Islands in the Net

In a near-future world where corporations hold more power than nations, information is the most valuable commodity. Island nations have become havens for data pirates and terrorists, while hacker mercenaries and electronic terrorism reshape global conflict. Laura Webster, a public relations executive for the corporate entity Rizome Industries Group, is present when a foreign representative is assassinated during a conference on Rizome soil. Sent on an international diplomatic mission, she intends to help stabilize the volatile world. Instead, she becomes trapped on the front lines of escalating third-world hostilities, caught in a web of conspiracy, terrorism, and electronic warfare. Nominated for the Hugo and Locus Awards and winner of the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, Islands in the Net presents Bruce Sterling's vision of a future world shaped by corporate power and information warfare.