Cyberpunk is not really my cup of tea, so I was surprised when I got into This is Not a Game as much as much as I did. It’s all about connectivity, and how fast information and communication flies around the world now. There was of course also a cool thriller plotline along with it. Deep State is the next book by Walter Jon Williams, and picks up with the heroine & story of This is Not a Game. If you like William Gibson and Snow Crash-era Neal Stephenson, then you should check out these books.

We’ve decided to stick with the look established for the paperback version of This is Not a Game, because Dagmar is a really strong character and I really wanted to show that about the story. But I also didn’t want the books to look too futuristic, as they very much are placed in our current world of social networks, internet hive mind, and financial-political geography. Girl + Computer + City. (The circuitry in her eye in a little tough to see on the web, as I’ve kept it subtle). That is a pretty good shorthand for these books, and I think it works for the covers.

Here’s a description:

Dagmar Shaw is back at it again. She is the Puppetmaster and this time thousands of gamers are dancing on her strings. But when the game she is running in Turkey comes into conflict with the new, brutal regime, she realizes that games have consequences.

When an old friend approaches Dagmar with a project so insane, so ambitious, she can’t possibly say no, she is plunged into a world of spies and soldiers. Dagmar is a Puppetmaster, but when the bullets are real and her ‘puppets’ start dying, is any cause worth it? A nation hangs in the balance and in a world of intrigue and betrayal, Dagmar needs to figure out just what part she plays.

Here’re the covers together:

Out now!

Out February 2011