremie and their cat, Sophie, returned to the United States. The three of them currently reside in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In his new book, “The Alpha Upgrade of HD Heathers,” follow the #4 Glad in Mega-City Philadelphia, HD Heathers, as she navigates celebrity, loneliness, and the creeping feeling that the world is not as utopian as she would have been led to believe. It is Book 1 in the Science Fiction saga The Book of Glads. It is available on Amazon and Book Selfie. Follow the author: Instagram. More about Book Selfie here. (Amazon, 2023)

“The Alpha Upgrade of HD Heathers” – Experience a world in which nation states have fallen by the wayside, giving way to The Mega-City System and The Alpha Upgrade Program. While The System acknowledges, and even caters to the shortcomings of all citizens, The Program gives everyone the opportunity to have the strength, dexterity or virility of a superhero, and the fame that comes with it. The one catch is that you must agree to participate in the most popular form of entertainment, Gladiatorial Combat—sometimes to the death. HD Heathers opted for a strength upgrade fresh out of high school. Now, 15 years later, she is the hero of millions, having gained wealth, prestige, and stardom. She is a genetically enhanced human with superhuman strength, commonly known as a Brawn. The story opens as she is taken by surprise and attacked by an unknown competitor in a FAB, a Floating Arena Battle. He turns out to be Billy O. Boyd, someone from her past, but the battle has no clear winner and that is not the last she will see of him. As she encounters one obstacle after another, the world she knows will make her question her decisions and the motivation of those who surround her.

Set in a futuristic Mega-City Philadelphia of 2370 where “content was king across the Mega-City System and ScrimCoating was the medium for viewing remote content,” technology has advanced to the point where almost every Citizen wears a ScrimCoated wristband at all times. Drones are a constant source of monitoring and recording, often in pictures, which is why HD Heathers constantly presents a ‘picture perfect’ posture to the world. This is one appeal of “The Alpha Upgrade of HD Heathers” because it makes the future similar to today’s world, with more sophisticated technology and modern day Gladiators, who have opted for upgrades like superhuman strength and agility. The only drawback is that they must constantly battle others like themselves and basically serve as entertainment for the masses. The characters are well developed (HD Heathers is a strong female character) and relatable and the language is descriptive and poetic “HD could not see much more than some ghostly tendrils crossing the brightest star, Sirius, and the anemic blade of a crescent moon.” The pacing of the story is constant and steady, leading up to the climatic final battle. With a futuristic setting and Gladiator style battle scenes, “The Alpha Upgrade of HD Heathers” is a highly entertaining science fiction novel; it serves as a social commentary on capitalism and what passes for entertainment in a world where content and popularity rankings are influential. It is recommended for readers who appreciate futuristic science fiction novels and superhero/fantasy science fiction.

* Disclaimer: contains explicit sex scenes.

“Many in the crowd averted their eyes. Some shook their heads. Others wept. There were blank faces, too. “WAS THAT NOT ENOUGH?” HD shouted. “CITIZENS! ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?” The silence held. HD shouted, “VERY WELL! I AM HERE TO ENTERTAIN YOU!”