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“‘2050’” is an overwhelming effort, bold in scope and execution, [written] in the tradition of the best sci-fi/sci-fantasy,” wrote reviewer and ΢��Ȧ alumnus Bryan McMillan ’03. “From the first line to the last, the action spans centuries and continents, inner and outer space, and it dismantles key conceits of Western civilization along the way. If a trilogy-length Zen koan were possible, this might be it.”

Volume One: “Gods of Little Earth” is set 2,050 years after an environmental disaster destroys much of Earth’s civilization. Only three of the seven continents remain habitable.

Protagonist Vilb de Solenthay lives as a hermit on Little Earth (present-day Antarctica) and is plagued by inner voices that call him to leave his hermitage and embark on a journey – a pilgrimage – to San Simon, a type of Vatican city, where the gods live.

Many other inhabitants of Little Earth have taken this pilgrimage, though not all have returned. Those who do return are elevated to leadership status and are made a part of the inner circle (those who rule the outer circle). Desiring these advantages, Vilb, the antihero, sets out on his journey.

Vilb learns that the gods of Little Earth were originally human and that they harnessed life-extension technology that enabled them to prolong their lives and to turn themselves into immortal beings – gods. They then cloned the rest of the population of Little Earth, and even themselves, in order to repopulate their realm. Vilb discovers that he, too, is a clone who has been re-cloned over many lifetimes.

Vilb also learns of a very old power struggle between the gods of Little Earth and the singular god Levinthal, who rules present-day North America. Vilb is unwillingly made a pawn and a weapon in the gods’ war against Levinthal.

In Volume Two: “The Power at the Bottom of the World,” Vilb’s entanglement in the war of the gods deepens. He gathers more knowledge and power, literally transforms his body into a fighting machine and willingly agrees to take on Levinthal by himself. By the end of this volume, Vilb is literally gargantuan, striding across the globe, convinced that he is unbeatable.

By Volume Three: “When Immortals Reign,” Vilb’s epic journey leads to its ultimate climax.

Zornado described his trilogy as “a cautionary tale, a critique of American capitalism, that of private greed over public good. The trilogy asks: What is it to be human? What is it to be free? How do I know that the thoughts in my head are my own or simply thoughts conditioned by my environment?”