The Die

A Novel

Jude Berman

• Publisher: SparkPress
• eBook ISBN:
  9781684632312
• Year: 2024

2024 International Book Awards Winner in Fiction: Visionary
2024 International Book Awards Winner in Fiction: Cross-Genre
2024 American Fiction Awards Winner in General Fiction

Darah, a tech writer living in the democratic nation of California, is dismayed to see the game she’s helping develop for a Silicon Valley tech company has been tampered with. When her hacker friend Jedd investigates, he uncovers a conspiracy that could change the nation—and the world.

With a circle of close friends, Jedd digs deeper and deeper into the darknet and exposes the unthinkable: an app is being developed that uses quantum computing and neuroscience to alter people’s brains, totally unbeknownst to them. As the friends realize the devastating impact of this technology, they’re presented with a dilemma: stay quiet and stay safe, or risk their lives to stand up to the international authoritarian force behind this plot?

Combining activist, techno-thriller, and metaphysical fiction elements and scaffolded on three realities—the ancient wisdom of the Mahabharata, our current sociopolitical reality, and the near future—The Die is a fast-paced story about friendship, courage, and democracy.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• 1. The Flute: Darah
• 2. The Family: Jedd
• 3. First Shot Fired: June
• 4. Uprooted: Beers
• 5. Undercut: Beers
• 6. Heart Song: Darah
• 7. Burn Down the Palace: Jedd
• 8. Through the Backdoor: Jedd
• 9. Secret Plot: Beers
• 10. The Die is Cast: Darah
• 11. Stripped: Darah
• 12. Into Exile: June
• 13. The Journey: Jedd
• 14. At the Farm: Darah
• 15. Poisoned: Beers
• 16. Launched: Jedd
• 17. Undercover: Darah
• 18. Consensus: June
• 19. In the Chariot: June
• 20. The Battle: Jedd
• 21. Updated: Beers
• 22. Happy: Darah
• Author’s Note
• Book Club Questions for the Die
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Selected Titles from SparkPress