Paul III of Montreal

In 2017, the leaders of the Game Federation easily overthrew the governments and seized power. The people of the Earth, finally unified under the same banner, readily accepted the domination of the intellectual elite. This first government created the social structure that was to last for the next seventy-five years. The geography of the globe was divided up into two hundred districts; each represented by their local champion. The Princes of the Game-those having shown an exceptional and constant talent throughout their career-became the Ministers and advisers of the reigning Lord, the champion of the world.

This structure became the pride of the globe's inhabitants. They felt they had reached the perfect form of government. Finally, they had a tool to evaluate the competence of the ruling class and it replaced its members regularly and naturally. They had come a long way from the primitive societies based on physical force, violence, or birthright. They were even farther from those based on money, economic capacity, or popularity and charisma. It was now the reign of the mind. It was humanity's finest hour!

This model was not without flaws however, and the siege of Geneva in 2089, which brought about the abdication of John II-the eleventh world champion-released the globe from a viper's nest of corruption.

Nevertheless, this system was a clear improvement on the preceding societies and paved the way for the current one. I will not insult you, faithful readers, by pointing out more recent historical facts. The idea here is to examine the lives of some of the main characters who marked the decline of that previous empire and the probable causes of its collapse. As an historian, I have based my work on the memoirs of some of those people. As a novelist, I have established a dramatic plot that will allow the readers to familiarize themselves with the realities of that time while enjoying-I hope-a good story.

Copyright © 2002 by Christian-Eric Falardeau