Frigid Fracas

In a sharply satirical future where status depends less on merit than on image, mercenary Major Joe Mauser is determined to rise higher by force of will and battlefield success. But in a society ruled by caste snobbery, televised spectacle, and carefully manufactured celebrity, even victory can leave him humiliated. When sharp-tongued Telly reporter Freddy Soligen shows him how fame is really made, Joe is drawn into a cynical campaign of publicity, persona, and social manipulation meant to turn him into a marketable war hero. As Joe's profile grows, so do the tensions around him: his love for aristocratic Dr. Nadine Haer exposes the gulf between inherited privilege and hard-won ambition, while elite gatherings reveal the violence and hypocrisy beneath polished manners. Meanwhile, battlefield briefings and a weeklong military fracas showcase a world of evolving tactics, aerial scouting, and ruthless professionalism. On the opening day of combat, Joe takes to the air in a specially modified glider, only to face political scrutiny, old rivals, and the deadly logic of modern warfare. Blending military action, romance, and biting social satire, the novel skewers class mobility, media culture, and the cost of trying to become important. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.