Magical mysticism and paranoia about the near-future Internet. What a delicious fantasy world!
Today Lita shares a recent excellent read about a young man who finds a magic stone and battles an ego-centric corporate mage who will destroy Matt if he doesn’t help create a loathsome future for humanity.
Stones (Data) by Jacob Whaler is an epic fantasy about Matt Newmark and his adventures after finding a magic stone on a skiing trip. Matt is in so many ways a typical twenty-something guy with a love of skiing, an all-encompassing adoration for his girlfriend Jessica, and a sometimes strained relationship with his dad. Ever since Matt’s mother died in a horrible accident, his father Kent had both of them live vigilant lives.
Father and son daily outfox their world’s intrusive technology that would expose them to the corporate thugs that also want Kent and his son dead.
Matt’s newfound stone is no simple souvenir of a spectacular wipeout on the ski slopes. It is one of a handful of keys that powerful people have used over the centuries to shape the future of civilization. Another stone holder, Mikal Ryzaard, has transformed from a bookish professor to the head of the most powerful technology and financial corporation on Earth. Ryzaard is desperate to merge the power of the stones, and this mega-egoist magician will stop at nothing to get Matt’s cooperation.
Stones (Data) is a delight of a story about a likable young man thrust into the dual shadowy worlds of counter-technology and mysticism. After Matt leaves Colorado for a summer internship in Japan, Whaler’s excellent plot swings between Matt and Kent as they battle Ryzaard’s relentless killer of a corporation. Tension crackles between the magician newbie Matt and the corrupt Ryzaard, leading to a satisfying conclusion that balances power and matters of the heart.
Stones (Data) on Amazon
Stones (Data) on Goodreads
Author Jacob Whaler’s website
Lita Burke 
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