by John Shirley

Taking the fall for his younger brother, Richard Candle went from being a cyber cop to a condemned criminal. After four years of “UnMinding”—with his mind suppressed and his body enslaved—he’s released to discover his brother has slipped back into the underworld of the V-Rat: the virtual reality addict. With human society sinking ever deeper into a mire of escapism, Candle fights his way through the world of underground stock markets, conscious programs, flying guns and the trash-walled labyrinth of Rooftown.