A Signal Shattered

Nylund's sequel to last year's Signal to Noise opens where its predecessor ended: in orbit around the destroyed Earth, in the year 2071, as rogue cryptographer Jack Potter hides with a few comrades in his secret base on the Moon. Betrayed and haunted by a mysterious alien named Wheeler, who had given him Gateway, a teleportation device, Jack now fights for his life as his asylum is sabotaged by one of his fellows, attacked by his former business partner and penetrated by the insane gene witch Zero, who kidnaps one of Jack's crew members. Through a fiery space battle, Jack and his cohorts escape, only to be contacted by yet another advanced alien race, referring to itself as ""Gersham"" and offering to hide them from the relentless, bloodthirsty Wheeler. But if Gersham's offer is genuine, why does Jack hesitate to accept? Reunited with three allies--his lover, Panda, a former Chinese spy; Reno, a former double agent; and his old competitor, Dr. Bruner--Jack must not only produce a cure for a schizophrenic disease that threatens to destroy the few humans left, but figure out how to rescue humanity from Wheeler's evil grasp. Crackling with action, techno wizardry and sexual tension, Nylund's novel also features an unlikely mix of cyberpunk sensibility and a heartening focus on character and humanity. (Sept.)