Publication Date: April 13, 2024
I am a gender criminal. I am Unmale, yet I write as though I am a person.
Driven by a Machiavellian mind and ego, Tiresius has risen through the ranks of the Autokracy to become Imperial Treasurer, has won over the trust of the Autokrator himself, and yet, has broken the society’s most scared rules: She has posed as a male for many years. In the eyes of the Autokracy, this gender crime is one of the most heinous a person can commit, and punishable by death.
In this deeply etched speculative world, women — Unmales — have been relegated to non-person status with their reproduction strictly controlled. Their only role is to serve men, and to do so from the shadows.
Tiresius’s rebellion against the Autokracy coincides with that of a Domestic — a female labourer — named Cera. Cera’s son, who was taken from her at birth as demanded by tradition, is the successor to the Autokracy. She is desperate to be part of his life and takes dangerous steps toward revealing herself to him, becoming a gender criminal herself.
The fates of both women become intertwined as they are driven to discover what cost gender and power exact.
Imagine a world where women are relegated to performing unpaid labor with no autonomy while others are set aside as breeders. These unmales serve at the whim of the Supreme Ruler.
It’s certainly a premise that wouldn’t set well for today’s liberated women. However, much like the dystopian world depicted in The Handmaid’s Tale, author Emily A. Weedon delivers a cautionary tale in Autokrator.
The story takes two main characters, Tiresius and Cera, and highlights their efforts to rebel. Both gender criminals they fight to expose the Autokrator. Their stories intersect in a powerful story arc, demonstrating how far they will go to secure a different path.
Meanwhile, the ruler uses science to explore ways to cut the unmales out of the breeding process. The beauty of the story is the author’s smooth writing style that sucks you in. However, the book desperately needs a new cover in order to showcase the powerful story within.
Autokrator delivers a multi-faceted book highlighting a society with extreme views about women.
Emily A. Weedon is a debut author and an award-winning screenwriter. She co-created the series Chateau Laurier, the most awarded web series in the world in 2023. She and co-writer Kent Staines were awarded Best Writing in a Web Series at the Canadian Screen Awards in 2023. Emily has been a graphic designer, musician, set painter, and art director. She played music professionally and has released 3 EPs. She lives in Toronto, Ontario with her daughter, Ginger.
