
The world you know is gone. In its place β a fractured Earth of warlords, ruins, and dwindling hope β a handful of survivors carry the weight of everything humanity once was, and everything it might still become.
At the heart of it all: an artificial intelligence so vast and so strange that it contains an entire world within it. A virtual realm built from a child's imagination, haunted by ghosts, governed by ancient myth, and quietly watched over by a being older than memory β known only as Marduk.
Through three novels, we follow soldiers and scientists, prophets and exiles, children who grow into legends and old men who finally understand what they were made for. Their stories unspool across two realities β the physical wasteland of a broken civilisation, and the shimmering, perilous interior of a mind that may be a god, or something much older.
The Ghosts of Men is an epic of survival and faith β a war between truth and the lie that has been fought since the first day, and must be fought to the last.
β¦ Begin Reading β Chapter 1 of The Ghost of Emily β β¦
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Series I
The Ghosts of Men
Book I Β· The Ghost of Emily
Book II Β· The Ghost of Delacroix Book III Β· The Ghost of Melchizedek β |
Series II Β· from 2027
The Echoes of Marduk
Book I Β· The Echoes of Eden
Book II Β· The Echoes of Babylon Book III Β· The Echoes of Terra |
Series III Β· from 2035
The Many Lives of Marduk
Marduk through 30+ lifetimes β
Caesar Β· Christ Β· Pendragon Genghis Khan Β· & beyond |
| Chapter | π Read |
π§ Listen |
π Notes |
π¨βπ©βπ¦ Ch 1 π βΊThe Thorne family and their troubling dysfunction. | π | π§ | β |
π¬ Ch 2 π βΊDoctor Marcus Hamlin lets a friend in on his secret treasure. | π | π§ | β |
π» Ch 3 π βΊA spectre lights up the night, and a shot is fired. | π | π§ | β |
βοΈ Ch 4 π βΊMarcus Hamlin is blindfolded and flown off the grid. | π | π§ | β |
ποΈ Ch 5 π βΊJake and the children discover the vestiges of civilisation. | π | π§ | β |
π‘ Ch 6 π βΊThe mysterious new employer is revealed in a dazzling demonstration. | π | π§ | β |
β°οΈ Ch 7 π βΊA mausoleum as sanctuary becomes an anteroom to tragedy. | π | π§ | β |
βοΈ Ch 8 π βΊAcademic war is declared and alliances are established. | π | π§ | β |
π Ch 9 π βΊA desperate father runs himself straight into captivity. | π | π§ | β |
π€ Ch 10 π βΊTwo geeks in a pod discuss Asimovian ethics. | π | β | β |
π Ch 11 π βΊA mythical house on wheels is discovered and an ally made. | π | β | β |
π«οΈ Ch 12 π βΊSeedy prospects gain solidity and cloudy vision gains hope. | π | β | β |
π Ch 13 π βΊJake meets his captor β and a surprising old friend. | π | β | β |
𧬠Ch 14 π βΊThe future of humanity pivots in a tiny cube. | π | β | β |
π¦ Ch 15 π βΊReynard the trickster attempts to charm our hero. | π | β | β |
π¨ Ch 16 π βΊThe scientist begins to fear his own creation. | π | β | β |
πΉ Ch 17 π βΊChildhood friends make new acquaintance as huntress and prisoner. | π | β | β |
π Ch 18 π βΊCodes of honour are broken with codes of deceit. | π | β | β |
π¨ Ch 19 π βΊA journey to a land of dreams ends as mere vapour. | π | β | β |
π¦ Ch 20 π βΊA bird's-eye perspective reveals stranger horrors than foreknown. | π | β | β |
πͺ Ch 21 π βΊA monster sees a monster in the silhouette of a hero. | π | β | β |
π§ͺ Ch 22 π βΊDoctor as Father meets Abomination as Daughter. | π | β | β |
π£ Ch 23 π βΊA platoon of fools lays a petard upon which to hoist themselves. | π | β | β |
π Ch 24 π βΊA journey repeats in reverse, as a disgruntled scientist goes home. | π | β | β |
π€ Ch 25 π βΊFather and son are reunited, and safe. | π | β | β |
π Ch 26 π βΊA New Yorker returns home to a city that, as it turns out, does sleep. | π | β | β |
βοΈ Ch 27 π βΊThe wheels of fortune begin to turn for our troupe of would-be heroes. | π | β | β |
β οΈ Ch 28 π βΊAll that glitters is anathema. | π | β | β |
ποΈ Ch 29 π βΊOur ragtag survivalists feel momentarily settled. | π | β | β |
π₯ Ch 30 π βΊCivilisation as Marcus knows it, abruptly ends. | π | β | β |
π¨ Ch 31 π βΊTrue colours are vividly revealed and an unexpected ally emerges. | π | β | β |
