‘The Somber Nights’ by Wolfgang Jäger

The Somber Nights is a dystopian novel inspired by novels like Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, Nineteen-Eighty-Four by George Orwell and elements of the Steampunk sub-genre. The story is based around the life of twenty-one year old Georgios, a citizen of the ‘Cogs’ in the Enlightened Republic of the Isle (or simply The Isle). He has been brainwashed by the propaganda taught in his childhood into believing in the government. He battles with his beliefs as he becomes older, with the resulting newly acquired free thinking. The world has become increasingly industrialized and war driven, which has caused pollution levels that have darkened the sky making the sun and moon mythical figures. Light is a luxury and can only be acquired by unnatural means. Fire (except candles) is outlawed. The ‘Cogs’ are the lowest class in the society (or ‘Machinery’) that makes up the population of The Isle. They make up over ninety percent of the residents and live in the slummier districts of the cities on The Isle. They are the lowest class and do the majority of the industrial and military work. They are allowed candles for light, which are very expensive and rare. The three classes are the ‘Cogs’ (lower class), ‘Machinists’ (middle class) and the ‘Enlightened’ (upper class/government).

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