House of Nepenthe (2026)

A near-fatal shooting leaves Kenneth Barnes trapped in the House of Nepenthe, a virtual construct formed from his memories. As the technology meant to protect him begins to fracture, Ken must navigate his past while others decide his fate in the real world.

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Praise for House of Nepenthe

"Every word in Daniel Verastiqui’s books is lovingly wrought from the darkest materials of the imagination—and this newest novel is no different. Continuing his exploration of genre tropes and how they can be fused onto the body of the terrifying futures in sci-fi, House of Nepenthe blends the virtual with the worlds of murder mystery, hardboiled noir, paranoid conspiracies and. . . is that time travel?"

– Carl, Noted Pug Enthusiast

"It had a cool cyberpunk Scooby-Doo vibe, with the high school kids sleuthing about and everyone trying to unveil the real mastermind, that balanced out the heavier scenes and concepts."
— Advance Reader 

Trivia

• Originally written as a short story. Although it was never published, Kenneth Barnes and the House itself became canon and were included as a plot point in Brigham Plaza. How a certain character came to be in possession of the House of Nepenthe code is explained in this novel.
• The longest Vinestead novel so far in total words and time it took to finish the book.
• The name Ray and her friends choose for their hacker clan is ripped straight from Weird Al's It's All About the Pentiums.

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