Metaplanetary: A Novel of Interplanetary Civil War

Humanity has spread throughout the solar system, evolving into diverse and remarkable forms. The inner system, called the Met, is a vast network of worlds connected by living cables. This civilization is built on the repression and enslavement of nanotechnological artificial intelligences—beings the tyrant Amés has declared non-human. The outer system beyond Jupiter offers tolerance and sanctuary, but few of the oppressed manage to escape the dictator's heavily patrolled boundaries. A priest of the Greentree Way, a mystical religion, senses approaching catastrophe. A vision reveals that the solar system's fate rests with a mysterious man of destiny who has disappeared into the Met searching for his lost love. The tyrant Amés also seeks this man. Roger Sherman, a retired military commander from Earth's West Point and Greentree ally, draws a line at Neptune's moon Triton, refusing to let Amés prevail. Though vastly outmatched in strength and resources, Sherman's jurisdiction will remain free. His defiance triggers Amés's wrath, plunging the solar system into total war. The novel chronicles civil war and transcendence across the entire solar system, encompassing its asteroids, comets, and transformed inhabitants.