TO P N O TA B L E I N D I E S NOTABLE
THE MAHDI by Robert Cook The Mahdi is a tale where Islamic and Orthodox Jewish ideologies clash, seen through the lens of a modern, liberal Muslim. Alex Cuchulain, Cooch, is a former US Marine, CIA operator, and entrepreneur. Partnered with Dr. Caitlin O’Connor, the selfdescribed “smartest person in the world,” they make an unlikely yet formidable duo. When Alex takes on a mission to reclaim stolen Bedouin land, he finds himself imprisoned and branded a criminal. Caitlin faces her own dangers, becoming the target of an extremist plot. But the rules of warfare change forever when Caitlin condenses an electromagnetic pulse into shootable ammunition and deploys an AI chatbot–quantum computer that can use the internet to control secure Israeli communications.
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WINTER 2024
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ETHOSBOT by S. Sky EthosBot is realistic fiction packed with adventure and romance, centered around a devious medical nanobot. Situated in the enchanting Southwest, teens defiantly investigate the EthosBot and its mysterious connection to geomagnetic sandstorms. An eerie tempest rolls across the high desert of the Southwest. Within minutes, the ecosystem is overwhelmed by a force field and a ruthless sandstorm causing physical mayhem. Turamali Innovative Arts, a nearby biotech company, and the EthosBot are immediately suspect in the catastrophe that injures humans and animals alike. For nearly two decades, Crystal BioBots have been healing humanity’s common afflictions and pain, but ‘Ethos’ is different. Tampering with fundamental neurobiology to heal anxiety and depression, it unexpectedly alters more than emotion.
