XOM-B
In the mid-twenty-first century, an uprising leads to a completely different societal landscape, in which a plague is spreading across the world. A remarkably intelligent former slave called Freeman searches for a cure to the disease, which is spread by a bite from beings similar in appearance to zombies. In the course of his search, Freeman stumbles upon the creators of the virus, a cabal within the government whose members call themselves the Masters and which has a shocking plan for expanding its powers. In a compelling narrative full of stunning surprises, Robinson, best known for his thrillers and adventure novels, shows that his fertile imagination is equally well suited to sf. This is an exciting, richly complex blend of dystopian fiction and mainstream sf, and as such, it will attract a wide variety of readers. --Jeff Ayers