Is your life real or is the world you live in a simulation? Are the people you call friends and neighbors living beings with inalienable rights, or are they NPCs—Non-Player Characters—whose soulless path through life is predetermined?

Samael Crane, a brilliant scientist, believes NPCs are all around us. And he can prove it.

When a body is discovered in the bay off Essex, Massachusetts, small town pastor and former Marine plagued by doubts, Ezekiel Ford finds himself called in to identify the deceased. His history is unknown. His full name is a mystery. No one knows where he came from. In fact, Ezekiel seems to be the only person in town who ever really noticed him, living on the fringe of reality, and sometimes in the homeless shelter supported by his church.

Ezekiel’s involvement in the case doesn’t go unnoticed by Samael, who has set out to prove—through deadly means—that NPCs exist, that reality is simulated, and that ‘God’ is a coder with a grudge. The two men’s missions become inextricably entwined, leading them down a path through the gray area between good and evil, science and religion, and reality and simulation, barreling toward a truth that will change the world and humankind’s place in it forever.

New York Times and #1 Audible.com bestselling author Jeremy Robinson takes readers on a journey that is not only action-packed, but full of scientific and philosophical intrigue. In his most mind-bending story since INFINITE and ALTER, Robinson blends genres, belief systems, and bold prose into an unputdownable tale exploring the nature of reality. In the audiobook edition he is joined by #1 Audible.com bestselling narrators, R.C. Bray and Jeffrey Kafer, creating a truly one-of-a-kind listening experience.

Review

"Jeremy Robinson takes cultural effluvia and mines it for fantastic themes, mixing in action, humor and a hip dose of self-awareness."
-- New Hampshire Magazine

"Jeremy Robinson is the only writer since Hitchcock who's been able to blend suspense, sci-fi, paranormal, and the supernatural together seamlessly."
-- Suspense Magazine

"Robinson writes compelling thrillers, made all the more entertaining by the way he incorporates aspects of pop culture into the action."
--Booklist

"Robinson tells rich stories that move at a relentless pace while stopping just long enough to ask profound questions."
-- Famous Monsters of Filmland

"Robinson proceeds at a nonstop pace, with one cliffhanger after another."
--Kirkus Reviews

"Relentless pacing and numerous plot twists. Thriller fans will find these audaciously plotted novels from Robinson enormously satisfying."
--Publisher's Weekly

From the Back Cover

"Robinson puts his distinctive mark on MICHAEL CRICHTON TERRITORY... One of the best JURASSIC PARK SUCCESSORS."
-- Publisher's Weekly - Starred Review

"Robinson blends myth, science, and terminal velocity action like NO ONE ELSE."
--#1 New York Times bestselling author Scott Sigler

"There's nothing timid about Robinson as he DROPS HIS READERS OFF THE CLIFF without a parachute and somehow manages to catch us an INCH OR TWO FROM DOOM."
-- New York Times bestselling author Jeff Long

"Just when you think 21st-CENTURY AUTHORS have come up with every possible way of destroying the world, ALONG COMES JEREMY ROBINSON."
-- New Hampshire Magazine

About the Author

Jeremy Robinson is the New York Times bestselling author of seventy novels and novellas, including Apocalypse Machine , Island 731 , and SecondWorld , as well as the Jack Sigler thriller series and Project Nemesis , the highest selling, original (non-licensed) kaiju novel of all time. He's known for mixing elements of science, history and mythology, which has earned him the #1 spot in Science Fiction and Action-Adventure, and secured him as the top creature feature author. Many of his novels have been adapted into comic books, optioned for film and TV, and translated into thirteen languages. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife and three children.

Visit him at bewareofmonsters.com. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.