Broken Options

by James Wood, Nancy V. Wood (Editor), Izabela Gierach (Editor)

In this science fiction thriller young and brilliant computer engineer Sam Chatham finds himself caught in a murderous competition to control the next stage in the evolution of the human race. Electronic technocrats intend to meld humans into networks controlled by computers. Geneticists aim to manipulate DNA to create superhumans who would never submit to computer dominance. A third faction, intent on resisting both technologies, is actively working to destroy them both. An impending presidential election provides strong motivation to elect a president who will support creative, futuristic science. Sam, who is young and free to travel, has been sent by his boss, the manager of a huge computer company, to influence others in that industry. As Sam learns more about the activities of all three factions, however, he begins to fashion a compromise where all three will contribute to a better future. As his ideas circulate, violence escalates. The individuals who passionately control their own interests are unwilling to agree to compromise. Beautiful ultra-killer, Victoria, intervenes at times to save Sam’s life. He falls in love with her but is bothered that he does not know who has hired her. He won’t find out until the end. The story shows a future we are now entering, and as Sam says in the novel, maybe we should think about where we are going.

445 pages, Paperback

Published June 18, 2020

About the author

James Wood grew up in Ipswich on the East Anglian coast and now lives and works in West London. A playwright by trade and a primary teacher by calling, his work has been staged across the capital, with productions at The Old Court Windsor, Libra Theatre, the Bread & Roses, and the Arches Lane Theatre at Battersea Power Station, where he was selected by Kibo Productions to present his play Prove It All Night! for a five-night run. His scripts - including Independence Day, Marin County, CLIFF, and The Wolves of St Matthew’s - blend character-driven storytelling with a keen sense of place and the lives shaped within it.