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The Pystead Group
Romantic Adventure in a future era of disruptive politics and technologies.
By 2052 citizens of the U.S.A. live in fear of dishonest government and extremists. Seeking escape, Philip Russell, a young cognitive scientist, takes a job with The Pystead Group, a high-tech company located in the West Indies. He falls in love with an artist working for the company and is drawn into its secrets, becoming part of its illegal, brain-scanning security program. On the streets of Nevis, he survives encounters with his company’s enemies through resourceful use of Pystead’s drones. When Pystead reveals their Plan B and advanced technologies, Philip must meld mind and heart if he is to accept the risks and unknowns of Plan B and save the relationship with his fiancée. Can he ever truly belong?
**Science fiction adventure in a dystopian era, driven by human relationships and love with a happy ending. The story predicts near-future, key technologies and bases its secret technologies on speculative science. Characters lead full lives, with light erotic/sexual content. 147,000 words.
By 2052 citizens of the U.S.A. live in fear of dishonest government and extremists. Seeking escape, Philip Russell, a young cognitive scientist, takes a job with The Pystead Group, a high-tech company located in the West Indies. He falls in love with an artist working for the company and is drawn into its secrets, becoming part of its illegal, brain-scanning security program. On the streets of Nevis, he survives encounters with his company’s enemies through resourceful use of Pystead’s drones. When Pystead reveals their Plan B and advanced technologies, Philip must meld mind and heart if he is to accept the risks and unknowns of Plan B and save the relationship with his fiancée. Can he ever truly belong?
**Science fiction adventure in a dystopian era, driven by human relationships and love with a happy ending. The story predicts near-future, key technologies and bases its secret technologies on speculative science. Characters lead full lives, with light erotic/sexual content. 147,000 words.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 20, 2020
1 person is currently reading
2 people want to read
About the author
James Pryor
2 books2 followersJames Pryor has worked as a professional electrical engineer, and served in the USAF as an officer and classroom instructor at the Aerospace Research Pilot School. His world view has been influenced by a diverse set of friends and colleagues. To inform his natural curiosity, Pryor has traveled, read, and taken continuing education courses ranging from child development to cultural, historical, and scientific topics. Pryor has lived and worked in Georgia, Virginia, California, Mississippi, Texas, Florida, and Maryland. He currently lives with his wife in Prince George's County, Maryland.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 13, 2025
The Pystead Group follows Philip, a disaffected cognitive scientist, as he flees a dystopian world where “goths” and “deemers” and numerous violent groups, many under the control of the United Nations, are succeeding in squelching any expressions of human individuality. On the beautiful island of Nevis, he meets and falls in love with an artist, only to discover that she has another life as an official of the Pystead Group, which is secretly planning to leave the earth to escape the constant oppression and brutality. Philip wonders if their love is still viable – and what he should do if it is. I suspect that many readers will identify with Philip as he faces the agonizing choice between a known world that is collapsing under him and an unknown world that is changing almost as fast.
August 18, 2020
Set in near-future in 2052, Pryor’s elaborate SF tale features a young cognitive scientist wrestling with superbly real moral, ethical, and political dilemmas.
Hoping to escape the violent extremists and oppressive government of United States, Philip Russell, a cognitive scientist, flees to West Indies after accepting a job as a scientist at The Pystead Group, a high-tech company located on the West Indies island of Nevis. His entanglement in the company’s brain scanning security technology makes him the target of both the powerful enemies and the corrupt police. He must draw on his knowledge of the human mind to overcome his past fears and decide if he want to leave his old life behind for a chance at a better future.
The serious treatment of the book’s protagonist and the complexity of his philosophical reflections as he struggles with the questions of his life purpose make this an apt read for serious readers who don’t mind a hefty dose of philosophy in their science fiction.
Throughout, Pryor interweaves the complex themes of disruptive politics, tradition, and the needs of the society versus those of the individual into questions of love and a man’s place in cosmos. Philip continues to questions his own choices, and Pryor posts no simplistic answers, keeping Philip’s journey both significant and interesting.
Though, the writing become too heavy with much emphasis on philosophical perceptions, the intriguing elements of science fiction, in-depth characterization, and captivating storyline keep the reader invested throughout.
Pryor’s impeccable prose, meticulous research, and political intrigue make this an exhilarating read.
Hoping to escape the violent extremists and oppressive government of United States, Philip Russell, a cognitive scientist, flees to West Indies after accepting a job as a scientist at The Pystead Group, a high-tech company located on the West Indies island of Nevis. His entanglement in the company’s brain scanning security technology makes him the target of both the powerful enemies and the corrupt police. He must draw on his knowledge of the human mind to overcome his past fears and decide if he want to leave his old life behind for a chance at a better future.
The serious treatment of the book’s protagonist and the complexity of his philosophical reflections as he struggles with the questions of his life purpose make this an apt read for serious readers who don’t mind a hefty dose of philosophy in their science fiction.
Throughout, Pryor interweaves the complex themes of disruptive politics, tradition, and the needs of the society versus those of the individual into questions of love and a man’s place in cosmos. Philip continues to questions his own choices, and Pryor posts no simplistic answers, keeping Philip’s journey both significant and interesting.
Though, the writing become too heavy with much emphasis on philosophical perceptions, the intriguing elements of science fiction, in-depth characterization, and captivating storyline keep the reader invested throughout.
Pryor’s impeccable prose, meticulous research, and political intrigue make this an exhilarating read.
May 30, 2020
This imaginative novel is a multi-dimensional work – a romantic science fiction adventure, a cautionary tale about where our current cultural divisions could lead, and a philosophical exploration of one’s place in the cosmos. The year is 2052, and Philip Russell, a cognitive scientist recently laid off from the faculty of a California college, has been offered a job with the Pystead Group, a high-tech company located in the West Indies. We follow Philip as he wrestles with the question of whether to leave behind the life he knows for the uncertain chance of a better future. The author’s engineering background and expertise is on full display in his detailed descriptions of the Pystead Group’s technological innovations, which offer Philip and his new friends and colleagues the means to escape the dystopia on Earth in 2052.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews