Description:

In his riveting debut, Hammerjack, Marc Giller unspooled a futuristic thriller of global intrigue, corporate espionage, and techno-terrorism. Now he delivers a gritty new novel of deadly resurrection and a no-holds-barred fight for the future…

Once an elusive hammerjack plunged into a virtual world of code, Lea Prism has been reborn as a corporate spook, hell-bent on ridding the universe of the anti-tech Inru terrorists. Their attempt to accelerate evolution robbed her of her once chance for happiness. Now the man she loved is nothing but a disembodied consciousness–and part of the computer matrix she has sworn to defend.

But from the depths of a Martian volcano to the radioactive wasteland of Chernobyl, the Inru have launched one last offensive–giving rise to a final scenario more terrifying than anyone could imagine. The forces of technology are poised to distort the very worst of what nature has to offer...and the stage is set for battle.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly

In Giller's agile if derivative cyberpunk sequel to 2005's Hammerjack, corporate spook extraordinaire Lea Prism goes mano-a-mano with her Inru counterpart, Avalon, a talented agent for the anarchist antitechnology group. A bust gone bad reveals that the Inru's latest trick involves linking several people together, enabling them to work in tandem as a hive mind. Meanwhile, hammerjack Nathan Straka's spaceship finds odd signals on Mars, site of a major battle years before. Survivors from the battle, held in stasis, are brought up to the ship and held in quarantine, only to be awakened-despite their infection with a deadly virus-by a spy on board. When the ship heads for Earth, and Nathan and Lea cross paths, they're horrified to discover a common thread between the infected survivors and the Inru hive members. Edgy characters, betrayal piled atop betrayal and stunning reversals combine in a high-octane mix that culminates in a satisfying conclusion.
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From Booklist

Giller's high-adrenaline debut, Hammerjack (2005), revived cyberpunk while recounting the exploits of a former hacker's immersion in the perilous world of corporate espionage. In the equally fast-paced sequel, he presents a new challenge for Lea Prism, another former hammerjack (i.e., hacker), who, turned military operative, tangled with the antitechnology cult Inru in the first book. Parallel discoveries in a Martian volcano and deep among the ruins of Chernobyl reveal an astonishing breakthrough in computer technology involving the use of living human flesh as a substrate. Unfortunately, the innovation is another Inru brainstorm, and the cult may be plotting its most diabolical mission to overthrow the multinational corporate power called the Collective. The revelation gives Lea and her special-forces team another chance to eliminate her archnemesis, Avalon, Inru's nominal leader and the woman responsible for putting Lea's lover into cyberspace deep-freeze. Cyberpunk pioneers, such as William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, have covered such terrain better, but Giller proves exceptional at keeping the reader entertained with heady technological extrapolation and full-throttle action. Carl Hays
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