Publisher's Synopsis
How far would you go to find yourself? Imagine everything you thought you knew about yourself turned out to be a lie, and you didn't know who was telling the truth. Imagine you possessed a secret so dangerous that, if it were exposed, it would reshape the entire world. What would you do if that secret were your very identity? In almost every way, Palo Vista seems like a typical California city, with office buildings, schools, and homes sprawled out across suburbia, filled with families making a life for themselves at the dawn of the new millennium. But two seniors at Mt. MacMurray High are about to find out that nothing is as it seems...
Included in this edition: the prequel novella Artifice. The year is 2058. Humanity is in a race against time to save itself from a climate crisis that has spun out of control, leaving millions dead from heat stroke and exposure. But Tim, a teenager growing up in Silicon Valley, has an advantage: his father heads the world's largest corporation and has the power to keep him safe. Unfortunately, he's not much of a father. In fact, he's a self-absorbed workaholic who has no time - and no respect - for Tim. At least Tim has his girlfriend, Annie, who grew up with him and helped him get through the worst that his father and the rest of the world threw at him. Now, however, they find their lives spiraling out of control in a whirlwind of corporate intrigue and cutthroat power plays that could cost both of them their lives and threaten humanity's very existence. What choice do you make when you run out of options? Whom do you trust in a game of deceit? Sometimes, it all comes down to a fight for survival. But the price for survival can be high. Would you trade your life for love? Your honor for hope? If you wind up with a raw deal, a bluff can win the hand, but when the stakes are love and honor, you may be forced to choose between the truth... and ARTIFICE.
