Death plays dirty.
It’s 2112 and war between nations has become a spectator sport. Soldiers are now gamers who live and die based on the outcome of the match, and every four years a worldwide MegaDeath tournament gives countries a chance to air their grievances. This year, however, an enterprising company has made it possible for ordinary citizens to bet their lives on their country’s team. Winning players will become national heroes, but losers will be responsible for the deaths of millions of their fellow citizens.
For North America’s talented star player, Megan Mori, death can’t come soon enough. Haunted by the loss of her daughter, which she blames on her own government, she has nothing more to lose and no one to fight for.
But as the games begin, it becomes clear that a much more sinister agenda is unfolding, and Megan will need to rally her fellow gamers against a threat that could end humanity as they know it.
Working for a government think tank specializing in future technologies by day, Tory Quinn enjoys spending the evenings in front of the fire, sipping wine (a good but cheap Merlot from a box), while spinning yarns about technology gone astray and the lessons we can learn from the people faced with those situations. How does a scientist like Tory become a prolific writer? As Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” Many of the same skills required to dream up tomorrow’s great technologies apply to building fictional worlds, then setting extraordinary characters free within them.
Nancy Wu is an award-winning narrator who has worked in animation, television, theater, and film. Having lived and recorded all over the world, she is known for her vivid action/fantasy characters, accents, and bringing literature and nonfiction equally to life. A graduate of Amherst College with her master's degree in human rights, she is an avid Ashtanga yoga practitioner and rock climber. Born and raised in West Virginia, she currently resides in Boulder, Colorado.