The Mirage A Novel [Paperback]

11/9/2001: Christian fundamentalists hijackfour jetliners. They fly two into theTigris & Euphrates World Trade Towersin Baghdad, and a third into the ArabDefense Ministry in Riyadh. The fourthplane, believed to be bound for Mecca, isbrought down by its passengers. The UnitedArab States declares a War on Terror. Arabianand Persian troops invade the EasternSeaboard and establish a Green Zone inWashington, D.C. . . .

Summer, 2009: Arab Homeland Securityagent Mustafa al Baghdadi interrogatesa captured suicide bomber. The prisonerclaims that the world they are living in isa mirage—in the real world, America is asuperpower, and the Arab states are just acollection of backward third-world countries. Other captured terrorists have beentelling the same story.

The gangster Saddam Hussein is conductinghis own investigation. And the headof the Senate Intelligence Committee—awar hero named Osama bin Laden—willstop at nothing to hide the truth. As Mustafaand his colleagues venture deeper into theunsettling world of terrorism, politics, andespionage, they are confronted with questionswithout any rational answers, andthe terrifying possibility that their world isnot what it seems.

A unique and compelling read.Like Philip RothsThe Plot Against America, the premise behind Ruffs alternate-history novel is chilling.An unnerving but intriguing premise forms the backbone of Matt Ruffs latest novel,The Mirage, one of the most daring 9/11-inspired novels to emerge after that horrific dayRuff embraces his twisty concept with an attention to detail that suggests many months, more likely years, of fervent research. . . . He is a world-class world builder who, perhaps better than any other writer, can create exotic, mysterious worlds and communicate their unique rules and consistent logics.A funhouse-mirror mash-up where H.G. Wells and Graham Greene collide withThe Arabian NightsandThe Matrix. . . . Ruff dizzies anl30