From an early age, I’ve grown up with a love of the cyberpunk and dystopian genres, be it through books or films. Dystopian authors such as J.G. Ballard and George Orwell really captured a sense of impending fear for the future, which I believe blends into the cyberpunk genre perfectly.
There’s something I find incredibly fascinating about the crossover of advanced technology and gritty, dystopian settings. It’s a genre in which life is a constant struggle and humanity has been surpassed and eroded away by machines. As a writer, that tension really pulled me in; and I love exploring the psychological and ethical dilemmas as well as the impact of technology on society and identity.
My inspiration for writing the BINARY series comes from my love of the cyberpunk genre, but also to question the direction we’re headed with technological advancement.
“Menticide [The Awakening]” is my first novel and the inaugural book in the BINARY series. It was a childhood dream come true when it was first published in 2024 and surpassed all my expectations.
The story takes you into a future where AI, cybernetics, and human resilience clash in the oppressive world of New Babylon, a city controlled by the sinister corporation, ZenithCorp. This monopolistic company is a veil for a shadowed group known as The Four Horsemen who continue to push forward plans for a digital apocalypse, otherwise known as a technological end of days.
Life in New Babylon is tough, but cash and information are king. At night, the city is ruled by the marauding cybergangs who trade credits and intel in furious weaponised street races. To expose the corporation’s scheme, the main protagonist must enter a violent, globally live-streamed race called the Neon Rush. Radical neural upgrades and mods transform her into a formidable competitor as she bonds with an AI weaponised vehicle, Fury.
I have thoroughly enjoyed exploring the symbiotic relationship between the corporation and the cybergangs. Whilst on the surface, they are warring factions, in the underground, they need each other to survive. The corporation controls the broadcasting network, which is littered with propaganda, but generates massive revenue from a global livestream of these brutal races. Having a hand to mouth existence, the cybergangs need the rewards that come from victory, but the odds are grossly stacked against them with little chance of survival.
BINARY is a blend of intense, fast paced action and deep, thought-provoking themes. Human connection was something that I really wanted to establish in this inhumane world. I wanted to create characters that felt real and complex, each struggling with their own challenges but striving with a shared goal to expose the truth.
The BINARY series is suitable for both seasoned fans of cyberpunk and newcomers to the genre. Strap yourself in, the race is on...
![<i>Menticide</i> <i>[The Awakening]</i> <i>by Richard M. Evans</i>](../../rw_common/images/Background-Menticide.jpg)
