Corporate leadership has evolved into a royal genetic dynasty whose rulers are treated like living gods. Their appearance and abilities betray little of their human origins. Their life is possible thanks to the collective toil of not just the people on the surface but 50 levels of underground Stacks that take the place of the manufacturing and resource generation previously done in far-off lands. All of humanity, working to elevate a single shining example.
Follow Tombo, an agent of change who starts his life in the Engineering Plant, at level 50, as he progresses through the many areas of the Stacks, while a mystery from his past surfaces to alter the world in a fundamental way. His ability to comprehend complex systems-of-systems and his lateral thinking make him uniquely qualified to point out where they are being inefficient or needlessly cruel.
As he affects radical change throughout the Stacks over the span of his life, the experiences leave an imprint on him as well. Age brings wisdom taught through hard lessons, Tombo evolves quickly to become the person that each situation needs him to be. The changes he champions shake the very structure of this world, built on corporate greed, rigid class systems, and the over-extraction of resources for profit.
This book explores class relationships, environmental stewardship, and the integration of AI into our modern lives by first following the life of an outlier, then looking at the chaos left in his wake. It is a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked greed and the power that a single person can have to affect change.
Drew Torchia 