The Undead: A Tale of the Biotech Revolution(2011)

Brian M. Stableford

In the world of the future, the newest rage among the rich and aged is to purchase computer-generated biotech simulations of their personalities before they die—and thus to become, after their passing, “Undead,” immobile personalities trapped within the tombstones erected in their honor, only able to communicate with the outside world by voice and through texting.

But religious fanatics, and the relatives who thought they would inherit the Undeads’ wealth, are outraged, regarding the sims as abominations. And then a cluster of four tombstones is vandalized in the night, the first of several such attacks; and cemetery Chief Security Officer Tann Hicks must find the perpetrator(s) and stop the crimes.

But are the sims alive or dead? And is the motive for the desecrations religious, personal, or a just a matter of greed? As the controversy grows and the media and police become involved, Tann finds himself squeezed on all sides. Can he solve the mystery before the Undead become the next flashpoint of a highly polarized society?
In the world of the future, the newest rage among the rich and aged is to purchase computer-generated biotech simulations of their personalities before they die—and thus to become, after their passing, “Undead,” immobile personalities trapped within the tombstones erected in their honor, only able to communicate with the outside world by voice and through texting.

But religious fanatics, and the relatives who thought they would inherit the Undeads’ wealth, are outraged, regarding the sims as abominations. And then a cluster of four tombstones is vandalized in the night, the first of several such attacks; and cemetery Chief Security Officer Tann Hicks must find the perpetrator(s) and stop the crimes.

But are the sims alive or dead? And is the motive for the desecrations religious, personal, or a just a matter of greed? As the controversy grows and the media and police become involved, Tann finds himself squeezed on all sides. Can he solve the mystery before the Undead become the next flashpoint of a highly polarized society?