My new sci fi thriller, The Stolguard Incident, is now available!
It can be purchased in print, ebook, or audio versions on Amazon here.
You can also find the print version on Barnes & Noble here, or you may be able to ask your local bookstore to order it for you.
Premise:
In the late 21st century, society is more fractured than ever. Billions satisfy their every whim in virtual worlds, leaving those in power free to tighten their grip on the real one.
When a terrorist with strange abilities begins a campaign of violence, military investigator Asim Rahal is thrust into a race against time to find and stop her. But each step of his pursuit reveals the threat to be far worse than he could have imagined, and uncovering it may cost him everything.
Truth has always come with a price. Every hero asks themselves what’s worth dying for. The harder question is: what’s worth killing for?
I just read this novel and it is absolutely unfair that Lyn can write fiction this well given the rest of her talents. You are definitely going to want to get your hands on this when it’s published.
-Bradley Rettler, Professor of Philosophy, University of Wyoming
A compelling and exciting new voice in cyberpunk, Lyn Alden has created a world and story that suck you in and leave you on the edge of your seat. Unputdownable!
-Bryan Thomas Schmidt, Author & Hugo-Nominated Editor
Why a Sci Fi Novel?
I’ve long viewed fiction as being every bit as important to read as nonfiction, and have certainly been shaped by characters and stories I’ve read over the decades.
–Fiction in general allows us to explore the perspectives of other people, and the novel format lets us get into the minds of characters to a deeper degree than is typically possible with film or television. It’s a great exercise for broadening our understanding of the world while being entertained.
–Speculative fiction in particular (sci fi, fantasy, and horror) lets us explore the boundaries of what is possible, tackle complex themes or “what ifs” in a different setting than our own, and feed our inherent creative needs more broadly.
I’ve had The Stolguard Incident in my head for well over a decade. As an engineer rather than a writer back then, I didn’t have the ability to bring it to life. However, after writing a couple million words of nonfiction on the topics of finance and technology over the past decade, I built up a skillset that I could use to explore fiction as well. After having spent so much time on nonfiction subjects, crafting this story served as a much-needed creative outlet.
The writing process also forced me to refresh my knowledge on multiple types of technology. From cutting edge batteries, to virtual reality, to artificial intelligence, to brain-computer interfaces, to genetic engineering, to decentralized social media, this project was a great catalyst to check my forward expectations about fast-paced industries and their comparative rates of adoption. The novel does not focus on technology per se, and instead emphasizes characters and plot, but the engineer inside of me of course wants to add realism wherever possible.
Who it’s For
If you’re a fan of sci fi or speculative media such as The Matrix, Bladerunner, Ghost in the Shell, Akira, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, X-Men, Pantheon, Stranger Things, Red Rising, or Mistborn, then this will likely appeal to you.
Additionally, if you enjoy a thorough character study combined with fair bit of action, then there will be a lot for you to like regardless of your genre preferences.
The story doesn’t pull any punches, so reader discretion is advised. Rather than being a care-free sci fi romp, The Stolguard Incident is a dark exploration of scientific hubris, ubiquitous surveillance, the challenge of separating truth from lies in a digital world, and the consequences of violence. I aim to entertain, as well as to explore deeper themes.
Check it out:
Sincerely,
