POLISHED KNOB PRESS proudly announces the release of Tether, the debut speculative novel by Elijah Steele, now available in paperback, hardcover, and eBook editions.

Set in a fractured near-future Atlanta, Tether redefines gay speculative fiction—merging dystopia, desire, and the dangerous pursuit of emotional truth. In this gripping first installment of The Tether Trilogy, Steele explores what happens when empathy itself becomes both weapon and rebellion.

When the world is divided by those who feel too much and those who feel nothing at all, Tether follows Dex Truitt, a Tangent working under a authoritarian regime known only as The Order. Through sanctioned “tether sessions,” Dex is forced to use his abilities to read memories and manipulate emotion—until he begins to uncover the truth about the compound that created him, and the underground resistance fighting to restore what humanity has lost.

At once sensual and subversive, Tether challenges traditional boundaries of erotica and speculative fiction. It’s a story of power and vulnerability, of connection against control, and of how love can survive even under the harshest surveillance. Steele’s world is both intimate and immense—charged with the tactile, the emotional, and the forbidden.

Polished Knob Press celebrates erotica that dares to go deeper—stories where heat meets heart, and where pleasure and world-building coexist in equal measure. Tether embodies that mission fully: a debut that’s as lushly written as it is unapologetically queer, offering readers a provocative lens into a future where feeling is a revolutionary act.

With Tether, Elijah Steele establishes himself as a bold new voice in LGBTQ+ speculative fiction—one unafraid to ask how far we’ll go to protect our humanity when the systems meant to save us demand our surrender.