Politics is everywhere these days; we are drowning in it. The Voyage of the UnderGod holds up a mirror to this sad state of affairs by creating a world animated by partisan political feeling, every utterance up for grabs as an allusion or parody or gag or prank or desperate cry for help.

In a reality TV show a 19th-century tall ship sails the south Atlantic, doubling back to Rio de Janeiro, then down the coast to the deadly Cape Horn. Its celebrity captain is Luther Dorsey, a presidential hopeful whose back-story combines elements of Reagan, Limbaugh, and George W. The tone is mock-heroic yet charged with dramatic intensity as Luther makes his last grasp at the greatness he thinks he deserves.