The world runs on code, but not all code is safe.
Failsafe
by Jeff Sylvester
Genre: Science Fiction Action Thriller
The world runs on code, and not all code is safe. This is why Anna Flynn has a job.
Matter Manipulation Devices alter the physical world, turning dreams into reality. But some dreams are treacherous, and the streets are filled with mods that manipulate matter in illegal and dangerous ways.
As a seasoned MMD agent, Anna fights back against the criminals who misuse these devices and traffic in illegal mods. When she intervenes in a plot to assassinate one of the world's most respected political leaders, her methods draw the ire of her superiors, and she finds herself under investigation from her own agency.
Increasingly isolated and unsure whom she can trust, Anna works to unravel a conspiracy that would unleash the worst potential of matter manipulation technology on the world.
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Jeff Sylvester has been a professional software developer most of his life, but also enjoys writing and creating music. He and his family live in Suwanee, GA.
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GUEST POST
What Kind of Novel Is Failsafe?
If you’ve seen the cover of Failsafe, you might have some idea of what you’re getting when you crack open the pages. David Leahey created a piece of art that magnificently evokes what reading the book is like: a science fiction thriller featuring a bold and capable protagonist. I’ve described it as one part Matrix, one part Star Wars, and one part Mission Impossible, and while these are all movies, not books, my own family keeps telling me “this could be a movie!” so I’m just rolling with it.
It is an action intensive book, starting off with a high octane battle between Agent Anna Flynn and her partner, against their soon-to-be nemesis, a mysterious woman with illegal mods that allow her to bend the world around her in dangerous ways. They fight with melee weapons predominantly, sometimes conjuring bursts of energy or hurling pieces of the world at one another, and the combat is exciting and fast-paced. However, the novel has a softer side too, as Anna’s family gets some narrative focus: both her husband, a middle school history teacher, and her twelve year old son, each deal with the ups and downs of having a wife and mom constantly in the path of danger.
I’ll admit Failsafe doesn’t have a lot of hard science in it, but I did enlist a friend of mine with a PhD to work out the idea around “Lazarus Particles”, and he did a fantastic job creating something that could be true if we built tools sensitive enough to register the smallest amount of molecular activity. The rest of the “science” in the novel is magic wrapped up in a thin cloak of technology: the manipulation of the matter around us with computer programs. As a software engineer by day, you might see how I’d find this concept appealing—but also, dangerous!
I’ve always enjoyed the aspect of science fiction that focuses on humans and explores how tweaking one aspect of our reality might reflect ourselves back at us. Admittedly, with an action driven novel like Failsafe, it doesn’t spend a great deal of time on deep thoughts, but some ideas poke through anyway. When I wrote it, I focused on the story first and let the musings come out where they naturally seemed to make sense. And some ideas did emerge, especially around the rules that keep us safe, who gets to break them, and why.
But one of the other major themes that evolved was a bit softer, involving the interactions between Anna and her family, including a third of the story being told from her husband’s point of view. This wasn’t something I set out to do, but I found as I wrote the husband and wife dynamic that I wanted it to be healthy, but also as realistic as possible—that is, they have their disagreements. In the end, that’s the part of the story I found most compelling, and it’s what I hope sticks with readers long after they close the pages and the dust has settled on the bombastic action sequences.
So what is Failsafe? It’s a novel about the dangers of new technology, navigating exciting thrills, and finding strength among those who care about us the most.
The blurb sounds really interesting.
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