It’s 2500-proprietary genetic enhancements are ruthlessly guarded by a caste of aristocratic Rulers who preside over the burnt-out husk of American democracy, and the imperious Sargon 3 is on the brink of achieving a lifetime’s worth of ambitions: he’s the Ruler of New York, master of the US Senate, and mere steps away from the presidency itself.

The birth of his cloned successor, Sargon 4, is an occasion for national celebration. But Sargon harbors a potentially deadly secret: an illegal bastard daughter, Phaedra, who was conceived the old-fashioned way-through love.

Rival Rulers-including the mad, decrepit incumbent President Iocle and the savage religious extremist Senator Everest from Texas (who believes bastards should be dissolved in acid)-will stop at nothing to expose Phaedra and destroy Sargon, who must try to protect his children and defend his city against a backdrop of mounting political discord and civil unrest.

At once a family saga, a sophisticated political thriller, and a briskly paced sci-fi fever dream, Isle of Dogs: Part One is the most ambitious installment yet in Jon Frankel’s acclaimed Drift series (which includes GAHA: Babes of the Abyss and The Man Who Can’t Die).