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Grafton Everest, formerly Doctor, Professor, Senator Everest and His Honour the First President of the IRA (the Inclusive Republic of Australia), had now reached the asymptote of his inexplicable ascent by being appointed, once again through no ability, effort or desire of his own, to the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations.
The Lowest Depths (2021) saw Grafton’s first foray into the realm of the United Nations, assigning him to a fact-finding trip to Russia which found more lies than facts. Now, Pandemonium takes him to the beating heart of the organisation in New York. Grafton finds a structure that is Byzantine beyond belief. Why he’s been chosen as UN Secretary-General is beyond Grafton’s reckoning. To him, it seems ‘a matter of just randomly selecting people from different countries like some sort of global secret-Santa’. As McFadyen himself said in 2022, ‘The common factor in all these adventures is that Grafton has no idea how he got into these situations nor what he is supposed to do, but somehow he not only survives but succeeds.’ In Pandemonium, the bumbling Grafton endures kidnappings and assassination attempts by a conspiracy within the ranks of the UN. He also finds himself part of a secret program to protect western influence and promote democratic values in the developing world.
Authors: Ross Fitzgerald and Ian McFadyen
Trade Paperback Published 4 October
"Pandemonium is a fine, thought-provoking book, offering absurdism on a plate with a considerable amount of wordplay. Its core strengths are the authors’ exceptional powers of observation and something they clearly share with Grafton, who is ‘sceptical of all ideologies’. The breadth of research that underpins the satire is breathtaking. Fitzgerald and McFadyen’s prose is exceptionally well-edited and tight as a drum. Comedic timing is a feature. Just when a scene is at risk of being overplayed, you’ll be refreshed with what Stephen E. Kercher referred to as ‘the cleansing lash of laughter’. " - The Sydney Institute Review