{"product_id":"birch-mind-of-the-dragonflies-jon-p-roth-9798991009591","title":"Birch, Mind of the Dragonflies","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn college, roommates Birch and Angel coded software viruses, releasing their so-called \"mustangs\" into the wild of the Internet, for the adrenaline rush of skirting international law and beer bottle clinks for getting away with it. They lose touch after graduation, until the masters behind the most audacious heist in history threaten to kill them both.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNo longer a game: \u003c\/b\u003e Birch is the lead software engineer for a gaming start-up in Palo Alto on the cusp of a huge IPO. He codes gaming avatars that move, sound, remember and reason like humans, but are designed to kill for fun. When he decides to leave this toxic culture of fear, jeopardizing the company's lucrative launch, his vengeful boss empties his bank account and hires a hitman.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis is no experiment: \u003c\/b\u003e Angel joins a project for a black budget military-industrial operation in Los Alamos, creating an airborne drone network ostensibly for the military, but he discovers once inside, is really intended to seize control of internet access across the globe, stealing this basic need from all of humanity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs Birch flees the west coast, Angel hides a lethal backdoor in the network code and sends the key, embedded in a mustang, to his old friend, not sure if Birch will ever receive it: \u003ci\u003edo the needful. I hope i see you some day if i'm not dead. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNo turning back: \u003c\/b\u003e Birch and Angel each make a choice that lights a fuse, racing toward their common purpose until they arrive at the junction of greed, power, control, wonder, love and intelligence, a mixture that, when ignited, both destroys and creates.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this thought-provoking work of speculative fiction, big business wears the uniforms of government and military so it can wield money, bullets and bleeding edge technology to seize and control basic human needs. If you can compel people to buy water, why not air? Debut author Jon P. Roth masterfully weaves together suspense, introspection, and high-stakes drama to create a narrative that is both captivating and thrilling.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Jon P. Roth\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798991009591\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Bright Bridge Communications\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/01\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 418\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.23lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.85d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eForeword\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/24\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBlueInk Review\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/08\/2024","brand":"Jon P. Roth","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":49083590508799,"sku":"9798991009591","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/birch-mind-of-the-dragonflies-jon-p-roth-9798991009591","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}