…it’s a story of fourth-wall humor, horrible puns, slapstick disasters, and nonsensical diversions. Beneath all that – actually, entwined in all that – however, is a story about love, friendship, memories, and the meaning of life….Jayde Ver Elst makes every scene – indeed, every word – count.
-Bob Milne, Beauty in Ruins
It’s crazy to think an adult story could work with a stuffed rabbit and an android who, let’s face it, has more than short-circuits than a radio-shack — in a wasteland of post-apocalyptic earth. But it does. The characters are entirely endearing and the story is warm enough in places to defrost even the hardest of hearts.
-Antony Jones, SFBook.com
Usu, by Jayde Ver Elst
Released June 23, 2015
The story of two lost souls in a rather eccentric fish bowl.
Humans are gone and bloody good riddance to the lot of them. The planet, left barren and lifeless by the long extinct species, has since been inherited by their own creations. Now all that roams the hollow cities and landscapes of man are the various machinations left bestowed with intelligent (or in some cases barely functional) programming, including the likes of janitorial robots, violently affectionate androids, and one very unfortunate stuffed rabbit.
Separated by distance and time, two unlikely soul mates, Usu and Rain have been rekindled by fate only to struggle once again to hold onto their fragile union. To save a friendship that has stretched across lifetimes they must trek across a land as exotic as it is unforgiving, joined in their adventure by cleaning droids, cannibal robots, and holograms from an era long past. Fighting against time, forgotten memories, and their own design at the hands of their former creators, they will find a way to be together forever, at any cost.
‘Usu’ is a heartwarming sci-fi adventure from the mind of South African writer Jayde Ver Elst that tells the tale of two very dear friends; a stuffed rabbit and his android girl.
About the Author
Jayde Ver Elst is a young South African writer and humorist who got his start with the self-published The Cult of Wensday (and yes, that’s spelled correctly, in Jayde’s own fashion). His work is best described as completely off the wall and whimsical with a tongue planted ever-so-firmly in its cheek, but also explores heartwarming relationships between richly colorful characters.
Available in print and digital from:
Amazon
B&N (and Nook)
Kobo
Smashwords
Google Play Or your local book shop
ISBNs
Trade Paperback – 9780996038133
eBook – 9780996038140