The Origin of Machines. This item is unavailable.The Origin of Machines

It's 2027, and the world is coming apart at the seams. AI-driven automation has made millions of people obsolete. Tech addiction has been officially labeled a disorder, and tent cities are overflowing while politicians scramble to contain the chaos with "enviro-manual" farms, which are part social experiment, part prison without walls.

At the center of it all is Bill Cody, a retired Marine sniper and US senator's son with legendary aim-and a drinking problem. Dragged back into the shadows for a mission that could alter history, he realizes history itself is being manipulated by a top-secret sentient AI program known as Dutch Amber that's obsessed with doing one thing-preventing World War III.

Before Bill can determine whether he's a pawn or a savior in Dutch Amber's plan, he and two other highly skilled operatives embark on a covert assignment that will forever change the way they view themselves, the world, and the future of humanity. History is on a hinge, and one event could determine which direction it-and Bill's life-swings.

Doug Jackson has always loved classic science-fiction by authors like Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Kurt Vonnegut, and George Orwell, so he thought it was finally time to see if he could write something similar himself. His path to becoming an author started with another near-future political thriller, The King's Counselor (2003), and now he's taken things to the next level with this book, which will soon be followed by a sequel.