David Podlipny

A Rift in the Electric Lute David Podlipny

The high-tech, ultra-modern city of Balmer is what Lise and Sal, both ex-military turned detective, call home. But they're a dying breed; not for actually driving around the streets in what is a fully autonomous police cruiser, but for simply venturing outside.

They inhabit a world where technology dictates daily life; a place where artificial intelligence is at the heart of every security system, virtual reality is so realistic that few people leave their homes, and robots of all kinds pick up what's left.

In search for clues regarding an outlandish case, they end up in the neighboring desert city, which is something else entirely. Though it might harbor what they're looking for, it might also be the very birthplace of their own undoing.

Psychological, philosophical, humorous, fantastic and all too real at the same time, this mindbending sci-fi adventure might be coming soon to a parallel universe near you.