{"product_id":"outpost-on-pluto-9798233327148","title":"Outpost on Pluto","description":"\u003cp\u003e • Author(s): Mate Istvan-Matyas\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher: Mate Istvan-Matyas\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher Imprint: Mate Istvan-Matyas\u003cbr\u003e • BISAC: Absurdist\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSynopsis: Outpost on Pluto\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOutpost on Pluto\u003c\/strong\u003e is a darkly absurdist military science fiction story that blends cosmic horror with the gritty, practical humor of Szekler soldiers. Set on the frozen, God-forsaken surface of Pluto, the narrative follows a squad of the \u003cstrong\u003eHonorable Hungarian Space Army's Extreme Border Guard Battalion\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe story begins with \u003cstrong\u003eCorporal Pista Tank�\u003c\/strong\u003e, a soldier struggling more with a persistent wart on his foot and the crushing boredom of guard duty than any external threat. This mundane existence is shattered by the arrival of \"The Thing\"-a pitch-black, indestructible rectangular block that begins hovering silently above their barracks.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs communications with Earth are severed, the squad descends into a surreal madness. The alien object exerts a strange psychological influence, driving soldiers to strip off their protective gear in the lethal -232 C cold or fall into cult-like worship of the entity, which they name \"Franciska\". Pista, forced into a leadership role by the gruesome suicides and mental collapses of his superiors, attempts to maintain military order with sausages, duct tape, and sheer stubbornness.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe novella explores themes of isolation and the fragility of human identity through a lens of grim, \"trench\" humor. Whether the soldiers are attempting to lasso the alien craft or towing their entire portable base across the ice to escape it, their efforts highlight a desperate struggle to remain human in an indifferent universe.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUltimately, the story is a visceral account of first contact gone wrong-not through war, but through the absolute psychological dissolution of those meant to stand guard at the edge of the dark.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKey Elements: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSetting: \u003c\/strong\u003e A desolate, nitrogen-ice covered Pluto.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTone: \u003c\/strong\u003e A unique mix of Szekler folk-wisdom, military grit, and Lovecraftian dread.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConflict: \u003c\/strong\u003e A battle for sanity against an entity that refuses to even acknowledge the soldiers as more than a brief curiosity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Mate Istvan-Matyas","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47775071109271,"sku":"9798233327148","price":997.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0666\/3471\/1191\/files\/9798233327148.webp?v=1777988319","url":"https:\/\/atlanticbooks.com\/products\/outpost-on-pluto-9798233327148","provider":"Atlantic Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}