In the year 2032, Sam Vanderpool lives a lonely existence with a menial job in an urban dystopia that is impersonal and dominated by technology. Sam is jolted from his routine when an ad appears on his computer screen that takes him to a website called JoinWith.Me. The site offers counseling for the lonely, and Sam decides to log on. He talks to a girl who offers to help him be happier and find a girlfriend. Or so he thinks…
When she tells him to give all his money to a stranger, Sam reports her to the police, but they brush him off. He decides to leave town, but his flight is mysteriously canceled. Where there is a chip, a screen, or an interface, there she is. In desperation, he abandons the life he knows and becomes one of the city’s homeless, scrounging for money and befriending transients: Gabrielle, an immigrant with the voice of an angel and a direct connection to God, and Joey, an armless man who makes art with his feet…
JoinWith.Me is a dystopian thriller that explores timely questions: whether we control technology or it controls us; the singularity horizon where AI crosses the threshold into self-awareness; the enduring power of human connection; and the ultimate destiny of humankind. See the book trailer here. $2.99 on Kindle.
