Fools' Experiments

_We are not alone, and it's our own damn fault...._

Something demonic is stalking the brightest men and women in the computer industry. It attacks without warning or mercy, leaving its prey insane or comatose--or dead.

The mayhem is especially calamitous just now. Something far nastier than any virus, worm, or Trojan horse program is being evolved in laboratory confinement by well-intentioned but misguided researchers. When their artificial life-form escapes onto the Internet, no conventional defense against malicious software can begin to compete. As disasters multiply, computer scientist Doug Carey knows that unconventional measures may be civilization's last hope.

And that any artificial life-form learns _very_ fast....

_"Lerner puts his expertise in computer science ... to good use in this exciting and unsettling near-future thriller. It's an ambitious idea for a novel, and Lerner carries it off in style, capturing our interest and our acceptance of his premise from the very beginning."_

--Booklist

_"A spooky cautionary tale that is part hard-wired sf and part intrigue and suspense. A good choice for readers who prefer their sf with a heavy dose of hard science along with fast-paced storytelling."_

--Library Journal

_"Convincingly shows the development of the electronic consciousness and its groping interaction with humanity ... good science and entertaining writing make this a fast, entertaining read."_

--Publishers Weekly

_"FOOLS' EXPERIMENTS is science fiction at its dazzling best, and one hell of a technothriller."_

--Stephen Coonts, _New York Times_ best-selling author of _The Assassin_

_"Edward Lerner brings a wonderfully intelligent, creative style to science fiction. His clever ideas and intriguing plots have given me many hours of enjoyable reading. His stories keep me thinking--and make it fun."_

--Catherine Asaro, Nebula Award-winning author of _The Quantum Rose_

_"Viruses and worms have come to be an important `feature' of our network landscape. And yet this is just the beginning. In FOOLS' EXPERIMENTS, Edward M. Lerner gives us a fascinating view on how awesome these threats could soon become."_

--Vernor Vinge, Hugo award-winning author of _Rainbow's End_

_"Must reading for anyone worried about computer viruses. They're primitive; in FOOLS' EXPERIMENTS, an expert imagines how deadly a thing might evolve from them--and how fast!"_

--Stanley Schmidt, Hugo- and Nebula-nominated author of _Argonaut_

_"The age of spiritual machines is almost upon us, and Edward M. Lerner is our advance scout. He's already been where the rest of us will soon be heading and gives us fascinating, compelling, exciting glimpses of what lies ahead. A terrific book by a terrific author."_

--Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of _Rollback_

_"A fast paced and exciting story."_

--Book Spot Central

_"When the artificial intelligences ... go maverick, they turn out to be the true weapons of mass destruction. A fast, fun read."_

--Sci Fi Weekly

_"A lot of characters expire before they find out what a random hungry AI can do to our info-linked society ... Makes for a thriller as good or better than most airport-lobby mass-market thick-books." _

--San Diego Union-Tribune

_"If you think the viruses we've seen so far are annoying and destructive, wait until you see what Lerner has imagined."_

--Critical Mass

_"Lerner's physics and computer science background serve him well for this pulse-pounding yarn about the creation of the first artificial life form inside cyberspace."_

--BookPage Notable Title

_"This is, in its truest sense, fiction about science.