Project HALO (The Panopticon Pentalogy Book 1) (English Edition)

PROJECT HALO is a YA sci-fi thriller taking place in near-future Norway. It has speculative elements and would appeal to fans of THE MAZE RUNNER and BLACK MIRROR.

All seventeen-year-old Charlie Walker wants is to be free of his father’s stupid expectations. Stay in school? No thanks. Get a job? Nope. Stop cursing? Hell no. But if he knew his petty rebellion would result in his own kidnapping, he might’ve reconsidered.

When Charlie wakes up at Norway’s largest intelligence agency, the NIC, with a biochip in his brain, he faces problems bigger than his father’s disapproval. Charlie is their first successful experiment, and when activated, the chip will give the agency unbarred access to his vital signs and location. So much for freedom. But before his biochip can be activated, a rogue doctor offers Charlie a chance to escape. In return, he has to find and keep a flash drive hidden from the NIC.

At first, agreeing to the deal seems obvious. But when NIC sends agents to hunt Charlie down, he realizes the flash drive might be more important than he thought. He’s faced with an ultimatum: hand over the flash drive, or a lethal virus will be released onto the population. If he obliges, his chip will be activated and he’ll lose his freedom forever. If he doesn’t, people will die—including his ex-friend-who-he-totally-still-hates. Including the charming hacker he has a crush on. Including his demanding father. Including himself.

In a race against time and his own selfish thoughts, Charlie must decide who to trust with his deadly secret—and exactly how far he’s willing to go in the name of freedom.