What if our civilization is more advanced than we know? The New York Times bestselling author of Daemon—“the cyberthriller against which all others will be measured” –Publishers Weekly) —imagines a world in which decades of technological advances have been suppressed in an effort to prevent disruptive change. Are smartphones really humanity’s most significant innovation since the moon landings? Or can something else explain why the bold visions of the 20th century—fusion power, genetic enhancements, artificial intelligence, cures for common diseases, extended human life, and a host of other world-changing advances—have remained beyond our grasp? Why has the high-tech future that seemed imminent in the 1960s failed to arrive? Perhaps it did arrive…but only for a select few. Particle physicist Jon Grady is ecstatic when his team achieves what they’ve been working toward for years: a device that can reflect gravity. Their research will revolutionize the field of physics—the crowning achievement of a career. Grady expects widespread acclaim for his entire team. The Nobel Prize. Instead, his lab is locked down by a shadowy organization whose mission is to prevent at all costs the social upheaval sudden technological advances bring. This Bureau of Technology Control uses the advanced technologies they have harvested over the decades to fulfill their mission. They are living in our future. Presented with the opportunity to join the BTC and improve his own technology in secret, Grady balks, and is instead thrown into a nightmarish high-tech prison built to hold rebellious geniuses like himself. With so many great intellects confined together, can Grady and his fellow prisoners conceive of a way to usher humanity out of its artificial dark age? And when they do, is it possible to defeat an enemy that wields a technological advantage half a century in the making?
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“With this terrifying thriller, Suarez provides further support for the proposition that he’s a worthy successor to the late Michael Crichton…Suarez once again mixes science and fiction perfectly.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“[Readers are] attracted by Mr. Suarez’s blend of compulsively page-turning suspense with plausible, just-around-the-corner technology.”
— Wall Street Journal“Influx is a terrific reading experience, and an intriguing discussion is sure to follow.”
— Washington Post“Narrator Jeff Gurner gives a star performance.”
— AudioFileDaniel Suarez is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Daemon, Freedom™, Kill Decision, and Influx. A former systems consultant to Fortune 1000 companies, he has designed and developed software for the defense, finance, and entertainment industries. He is a past speaker at TED Global, NASA Ames, the Long Now Foundation, and the headquarters of Google, Microsoft, and Amazon. An avid gamer and technologist, he lives in Los Angeles, California.
Jeff Gurner created the title role in the American premiere of A Prayer for Owen Meany at Playmakers Rep. He has appeared in productions on and off Broadway such as The Lion King, Five Course Love, The London Cuckolds, and Harrigan & Hart. His film and television credits include Law & Order: SVU, Third Watch, and Hey Joel!, an animated series for VHI.