What will Egypt look like in 2023? The wealthy have sequestered themselves in a North Coast utopia, guarded by U.S. Marines; there, they indulge in drugs and illicit pleasures to the extreme. Meanwhile, outside the gates, the poor are crushed, tearing at one another’s flesh just to survive—devoid of electricity, sanitation, or medical care of any kind. Yet, when the narrator and his companion, Germinal, slip out of the utopia—driven by boredom and the hunt for suitable human prey—an event unfolds that threatens to shatter the status quo. Evoking the horrors of a doomsday scenario, this gripping novel sounds a dire alarm; upon finishing it, one is left wondering: is this truly a work of fiction, or did the author slip in from the near future to convey its terrors with chilling detachment?