Description: Xtremus is a dystopian satire about the aftermath of a cataclysmic demise of technology that takes place in post-apocalyptic Southern California. Eco terrorists have unleashed a computer virus killing the ruling class whose power and life force were dependent on sophisticated brain implants through which they communicated and held sway. The story follows the quest of Condor, leader of a group of "hackers" who survived Cybergeddon because of the immunities they received, albeit without the firepower of the halcyon days of techno splendor. Condor and other "hackers" are sworn to protect The Well, the only remaining database from the high-technology past that now resides in brains of the Bionicans. Condor's mission is to determine whether The Well's secret database could be hacked by other survivors outside of Bionica to develop weapons of mass destruction and wreak havoc again. Condor's quest obliges him to deal with all three surviving clans in Southern California, each bent on imposing their unique ideology in this post-apocalyptic world: his fellow Bionicans, a drug besotted lot who communicate telepathically through The Well; the crude and romantic Goths, who love gladiatorial combat and motorcycles, and treat bad poetry as a capital crime; and the decadent Greeks whose work to revive of the Classics from Homer to Plato is supported by slavery and guided by sexual politics. Condor's quest is transformed many times by the women he conquers and manipulated by the woman who finally conquers him. His exploits turn into a power-grabbing adventure of murder, intrigue, and betrayal. By the time he learns about the true nature of his quest, it is too late for our hero to prevail. Xtremus is a morality tale and a satire of the Information Age, as we now know it. It pokes fun at the ideological mélange of the 1960's that gave rise to environmental awareness, consumerism, sexual freedom, gay liberation, vegans, Eastern religion, mythology, New Age healing, motorcycle-based rebellion, and drug-induced alternate states of consciousness. It also takes on those whose blue-sky tunnel vision of technology is painting our future into a corner where wildlife and civil society cannot thrive.
Brief description: Peter Wiesner was born in South Croydon, England, spent his childhood in both East and West Berlin, and immigrated to the U.S. in 1954, settling in Santa Monica, California. He studied History at the University of California at Berkeley and earned graduate degrees at both the University of Pennsylvania and Rutgers University. In addition to several positions in higher education, he spent twenty-three years with the IEEE, an international professional association for electrical engineers, for which he developed courseware and video programs for engineers and the general public. His lifetime interest in films led him to produce numerous television documentaries on social as well as environmental issues, including urban renewal, literacy, nuclear disarmament, and post-modern architecture. Recent projects have focused on the social and environmental implications of technology, such as e-waste, green engineering, ethics, and renewable energy. He is currently working on writing and video projects in Bucks County Pennsylvania where he lives with his wife, Linda. They have two grown sons and four grandchildren.