With the fate of the world in the balance, one outlier could tip the scales towards salvation or disaster.
Alex Barret lives in ‘the Quarters’, a set of broken-down slums surrounding a glittering walled-off city called the First Circle. Like all kids his age, on his sixteenth birthday Alex is scheduled for Appraisal, an unpredictable medical procedure with the potential to extend his lifespan. In a world where everything else costs, for some reason Appraisal is free.
But no Appraisal scenario Alex has ever heard of has prepared him for his own experience – he’s abducted, imprisoned, and subjected to brutal medical experiments in a high-tech lab. He escapes and goes on the run, a heartbeat ahead of a ruthless army led by the most powerful man in the world. Piecing together the clues behind his kidnapping, he uncovers a treacherous plot that only he can derail.
But to succeed, he must penetrate the First Circle, the forbidden abode of the ruling class.
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Author Bio:
Jay Allan Storey is a musician, international traveler, and author.
Jay has traveled the world, passing through many places in the news today, including Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and the Swat valley in Pakistan. He has worked at an amazing variety of jobs, from cab driver to land surveyor to accordion salesman to software developer.
Jay is the author of THE ARX, the BLACK HEART series, the VITA AETERNA series, and ELDORADO, and a number of short stories and screenplays. Two new novels are in the works for 2023. His stories always skirt close to the edge of believability (but hopefully never cross over). He is attracted to characters who are able to break out of their stereotypes and transform themselves.
He loves both reading and writing, both listening to and playing music, and working with animals. He’s crazy for any activity relating to the water, including swimming, surfing, wind-surfing, sailing, snorkeling, and scuba diving.
Jay is married and lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada.