IMMORTALITY BYTES

In Abrams’ SF novel, a billionaire fraudster’s yearning for tech-assisted immortality upends an influencer’s life.

Everybody claims to have their so-called red lines that they’d never cross—but what if a chance to live forever presented itself? That’s the question facing wealthy but ill criminal Chuck Rosti, who’s scheming to steal the Vekhuman technology developed by Roxy Zhang, which will give him a new lease on life, both literally and figuratively. Getting past the fearsome security at ZerQuali, which Roxy founded, presents a challenge, however. Enter Roxy’s ex-boyfriend, Stu Reigns, an idealistic influencer whose perennially ropy finances leave him vulnerable to Chuck’s offer of $3 million to steal the tech. Stu’s complicated history with Roxy gives him all the emotional justification he needs to “find a way to buy some happiness, dammit.” Of course, nothing is simple in a dystopian setting with 96-degree temperatures, overdriven artificial intelligence, and lethal security robots called “Robo-Krupkes.” Before long, Stu winds up mired in double- and triple-crosses, as he must also stay one step ahead of a team of Russian thugs who want the tech for themselves. Fans of cyberpunk SF will find plenty of thrills in these pages, delivered in suitably unapologetic slam-bang fashion by Abrams: “The Robo-Krupke zipped five feet off-angle, whipped around, and fired one shot….The metallic smell of blood stained the air.” An additional twist comes from a series of hyperlinks (“ONLY CLICK IF YOU'RE FEELING ULTRA-NERDY”) that readers may click for deeper dives into characters’ backstories, defining scenes, and assorted ephemera, if they’re so inclined—or they may simply enjoy the white-knuckled ride as it stands, from the safety of their armchairs. Either way, the outcome should amply satisfy aficionados of alternative, tech-centered SF.

A supercharged, high-stakes cyberpunk thriller.