The Undead: A Tale of the Biotech Revolution

Tales of the Biotech Revolution

by Brian M. Stableford

In the world of the future, the newest rage among the rich and aged is to purchase computer-generated biotech simulations of their personalities before they die—and thus to become, after their passing, “Undead,” immobile personalities trapped within the tombstones erected in their honor, only able to communicate with the outside world by voice and through texting.

But religious fanatics, and the relatives who thought they would inherit the Undeads’ wealth, are outraged, regarding the sims as abominations. And then a cluster of four tombstones is vandalized in the night, the first of several such attacks; and cemetery Chief Security Officer Tann Hicks must find the perpetrator(s) and stop the crimes.

But are the sims alive or dead? And is the motive for the desecrations religious, personal, or a just a matter of greed? As the controversy grows and the media and police become involved, Tann finds himself squeezed on all sides. Can he solve the mystery before the Undead become the next flashpoint of a highly polarized society?
In the world of the future, the newest rage among the rich and aged is to purchase computer-generated biotech simulations of their personalities before they die—and thus to become, after their passing, “Undead,” immobile personalities trapped within the tombstones erected in their honor, only able to communicate with the outside world by voice and through texting.

But religious fanatics, and the relatives who thought they would inherit the Undeads’ wealth, are outraged, regarding the sims as abominations. And then a cluster of four tombstones is vandalized in the night, the first of several such attacks; and cemetery Chief Security Officer Tann Hicks must find the perpetrator(s) and stop the crimes.

But are the sims alive or dead? And is the motive for the desecrations religious, personal, or a just a matter of greed? As the controversy grows and the media and police become involved, Tann finds himself squeezed on all sides. Can he solve the mystery before the Undead become the next flashpoint of a highly polarized society?

174 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 12, 2011

About the author

Brian Michael Stableford was a British science fiction writer who published more than 70 novels. His earlier books were published under the name Brian M. Stableford, but more recent ones have dropped the middle initial and appeared under the name Brian Stableford. He also used the pseudonym Brian Craig for a couple of very early works, and again for a few more recent works. The pseudonym derives from the first names of himself and of a school friend from the 1960s, Craig A. Mackintosh, with whom he jointly published some very early work.