Skyrmion

"Skyrmion is a riveting technothriller with a unique voice and something to say. Readers who enjoy well constructed worlds and thought provoking sci-fi ideas will have plenty to enjoy in this novel. I enjoyed how this story created a space where the virtual world and the real world become indistinguishable." – Thomas Anderson, Literary Titan "An intricate, cyberpunk dystopian thriller that will keep readers engrossed." – Publishers Weekly - BookList In the minds of those left behind, the act of crossing over to Sweetland is, literally, no different than death. But is Sweetland really a new planet, ready to accept a humanity suffering from war, economic collapse, and environmental catastrophe? Or is it another kind of escape entirely? In 2038 the water is rising fast, fed by global warming and collapse of the ice caps. America is on the verge of war and economic disaster. For the starving many, rumors of a new answer have arrived. It's Sweetland, a newly-discovered earth-like world. And there's a novel way to get there — through the virtual reality called New Life. Fourteen-year-old Jessie Larivee has decided go to Sweetland. There is no future on Earth for children like her. She has been taking virtual training classes at an online university, and she is determined to emigrate, no matter the cost. But she hasn't figured out how to convince her dad, who is a bit of a luddite. Jessie's father, Joe Larivee, is a tireless social worker trying to help the growing legions of the poor while keeping his own head above the water. Now, he believes he has seen a glimpse the other side, and he must choose: is Sweetland real, and, if so, does he follow his daughter and lover and escape the hell Earth has become, or does he stay and fight for the unfortunate ones he has spent his life serving, and, in the process, just maybe redeem himself for the betrayal which eats at his conscience? Meanwhile, virtual private eye, Claire Deluna, has been hired to spy on a mysterious corporate upstart by it's parent company, New Life, Inc. Now she has the big players on her tail, but is it the mob, the government, the Bolivarians, or someone else? More worrying, why are bodies of mostly poor, young people turning up everywhere? And what does it have to do with the Temple of New Life and something called Sweetland?