Unholy Domain

Set in the year 2022, Ronco's techno-thriller continues the premise established in his first book, PeaceMaker. In 2012, the PeaceMaker virus, supposedly designed by madman software expert Ray Brown, shut down the Internet, resulting in worldwide devastation. Since this cataclysm, the government has curtailed new technology. Those who would see the government limitations overturned are known as Technos; opposing them is a group of dangerous religious extremists, the Church of Natural Humans. Several events have brought these two warring factions head-to-head: the creators of illegal technology, the Domain, has decided to take over the government, and Ray Brown's son, David, has undertaken an investigation in an attempt to clear his father's name. The basic idea is interesting, but there's something more than a little of the adolescent about the entire enterprise, from the constant sexual references regarding every female character (""She wore skin-tight jeans, which showed off her tight, round butt as she walked past"") to such lines as: ""She enjoyed a drag of her cigarette, which felt robust and full."" This is the second volume in a proposed trilogy.