In The Capitol Expressway by Richard Siciliano, with the rise of the Aquarian Age independent thinking has been replaced by conformity and harmony. The Iconoclasts are the misfits of society and they are punished in the many rehabilitation centres. With many individualists disappearing for believing it is good to be unique, the question has to be asked, why is God creating the human form to be such? If humans can be eliminated by abortion and euthanasia, then maybe they are not so perfect and a real threat to the tranquility and peace the Aquarian Age is trying to establish. Is organized religion becoming extinct? Follow a government worker's internal struggle as he faces his rehabilitation and the journey to discover if, indeed, his thoughts do conflict with society's vision of perfection where friendship, not conflict exists.

The subject matter of The Capitol Expressway by Richard Siciliano's novel is truly thought provoking. The main characters have unique personalities and an inner strength to fight for what they thought was right. I thought the character of Doctor Fortuno was quite sinister. The author's descriptive narrative drew you completely into the story from page one. The psychological game of cat and mouse between the staff in the rehabilitation centre and the patients was chilling and malevolent. The concept of the story was quite extraordinary. There are many twists and turns to the plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat and the revelations at the end were masterful.

The Capitol Expressway, by Richard Siciliano, concerns the forced rehabilitation of a government supervisor, a patient and supposed malcontent, whose name is not officially revealed to us readers until the end of this futuristic tale. In the patient’s culture, it is the Aquarian Age, and all the ills of society, including individualism, have been suppressed with careful precision by everyone’s cooperation. Locked alone in a re-purposed hospital room, the prisoner has ample time to consider and reconsider his past actions and also an escape plan, and to think of his former colleagues, particularly a woman named Janie, whom he loves, and whose fate remains unknown to him. Wavering between despair and determination, he struggles to maintain his sanity and to prove his innocence. Will the patient be vindicated and regain his freedom? Will he be reunited with Janie, the one person whom he cares most about?

The Capitol Expressway, by Richard Siciliano, paints a dismal picture of how tranquility and equity might be achieved in any society by the suppression of independent thinking and individualism. This is not the first speculative story about a future society where a supposed optimum has been reached at the expense of personal freedom, but it is certainly a refreshingly well-written and unique take. As in reality, we readers are introduced to ordinary people who react, or at least try to do so, to extraordinary circumstances. Perhaps one thing we can take away from this story is that those who rebel against oppression may not have the chance to enjoy the benefits of their sacrifice. If readers enjoy a futuristic story that mirrors some of the issues faced by contemporary society, they will want to read this book.