Introducing (again) Dave Eggers

Once a poorly paid Salon editor, he left and climbed to mighty literary heights. Now he's back with a bitingly funny tale about the American political circus.

Salon will be serializing Dave Eggers' novel-in-progress about the American political circus in coming weeks.

You can check for each new installment on this page, which will function as a table of contents.

The Unforbidden Is Compulsory
Or, Optimism

Episode 1 of Salon's new political serial.

Episode 2: The balloon battle heats up, and Bill Bennett enters the picture.

Episode 3: "Here we take over," said Sergei. "Here we end this thing. Here we win."

The Fishmonger Returns

Episode 4 Rebecca Romaine's biggest concern was how to make her farm-bred catfish taste like nothing. Then came a fateful phone call.

Episode 5 A distinct, unsettling scent: Politicking among the undertakers.

Episode 6 Rebecca noticed Giacomo's eyes were trained on his own reflection. More specifically, on his own ass.

Episode 7 He was determined to be strong, to go to D.C. with an agenda, and that agenda was to have good and lustful ongoing affairs simultaneously with three or four women in their forties.

Episode 8 Rebecca was so appallingly nervous and weird that all who sat witness wanted to douse her with water, throw a Red Cross blanket over her, and lead her to safety.

Episode 9 If Giacomo didn't know better, he'd be convinced he had feelings for Rebecca, unrelated to this election. But how?

Episode 10 "You want to win," the kid asked Rebecca, "or are you just doing a Ralph Nader kind of thing?"

Episode 11 Rebecca's idea was radical: No money accepted, no money spent -- a campaign of ideas, a campaign of hustle and sweat, brains and legwork.

Episode 12 Rebecca continued a few more steps, keys in hand, and felt the line compress around her. She was surrounded. She wanted to scream. They were going to mug her.

Episode 13 The students show up en masse -- some fainting, some drooling -- at Rebecca's campaign headquarters. What, she wonders, could they possibly want?

Episode 14 In the 14 hours since Rebecca had given her speech, it had been downloaded 8,237 times and made its way around the world many times over. Now, her fans wanted her to speak to them.

Episode 15 She has a donated castle and an army of volunteers wearing T-shirts saying "I Drank the Kool-Aid." So what is Rebecca supposed to do now?

Episode 16 Edward Longshanks fought fires, but was Edward Longshanks a firefighter? He was not. Edward Longshanks was a fixer. He was a cleanup man. He was a slate cleaner. He was an operative.

Episode 17 It was fascinating, this process, thrilling and so quick -- who knew manipulating political reporters would be so easy?

Episode 18 How could he know that he had political enemies who would decide to go after his good name -- which, yes, just happens to be Saddam.