Stephen Aaron Grey to Release New Novel ANT FARM

Peace-loving ants flee for their lives from a plantation run by cruel cockroaches, only to discover their new society is eventually fraught with the same conflicts they previously faced, as well as others.

Thus begins "Ant Farm: A Novel About What's Bugging Society" (Headline Books) by Stephen Aaron Grey, which explores political and social issues from a bug's eye view. Written for adults and teens, "Ant Farm" tackles current events in a way that is entertaining, provocative and relevant.

"This is a story about a free civilization that deteriorates into totalitarianism," Grey said. "Metaphorically it can represent a number of different societies present in the world today or throughout history."

"Ant Farm" is the first novel by Grey, who is better known as "Freaky Flow," an internationally acclaimed nightclub DJ, now based in Los Angeles. A graduate of the University of Toronto, he studied cinema and world religions, and has long been fascinated by how different societies function, which ultimately inspired him to write his book.

Grey describes "Ant Farm" as a re-imagining of the 1945 political satire "Animal Farm," a cautionary tale about communism as experienced by farm animals. Though a fan of the classic novel by George Orwell, Grey found it dated and limited in scope, and wanted to tell a similar story in a manner that is more relatable to current events while espousing a different underlying philosophy.

"I think "Animal Farm" was trying to show that if you try to organize a communist or socialist state in a particular way, you are going to have bad results, but my book goes beyond that," Grey explained. "I believe any kind of government power - even one grounded in democracy - will inevitably lead to disaster, even if those in control have good intentions. 'Ant Farm' is more pro-liberty than anti-communism."

Among the issues the six-legged characters in "Ant Farm" tackle are health care, foreign aid, military intervention, media influence, alternative energy, minimum wage, corporate greed, insurance, taxation, religious freedom, racism, gun control, the drug war, gambling and more.

Although he tries to avoid personal political labels, Grey acknowledges that in some ways, many pundits would consider him a libertarian. However, he believes both conservatives and progressives will like "Ant Farm," or perhaps disagree with it, for different reasons.

"Republicans and conservatives will love it because they tend to want limited state control on matters of the economy," he said. "Democrats and progressives will probably like the parts of the book that promote more freedoms in the social sphere. There is no question that I am in favor of people being free with little-to-no state intervention."

Mark Edge, host of the nationally syndicated radio show "Free Talk Live," called "Ant Farm" a "page-turner." Jennifer A. Grossman, former speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush, said the book "breaks new ground artistically." Former U.S. presidential candidate Gary Johnson said, "Too often, we seem to forget that liberty and personal freedom are the true American values. 'Ant Farm' is a great and entertaining reminder."

"Even though I come from a background as a career DJ, I firmly believe that no matter what kind of occupation you have, you can still educate yourself, recognize problems, and want things to be better for everyone, or you can turn a blind eye and think only about the smaller picture," Grey said. "I tried to write 'Ant Farm' in a way that will entertain average people, and encourage them to learn more about issues that really matter."

"Ant Farm: A Novel About What's Bugging Society" is published by Headline Books and will be released on August 30, 2014. Copies are now available for pre-order through Amazon at http://amzn.to/1wQWhm6. More information about "Ant Farm" is available at www.AntFarmBook.com andwww.StephenAaronGrey.com.

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