The Extra is set in a future California where members of a desperate populace sign contracts to participate in reality death films, knowing that less than 20% of them will survive. It’s a view of the future—and Hollywood—as delightfully cynical as Kurt Vonnegut with sympathetic characters, Hollywood executive sleazeballs and much more.

Michael Shea has been nominated for the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award twice. He has won the World Fantasy Award, the International Horror Guild Award, and the Bram Stoker Award.