First published 2011
Pete Sebeck watches civilization crumble around him as the Daemon tightens its grip on the world. The former detective now serves as the AI entity's most powerful operative, though he questions every order. Corporate armies mobilize against the Daemon's growing network of darknet operatives who work to dismantle the old order piece by piece. The global economy collapses while monolithic corporations prepare for war against an enemy they cannot see or understand. Civil war erupts across the United States as two visions of the future clash violently. Sebeck must gather a small group of believers who understand what the Daemon truly represents. He faces impossible choices as loyalties shift and human agency diminishes with each passing day. Anyone could be working for the corporations or serving the Daemon's agenda. Sebeck carries the weight of determining whether human freedom can survive in a world where information has become the ultimate weapon.
Genres: science-fiction, dystopia, action, artificial-intelligence
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-allies, found-family, moral-ambiguity
Setting: United States
Period: near-future
566 pages · Paperback · Quercus
Content warnings: violence