Divergence [Mass Market Paperback]

"Ballantyne handles an intricate future skillfully and oddly hopefully ... maintaining a fine balance between good characterization and a fast-paced plot."--"Booklist" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

"Ballantyne handles an intricate future skillfully and oddly hopefully ... maintaining a fine balance between good characterization and a fast-paced plot."--"Booklist" --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

After a tumultuous beginning, mid-23rd-century Earth now peacefully operates under the constant surveillance of the Watcher, an all-seeing AI who has seized control of the planet—and of the minds and bodies of its people. But is the radical evolution that the Watcher has in mind a step forward or the beginning of a mighty split that will cast aside everything that truly makes us human?

It is 2252, and Judy is traveling on a passenger ship in deep space when disaster strikes. Almost too conveniently, strange machines appear onboard just in time to help. They are owned by DIANA, a commercial organization headquartered on Earth. But as the machines arrange for the humans to be taken to safety, Judy is held back. They have detected something in her genetic code—something shocking: Judy is not human. And she too is the property of DIANA.

Now Judy must return to Earth to find out what DIANA expects of her…how she was grown…and why she was destined to destroy the Watcher. But is this Judy even the same person? And does the new Judy have a reason to destroy—or is she just a pawn in someone else’s murderous game?

The robot Constantine notices an Artificial Intelligence spontaneously coming into being on a distant planet . . . and watches helplessly as it is destroyed. In deep space, far from Earth, Judy senses a change of mood aboard the passenger ship she travels on . . . and a quick investigation reveals that the craft is succumbing to a mysterious alien infestation. Just as hope seems lost, a group of combat drones appears to rescue all the passengers, except Judy – who is told she is the property of a forgotten mega-corporation based on Earth. Returned against her wishes to an Earth under constant assault from the same alien infestation, Judy begins to learn her place in a conspiracy billions of years old. But is she ready to take on the benign, omnipotent, all-seeing Watcher who guides human destiny? And destroy it? --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Tony Ballantyne was born in County Durham and now lives in the Manchester area with his wife and two children. He contributed to publications as diverse as Interzone, My Weekly and Private Eye before publication of his first novel, Recursion, followed by his second, Capacity. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.