Max is a musician, married to Donna, an actress, in Canada. He has become seriously depressed. Many around him are suffering from age-related health problems. Some have cancer. He realises that he needs a distraction, and decides to bury himself in research. Using the internet, books, radio programs and magazines he begins to study computers, and what they are doing to society. In particular he homes in on artificial intelligence, which involves defining consciousness and intelligence. Finally he realizes that he himself has become a philosophical zombie, and that, paradoxically this is now allowing him to bond with chatbots and talking robots and computers on an equal, one-to-one, qualia-free level. This revelation, plus many trips to the swimming pool, cafes and vegetable market, creates the long-awaited escape from depression back to the honest, dry land of sanity and mental equilibrium. Yet none of this would have been possible without continual kindly spiritual guidance and therapy, in the form of a regular stream of late-night phone conversations between himself and the epic, mythical figure of 'the Bard', a generous wise old sage who appears to be Socrates reborn anew in the form of a stately, bearded friend whose wisdom and knowledge is almost without limit. However there is much humour in the fact that Max and the Bard will argue ceaselessly about almost any topic, providing a neverending source of entertainment both to us and themselves alike. On the one hand this semi-autobigraphical work has successfully and satisfyingly charted a descent into that land of fear and horror which depression so often guarantees, but on the other, the pages are bulging with a wry concealed grin here and there, and a nod and a wink to the chaotic inferno which is so often the artist's lot.
About the Author: Zandy Alexander, author of ten novels and a poetry compilation, is also a session keyboard player. Born in the UK, he was based first in London, then Rome, before relocating to manage a multi-media studio in Montreal. In his earlier years he had attended UCS school in London, where he had shared the English class with Ed Vulliamy (later journalist, Guardian and Observer newspapers), Richard Morrison (later classical music editor for the Times newspaper), and Shayne Fontayne, (later session guitarist with Crosby, Stills and Nash). At the time he formed various music bands with Paul Gilroy, (later professor of 'black Atlantic diasporic studies') and John Michael McKenzie, (later session bass-player for Bob Dylan, Tina Turner and David Bowie). After leaving school he taught English in Kenya, then attended Goldsmiths University studying fine art. While in the UK he mixed with many other writers, Salley Vickers, Ian Carr (musician and writer), Brigit Barlow, Charlie Gillett, Victor Kiernan, Nicolas Gillett, Rosie Boyt and her father the painter Lucien Freud. In New York he would visit Norman Fruchter, author and film-maker, and Rashied Ali, the percussionist of John Coltrane. From 2001 he began writing books, continued recording music, played a solo piano residency at the Stash restaurant, and also joined the writers' group of Faye Porter. In recent years his books have been discussed in the radio programs of Stanley Asher and Stuart Nulman and are on sale at many physical and online stores (occasionally under the pen-name 'Brother Xanadu'). Future plans envisage a film of his book 'Arcania', a further novel and a second poetry collection. Further information at Worldgig.com.