[QCrit] THE TRICKSTER AND THE SHADOW, Adult SF, 108K words, 3rd attempt

Thanks for everyone who weighed in on my last attempt. I've tried with this new version to put more of the focus on the protagonist and demonstrating the stakes. It's also much shorter.

Dear [Agent],

I am contacting you because [reason for choosing agent]. THE TRICKSTER AND THE SHADOW is a standalone adult cyberpunk novel, complete at around 108,000 words, that blends urban grit with mythological trickster archetypes and the Jungian shadow.

Joe Piper is a street dealer in a city whose economy runs on Scape, an augmented-cognition platform only reachable through the proprietary drug, Flux. Piper’s crop of rare fungus lets him cook cheap Flux and live quietly among those the city has forgotten until graffiti tags announce the rise of Qyn, a technophobic cult in carnival masks. Piper’s curiosity prompts him to start snooping, and a terrified Scape hustler warns him of Qyn’s ties to the highest levels of government and industry. Piper takes the hint to back off until Qyn turns its ideology to terrorism. A bomb cripples the corporate Flux supply chain, making Piper’s product the hottest commodity in the city, where living quietly is no longer an option. Markets plummet as factions vie for Piper’s Flux: pharma execs scrambling to restart production, and Qyn who would destroy the drug entirely. The elites are prepared to make Piper a rich man, while Qyn would make him the face of their revolution.

The novel will appeal to readers of Annalee Newitz’s Autonomous and Zachary Mason’s Void Star, offering character-driven sci-fi with psychological and philosophical undertones.

I hold degrees from York College of Pennsylvania and Hofstra University. My fiction has appeared in several print and online journals, including Driftwood Press and The Tishman Review, and I was a Best of the Net nominee in 2017 for my short story about a Yazidi refugee fleeing violence in Iraq. I have taught English and mythology for 22 years at a nationally recognized Blue Ribbon high school on Long Island, where I live with my wife and sons. Thank you for your consideration.

Best,

[Name and contact info]