When Vinestead engineer Kenneth Barnes takes a business trip to his old hometown of Austin, Texas, he finds himself on the wrong end of a gun in the city’s Old Downtown District. Now laid up in the hospital in a coma, Kenneth’s life begins to flash before his eyes in the form of the House of Nepenthe, an infinitely large construct that contains the sum of all his memories. As he replays moments from his life, he is guided by his Personal Assistant, who shows him the rules of the House and promises to keep him company until the end.

Meanwhile, fellow Vinestead employee and best friend, Patrick Quinn, is notified of Kenneth’s condition by the appearance of an unstoppable tapeworm in the heart of VNet—Vinestead International’s answer to the free and unregulated virtual reality known as the Net. North of Austin, FBI agent Lee Gardner is contacted by his old friend and current VP of Vinestead, Arthur Sedivy, who asks him to investigate the attempted murder of one of his employees. Across the state line in Oklahoma, high school student Raylene Jackson stumbles upon a mysterious construct in the Net, one that contains nothing but a House that doesn’t play by the rules.

Between a Vinestead employee gone rogue, a disgraced FBI agent, and a young hacker in a dangerous situation, will anyone be able to figure out the mystery of the House of Nepenthe before the secret dies with Kenneth Barnes? Return to the Vinestead Universe’s version of Austin, Texas circa 1997 in this mysterious cyber-thriller from science fiction author Daniel Verastiqui.

Featuring: Kenneth Barnes, Patrick Quinn, Lee Gardner, Raylene Jackson

Book Eight | Science Fiction | 2024-12-31

"Like all good sci-fi stories, there’s at heart here an adventure - with just enough noir mystery to keep us wanting to know more" - Carl, Amazon Review

Most hackers think they’re going to live forever; Johnny San Vito isn’t so optimistic. While snooping around a protected construct in Vinestead International’s virtual reality network, he starts to get the feeling this might be his final visit to cyberspace. To preserve his data and leave a trail for his friends, he manages to prime a Dead Man’s Loop just in time for the network to come crashing down around him.

When the data reaches celebrity hacker Danny “Guns” Montreal and cipher den suit Megan “Tanzy” Riley, it points them to Johnny’s final resting place in virtuality—a seemingly unremarkable strip mall called Brigham Plaza. Getting there will be difficult, and leaving with their lives will be tougher still, but what they find there will rewrite history… and alter the course of humanity’s future.

In the aftermath of Perion City, long after the fall of the Net, the pivotal battle in the war against Vinestead will be fought and decided on the cracked sidewalks of Brigham Plaza.

Featuring: Danny "Guns" Montreal, Megan "Tanzy" Riley, Gordon "G" King, Kaili Zabora

Book 6 | Science Fiction | 351 pages | ISBN: 979-8618450928 | 2020-09-01

In 2035, the future of synthetic living has finally arrived, but so too has the threat of a global machine war. Rising Hollywood star Sepideh Ahmadi never imagined she would transition to an artificial body, but when her longtime girlfriend Natasha develops a terminal illness, the choices become clear: either give up their physical bodies and stay together, or allow Natasha to die.

As a synthetic woman, Sepideh discovers there is more to being human than just her thoughts and memories. Smells are stronger, sensations are more nuanced. She is no longer anxious or nervous. She is no longer herself, and neither is Natasha.

Now, with a machine army threatening to invade California, crazed fans following her every move, and her new marriage slowly breaking apart, Sepideh must figure out who she will be in the centuries to come.

In a world where immortality can be purchased, will the cost be more than just money?

Featuring: Sepideh Ahmadi, Kagan, Vida, Doyle

Book 4 | Science Fiction, Dystopian

In the 22nd century, augmented reality is no longer a novelty, but rather a way of life for citizens of Easton. Children are taught at a young age to control the ubiquitous layer of reality known as veneer through a process called reconciliation. Those who learn to reconcile live in a constant state of redefinition, of the world and of themselves. Those who struggle are forced to stand by and watch the world change without them.

For this skill, there are no shortcuts, no special glasses or handheld devices. The power to change comes from within.

Deron Bishop wants to live in the augmented world, to perform the magic of reconciliation like his peers, but controlling the veneer has always been a problem for him. Already resentful of the one thing he could never master, Deron doesn't realize how much he needs the veneer until a violent run-in with a childhood rival puts him in the hospital and robs him of his virtual sight.

Now able to see the world as it truly exists, Deron must choose to abandon Easton or fight his way back to the veneered fantasy of his previous life--a fight not everyone wants him to win.

Join Deron, his friends, and his enemies as they discover the truths that will be revealed when the virtual veil finally drops.

Featuring: Deron Bishop, Jalay Chapman, Russo Rivera, Rosalia Collier

Book 2 | Science Fiction | 303 pages | ISBN: 978-1461166221 | 2011-05-20

"Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Girl falls out of love, so boy makes a digital copy of girl, who turns into a cyber god bent on revenge. Just your typical teenage romance for the digital age, right?" - Jeba, Amazon Review

When X discovers that his long distance relationship with C is about to end, he copies her mind and loads her into a virtual avatar in the Net. But in his haste to preserve his high school sweetheart, X forgets to program the one feature he ends up needing most: how to turn her off.

Now it is up to Natalie and G to rescue their friend from the farthest reaches of the Net. Along the way, they must battle a cipher who cannot be killed, a virus that cannot be stopped, and a global conglomerate that will do anything to seize control of the precious Net.

Featuring: Xavier "X" Ramos, Gordon "G" King, Lily "C" Anderson, Natalie Purcell

Book 1 | Science Fiction | 260 pages | ISBN: 978-1453885413 | 2007-12-01