Plague of Pythons

A speculative novel depicts a society struck by a wave of mysterious possessions in which invisible entities seize human minds and bodies, provoking violence, public trials, and ritual exorcisms. It centers on a man brought to trial for a brutal crime amid uncertainty about culpability and control, and follows social institutions—courts, churches, media, and workplaces—as they respond to fear, political pressure, and efforts to identify causes. Tension grows between individual responsibility and mass hysteria while the narrative traces attempts to understand, resist, and exploit the phenomenon, examining themes of autonomy, power, and the fragility of civic order.