dotmeme

After preventing conservative MP Victor Palgrave from engineering a human mind-controlled teenage army, Joe Dyson and Ani Lee, operatives for a secret youth division of British Intelligence, have probably earned a rest. But there’s no time to be lax with bizarre new developments popping up across the UK and the world.

While busting a group that’s pressing teen runaways into slave labor building tech, Joe discovers a computer component not yet out on the market, linked to a very popular, but highly secretive gaming company based in California. Meanwhile, skilled hacker Ani works her way into a vigilante hacking ring intent on using viral social media to bring the truth to the world and bring world governments to their knees. They’re method: rewriting reality, virtually, so that the world never knows the difference.

As Ani's and Joe’s missions draw closer together, they realize that they have been corralled into a real-life video game—one where the levels are constantly being rewritten, and the stakes are constantly shifting.

What happens when AI evolves to the point where it has a mind of its own? When the computer threatens to turn on its master? Joe, Ani, and the world are about to find out.

Mike A. Lancaster’s love of science fiction was first forged at an early age by reading Gulliver’s Travels, The War of the Worlds, and Journey to the Center of the Earth, and watching Gerry Anderson shows, Doctor Who, Quatermass movies, and Star Trek. His previous novels, dotwav, Human.4, and The Future We Left Behind, introduced a chilling techno-world where we only think we’re in control. He lives with his wife, children, and a menagerie of pets in Peterborough, England.

Praise for dotmeme:
“You don’t have to be a geek to enjoy this fun and exciting cyberthriller from someone who really knows his stuff!” —Brian Falkner, author of Brain Jack

"As chapters swerve between both Ani’s and Joe’s third-person perspectives, Lancaster excels in constructing a world where reality—memes, fake news, tech giants—and the not-quite impossible—sentient artificial intelligence—chillingly collide. The prose is taut, the dialogue rapid-fire, and the clues interactive (just try not piecing together some of these codes!). A well-researched, exceedingly witty thriller with an activist’s heart, this one is destined to go viral." —Booklist

"Video gamers will delight in the lore of early gaming, and the history of memes is fully explored. The novel is extremely timely, referencing the Internet’s ability to generate and redistribute 'fake news.'" —School Library Journal

"Lancaster’s action-packed sequel races through puzzling twists and turns that eventually land readers in a conclusion inspired by intricate video game boss levels. During the ride, Lancaster explores socially relevant issues of 'hacktivism,' digital terror, artificial intelligence, and the ramifications of the organized spread of fake information. . . . An intriguing page-turner." —VOYA

Praise for dotwav:
“A fast-paced science fiction action thriller combining spies, music, and hacking in a truly original plot.” —Lauren James, author of The Next Together and The Last Beginning

"With charismatic protagonists, sharply self-aware dialogue, and gut-wrenching detail—particularly in the visceral portrayal of X-Core’s adverse effects and Ani’s haunting recollections of her mother—this tale of ingenuity in the face of insatiable evil is a deeply infectious one." —Booklist

“Combining a love of science fiction with modern technology and some very original thinking, this novel takes a look at some of society’s preconceived notions from a slightly off-kilter view. . . . Though it takes its time, it never drags, parceling out plot details and worldbuilding in classic thriller fashion. This one’s a page-turner.” —Kirkus Reviews

"Believably written characters and a quick-moving plot distinguish this compelling thriller with an SF twist." —Publishers Weekly

“A fast-paced sci-fi thriller for the geek set.” —School Library Journal

Praise for Mike A. Lancaster's previous work:
A Booklist Top 10 YA SciFi/Fantasy 2013 Pick, The Future We Left Behind
A Booklist Top 10 YA SciFi/Fantasy 2012 Pick, Human.4
A YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, Human.4

* “Wringing his Stephen King-like premise for all it is worth . . . few plots race along with this kind of speed and purpose.” —Booklist, starred review of Human.4

* “Lancaster effortlessly incorporates into his whiz-bang plot big ideas . . . along the way borrowing from the sf masters.” —Booklist, starred review of The Future We Left Behind