In the year 2018, Sergeant Sue Smith of the Edinburgh constabulary is called in on a special case. A daring bank robbery has taken place at Hayek Associates, a dot-com startup company that

"After the newest set of virtual reality gear hits the market, Simon can't wait to test it out. But, when his friend Katherine suddenly disappears after being seen with men from the same gaming company, Simon must decide how far in the game he's willing to go to save her"--

"Simon, Kat, Busara, and Elvis know too much about the Company's dark secrets and the real-life consequences its technology is capable of. To save humanity and shut it down forever though, Simon must first survive the most harrowing trial yet--OtherLife--the next phase of gaming, and a complete reality reboot"--

"After discovering terrifying information about Otherworld, the Company's high-tech VR gaming experience, Simon and his friends are on the run, searching for Simon's old roommate. He may just be the key to shutting the Company down, although if they don't find him in time, it may be too late for not only them, but for all of humanity"--

"Virtually Human explores what the not-too-distant future will look like when cyberconsciousness--simulation of the human brain via software and computer technology--becomes part of our daily lives. Meet Bina48, the world's most sentient robot, commissioned by Martine Rothblatt and created by Hanson Robotics. Bina48 is a nascent Mindclone of Martine's wife that can engage in conversation, answer questions, and even have spontaneous thoughts that are derived from multimedia data in a Mindfile created by the real Bina. If you're active on Twitter or Facebook, share photos through Instagram, or blogging regularly, you're already on your way to creating a Mindfile--a digital database of your thoughts, memories, feelings, and opinions that is essentially a back-up copy of your mind. Soon, this Mindfile can be made conscious with special software--Mindware--that mimics the way human brains organize information, create emotions and achieve self-awareness. This may sound like science-fiction, but the nascent technology already exists. Thousands of software engineers across the globe are working to create cyberconsciousness based on human consciousness and the Obama administration recently announced plans to invest in a decade-long Brain Activity Map project. Virtually Human is the only book to examine the ethical issues relating to cyberconsciousness and Rothblatt, with a Ph. D. in medical ethics, is uniquely qualified to lead the dialogue"--

Everyone in the universe of Edda is made of pixels - except for Penelope. While her body is kept alive in a hospital bed, her avatar runs free, able to go anywhere and do anything, including create deadly weapons for Edda's ruler, her guardian Lord Scanthax. When Scanthax decides to invade another virtual world, Erik-Cindella from Epic and Ghost from Saga become part of the story - and soon the virtual universes are alive with fighting, alight with bombs, and brought together by three teenagers who want peace and understanding.