Just three days into his stint minding the family shop and already there's a jagged hole in the wall where the new smart-drugs vending machine used to be, courtesy of the local psychopathic heavy. But as the clock ticks down on his father's return, hope appears in the guise of an enigmatic beauty, a girl stepped straight out of Dean's dreams, proposing a wild and improbable plan that could just change all their lives - maybe even for the better. Pale Kings is a sharp-witted and comical journey into the crazy world of contemporary fine art, the illicit potential of virtual reality gaming, and the neurotic susceptibilities of robotic guard dogs.