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The first day on the Colorado River, the heat soared to 105 degrees. Frigid splashes of 46-degree water, and clothes soaking deluges from the rapids, were a startling but welcomed contrast. A bend in the river sheltered us behind sheer canyon walls and provided momentary respite from the scorching sun. One of the river guides mentioned we were rafting into an area called the Crematorium. Such an ominous name for an environment of stark splendor. I made a mental note of it.

The sun and the moon had been rising, setting, waning and waxing over these rocks for 1.8 billion years. It’s hard to comprehend being in the same place with a piece of the earth so ancient; a silent witness to the rise and fall of dinosaurs and long gone civilizations.

The group stopped to camp at 4pm on a sandy area of about an acre with small trees and brush. It took a few minutes to set up my cot, then I fetched my notepad and pen out of a dry bag and dragged a camp chair to the ankle-deep water of the shoreline. I watched small fingerling fish dart around my feet.

It was July 2021. I was on a 10-day rafting trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. No cell service. Completely unplugged. Zero-Day: The Sommerfeld Experiment hadn’t been published yet, although it was close to a final draft. I knew I wanted three or four books, and I had a vague idea of where I wanted the story to go but didn’t know all the details.

In the camp chair, with a breeze on my face heated by the canyon walls, I began to outline.

The Crematorium became a place in Old Town, San Francisco, ravaged by a series of earthquakes. One of the river guides, a lovely Navajo woman, became the inspiration for Nizhoni (she actually suggested the name). It means ‘beautiful’ in her language. The quiet, and the peace and lack of distractions provided the canvas for which four Sommerfeld Experiment story outlines emerged.

This was a journey that helped create a journey.

Zero-Day – released December 2021

Gauntlet – released April 2022

Maelstrom – releasing fall of 2022

Kill, Switch – releasing spring of 2023

ZER0-DAY Cover
BOOK REVIEW

ZER0-DAY

BY • POSTED ON Dec. 20, 2021

Davidson’s debut series starter is an SF thriller that revolves around a young man with a mysterious background—and even more mysterious abilities.

The narrative is set in the near future of 2073 on the West Coast of a United States ravaged by ecological and economic disaster. San Francisco, for example, has been devastated by earthquakes and is now called Old Town, a lawless wasteland of “warring gangs, drug dealers, low-level mobsters, and sex peddlers.” Joshua Cabrera is the 24-year-old leader of the Epitaphs. They’re at the top of Old Town’s food chain, due in large part to their brilliant, tech-savvy members, who can hack into any site and have developed cutting-edge cybernetic, implanted wetware for their members. Under Joshua’s steady leadership, the gang is about to finish a multimillion-dollar deal to sell the Maelstrom, a seemingly unstoppable mind-linked weapon designed by Joshua and his best friend, Kevin Maitland, a developer who’s done revolutionary work in nanotech and neuroscience. But the deal goes bad, and Joshua and his crew become prime targets in the Nevada State Military Zone, run by tyrannical government agencies. Agent Vince Farrell’s mission is simple: locate Joshua and the revolutionary weapon at any cost. However, Joshua is much more than he seems—and his unexplainable enhancements may lead to greater revelations. This SF crime novel has a lot of noteworthy elements. The worldbuilding, for instance, is exceptional—even in the virtual realities that provide characters with entertainment—as is the fine pacing. There’s also an impressive amount of action and adventure as well as intricate plotting and detailed character development. Joshua, in particular, has significant depth that gives him the potential to carry multiple future installments. And the humor throughout is a definite plus; readers won’t soon forget an odd gag involving virtual chipmunks.

Cyberpunk aficionados will enjoy this slick and highly readable tale.

Pub Date: Dec. 20, 2021

ISBN: 979-8-9852207-2-8

Page count: 409pp

Publisher: Destiny Engine

Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022

Awards, Press & Interests

Day job

Writer

Favorite author

Gregg Hurwitz

Favorite book

Orphan X series

Favorite word

Yes

Hometown

Santa Cruz, CA

Passion in life

Fossil hunting

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