First published 1995
Abelard Lindsay once served as a diplomat for the Shapers, genetically modified revolutionaries who rely on psychotechnic training and artificial conditioning to enhance human potential. Now he lives in exile, cast out from his faction as they lose ground to their rivals, the Mechanists. These ancient aristocrats extend their lives through advanced prosthetic technology and seek to dominate the fragmented matrix of human civilization. Lindsay refuses to surrender to defeat. He travels from world to world across the galaxy, sometimes building empires, sometimes barely escaping with his life. His roles shift constantly: rebel, pirate, politician, soldier, scholar. Each identity serves his larger mission to advance the Shaper cause against overwhelming odds. The two factions battle for control over humanity's future direction. Lindsay operates in the spaces between their conflict, using cunning and adaptability where others rely on pure genetic enhancement or technological augmentation. His survival depends on his ability to navigate the dangerous politics of a species divided against itself. The fate of human evolution may rest on whether this failed diplomat can succeed where his faction has faltered.
Genres: science-fiction, space-opera, political-thriller, cyberpunk
Vibes: gritty, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: anti-hero, enemies-to-lovers
Setting: Shapers, Mechanists, Matrix
Period: Future
288 pages · Paperback · RoC