The Deus Machine: A Novel

It's the spring of 2005 and the United States is in the grip of a paralyzing depression that threatens to collapse the federal government. Against this tense backdrop, a genius renégade computer-systems designer sets DEUS—a supercomputer with the potential for real intelligence on the most fateful course possible: perpetually reinventing and improving itself and, ultimately, creating life. But there are those who strive to harness DEUS to further their own malign intent: the development of deadly viruses that are being covertly tested on hapless human subjects. Amid a mounting storm of political intrigue and technological terrorism, something incredible occurs within the confines of DEUS, something that sets off a biological chain reaction more bizarre and perilous than any the world has seen. Only Riley, an unemployed computer expert, has the skill to stop the encroaching danger of new, threatening life forms generated by DEUS in its attempt to self-destruct. But even as the supercomputer edges closer to suicide, it forges life-sustaining bonds with Riley, the woman he loves, and an abandoned little boy whom DEUS comes to regard as something truly remarkable—a friend...