Islands in the Net

In a not-so-distant 2023, the world order has fundamentally shifted. Nation-states are relics, their power usurped by colossal corporations like Rizome Industries Group, which operate as economic democracies, wielding information as their ultimate currency. Laura Webster, a rising public relations executive for Rizome, finds her life irrevocably altered when she witnesses the assassination of a foreign representative on Rizome soil during a crucial conference for offshore data havens. Thrust into a high-stakes diplomatic mission, Laura travels to the volatile island nations – havens for data pirates, rogue programmers, and radical ideological groups – hoping to de-escalate burgeoning global tensions. Instead, she becomes entangled in a dangerous web of conspiracy, electronic warfare, and rapidly escalating third-world hostilities. As the lines between information, power, and terrorism blur, Laura must navigate a landscape fraught with danger, where ancient rituals meet cutting-edge technology, and the future of global stability hangs by a thread. Sterling’s prescient vision explores the profound impact of information technology on geopolitics and individual lives.