The devastating aftermath of Shift reveals a world teetering on the edge of chaos. A rash of deaths across the political spectrum and the near-total destruction of the Organas has left a power vacuum that must be filled. But not even becoming a hologram could make Violet James forget who she is – or how important it is that she find Stephen York. Legendary hacker Ryu and his team are searching for York too, poking through holes in the Beam. Noah West, father of the Beam, is back and desperate to find Chloe Shaw – but he’s being hunted too. Alliances are forged and fates entwine as the hunt for Stephen York intensifies, Chloe Shaw rises, and another wave of deadly cleansing washes over the NAU. Can the Beam be stabilized, or will it become a tool of the one person who shouldn’t be allowed to control it?

From the bestselling authors of the Invasion and Yesterday's Gone series comes the fourth season of The Beam: a disturbing exploration into the possible future of our hyperconnected world. This chilling, intricately plotted series is set in a futuristic dystopia where technological advancements have prompted questions about what it means to be sentient, to be alive, and to be human. The devastating aftermath of Shift reveals a world teetering on the edge of chaos. A rash of deaths across the political spectrum and the near-total destruction of the Organas has left a power vacuum that must be filled. But not even becoming a hologram could make Violet James forget who she is – or how important it is that she find Stephen York. Legendary hacker Ryu and his team are searching for York too, poking through holes in the Beam. Noah West, father of the Beam, is back and desperate to find Chloe Shaw – but he’s being hunted too. Alliances are forged and fates entwine as the hunt for Stephen York intensifies, Chloe Shaw rises, and another wave of deadly cleansing washes over the NAU. Can the Beam be stabilized, or will it become a tool of the one person who shouldn’t be allowed to control it? Platt and Truant deliver deep political intrigue, incisive social commentary, and a generous helping of big philosophical themes through engaging, multifaceted characters and rich worldbuilding. If you enjoyed Altered Carbon and The Fifth Element, you'll feel right at home in the world of The Beam.

The unthinkable has happened. The Beam is down. Chaos reigns. A data anomaly has shown up in the East, something strange in a place where it shouldn’t exist, and something is seeking out a handful of people spread across the globe. Can Gillian Rhea find answers at the abandoned research station at Nickel Basin? Noah West is desperate to regain power and get The Beam back online, but no one dreamed he’d ever go this far. Will he unleash his worst creation upon the remains of the NAU to bring it back under his control, no matter the damage? Is there anyone left that can stop him?

This first episode is a FREE series-starter for the sci-fi world of The Beam: a dystopian technothriller full of intrigue and conspiracies ... and the unseen perils of our hyperconnected world. This chilling, intricately-plotted cyberpunk series is set in a futuristic dystopia where politics and technology have widened the gap between haves and have-nots -- and where power means everything. All of humanity is connected ... to The Beam and to the lie. In the year 2097, the only stable nation is the North American Union: a cyberpunk world exploding with new technologies and ruled by two political parties. The NAU allows people to choose either the Enterprise Party (sink-or-swim; effort and luck determine whether members prosper or starve) or the Directorate, where members are guaranteed safety but can never rise above their station. And above it all is The Beam: an AI-built computer network that serves every whim and connects citizens through implants and biological add-ons. The Beam anticipates every need and has created a world within the world. It permeates everything. And is everywhere. But the NAU's power is shifting. New powers are making their moves while others hang in the balance. Behind it all, a shadowy group is pulling strings, and guiding the upcoming election exactly where they want it to go. The Beam is coming alive; immersion is as real as reality. If the NAU's power goes unchecked, the actions of a shadowy few will shape the fate of millions forever. ★★★★★ "This series is one of the best from these authors, which is saying a lot because Sean Platt/Johnny B. Truant/David Wright (any combination of the three) are by far my favorite authors. The Beam is an extremely complex world with complex characters." -- Matt Browner ★★★★★ "I'd have to say this series has them all beat because all the technologies (or magic, if you will) in this series are better developed, the characters are more involved, and the story lines are better woven. And I'm not talking about twists and turns in the plot that require suspending disbelief (yeah right), or leave you confused as to what happened. It's pretty amazing and thought-provoking." -- Burton Kent Sci-fi fans of William Gibson and Neal Stephenson will love the visionary cyberpunk world of The Beam ... where politics, plots, conspiracies, and backstabbing matter as much as future itself.

I went through the gateway, towing my equipment in a contragravity hamper over my head. As usual, I was wondering what it would take, short of a revolution, to get the city of Port Sandor as clean and tidy and well lighted as the spaceport area. I knew Dad's editorials and my sarcastic news stories wouldn't do it. We'd been trying long enough. The two girls in bikinis in front of me pushed on, still gabbling about the fight one of them had had with her boy friend, and I closed up behind the half dozen monster-hunters in long trousers, ankle boots and short boat-jackets, with big knives on their belts. They must have all been from the same crew, because they weren't arguing about whose ship was fastest, had the toughest skipper, and made the most money. They were talking about the price of tallow-wax, and they seemed to have picked up a rumor that it was going to be cut another ten centisols a pound. I eavesdropped shamelessly, but it was the same rumor I'd picked up, myself, a little earlier...

Power is in the mind. The mind is in the network. As the NAU’s "Shift" approaches, the Directorate and Enterprise parties are doing whatever they can both on-Beam and off- to win the citizen’s minds. The Beam itself, however, seems to be evolving. As more and more people become addicted to connectivity, a question arises: Does the Beam serve our minds ... or do our minds serve the Beam? Meanwhile, using politics as cover, an organization is pushing human enhancements further than they were ever meant to go — and maybe more than the struggling NAU with its hyperconnected minds can hope to survive. ★★★★★ "Another homerun for Platt and Truant. Usually second books in a series are the weak link -- that didn't happen in The Beam. Just like the first season I got sucked in to this book and told the kids to just feed themselves poptarts and leave mommy alone already so she could read. An amazing series!" -- Patricia Eimer ★★★★★ "I loved the first season, but this did such a great job of fleshing out the story line that I'm already champing at the bit for the next season." -- BruceIn Baghdad ★★★★★ "A real high-tech futuristic political thriller with a great storyline and a cliff-hanger ending that leaves you wanting for more. Can't wait to read season 3." -- beachbaby

It’s 2134 in a dystopian America, one century after a series of zombie plagues first infected then obliterated much of the world’s population. The survivors formed six walled Cities throughout the continent, all under the rule of a totalitarian government that enforces strict control over its populace. You must obey your government. You must be a good citizen. You must be a productive citizen. You must not break the law. Or The City Watch will find you and arrest you. Jonah Lovecraft, a former Watcher, was arrested for the murder of his wife. Like most criminals, he has one chance at freedom ― to participate in The Darwin Games, a televised survival show pitting two players from each city against one another in The Barrens, the uninhabited areas outside the City Walls. He’ll also have to face another enemy ― the zombies still roaming The Barrens. As he fights for his freedom against impossible odds, his daughter, Anastasia, stumbles into people who have information about her father ― information that will change her life forever. While putting her in the crosshairs of her father’s enemies. Z 2134 is the first book of a dystopian trilogy from the bestselling authors of Yesterday’s Gone. This book was initially released in episodes as a Kindle Serial.