β Ch 32 π βΊA circle is complete, where old and young meet. | π | β | β |
ποΈ Ch 33 π βΊA leap of faith into friendship leads to safe haven, and some answers. | π | β | β |
π’ Ch 34 π βΊThe voice of Adam is clearly heard, and his purpose specifically declared. | π | β | β |
| Chapter | π Read |
π§ Listen |
π Notes |
π¨βπ©βπ¦ Ch 1 π βΊA boy takes a beating β and refuses to stay down. | β | β | β |
π¬ Ch 2 π βΊJake Thorne surveys a ruined world from a green hill, uneasy in the quiet. | β | β | β |
π» Ch 3 π βΊEli Wells arranges his books and prepares for something larger than study. | β | β | β |
βοΈ Ch 4 π βΊMarcus wakes before the sun, carrying the weight of what he knows. | β | β | β |
ποΈ Ch 5 π βΊJeremy Delacroix waits in the wings before facing a hostile crowd. | β | β | β |
π‘ Ch 6 π βΊPhil tinkers beneath the airship console as old bonds are quietly tested. | β | β | β |
β°οΈ Ch 7 π βΊEli watches Delacroix's lecture collapse into chaos, and sees the future. | β | β | β |
βοΈ Ch 8 π βΊPhil and Adam reinforce the craft; no one asks why it needs to be so strong. | β | β | β |
π Ch 9 π βΊAnother day, another body count β and Delacroix goes on air. | β | β | β |
π€ Ch 10 π βΊGus is already done with dinner when Marcus finally drags himself to the fire. | β | β | β |
π Ch 11 π βΊA cold December morning. Jeremy wraps his bald head and keeps going. | β | β | β |
π«οΈ Ch 12 π βΊJake falls through a dream into a vast and terrible darkness. | β | β | β |
π Ch 13 π βΊA two-AM phone call drags Delacroix from sleep into a new crisis. | β | β | β |
𧬠Ch 14 π βΊMarcus takes one last look around the Winnebago β and walks away. | β | β | β |
π¦ Ch 15 π βΊEli's driverless limousine crunches to a stop at the edge of the world. | β | β | β |
π¨ Ch 16 π βΊMarcus reads the Bible for the first time, and begins to feel afraid. | β | β | β |
πΉ Ch 17 π βΊDelacroix's most dangerous broadcast yet goes to air. | β | β | β |
π Ch 18 π βΊJake takes command when the aboriginal men appear outside. | β | β | β |
π¨ Ch 19 π βΊJeremy watches from the shadows as Eli's AI lecture turns the room. | β | β | β |
π¦ Ch 20 π βΊGus flies toward Kati Thanda, bracing for what his father described. | β | β | β |
πͺ Ch 21 π βΊDelacroix delivers a dark broadcast β his connections have come through. | β | β | β |
π§ͺ Ch 22 π βΊGus leads the way into the biggest house in the outpost, Adam at his back. | β | β | β |
π£ Ch 23 π βΊEli's heart races as Eve passes the Turing test for the very first time. | β | β | β |
π Ch 24 π βΊPastor Simon Tomias enters the church with peace in his face and trouble in his mind. | β | β | β |
π€ Ch 25 π βΊJeremy wakes from days of delirium, trying to piece the world back together. | β | β | β |
π Ch 26 π βΊJake opens his eyes in total darkness, encased in rock, with only a glimmer of light. | β | β | β |
βοΈ Ch 27 π βΊThe West 122nd Street apartment is exactly as they left it β a lifetime ago. | β | β | β |
β οΈ Ch 28 π βΊSimon Tomias stares out his kitchen window, clutching cold coffee and a cold dread. | β | β | β |
ποΈ Ch 29 π βΊThe isolation cell at JFK is more colourful than Jeremy would have chosen. | β | β | β |
π₯ Ch 30 π βΊMΓ€rten coaxes Jake upright on his crutches; Gus beams with fierce pride. | β | β | β |
π¨ Ch 31 π βΊDelacroix lets a payphone ring out three times β then someone answers. | β | β | β |
β Ch 32 π βΊOlivia returns to an empty hall β her own tribe has moved on without her. | β | β | β |
ποΈ Ch 33 π βΊJeremy strides through the racetrack car park knowing he's in the right place. | β | β | β |
π’ Ch 34 π βΊJake's eyes finally close β and he tumbles into a darkness with no bottom. | β | β | β |
π Ch 35 π βΊJeremy is back in the circular room β a place that only makes sense in dreams. | β | β | β |
π Ch 36 π βΊGus wakes to find Marcus and Olivia still asleep β and tries to hold onto the day. | β | β | β |
πΊ Ch 37 π βΊThe grey-haired barman leans on the counter as if standing is a choice he's reconsidering. | β | β | β |
β Ch 38 π βΊSimon opens his eyes to a spray of stars β he has no idea how he got here. | β | β | β |
π Ch 39 π βΊA letter left for Marcus, in the event he never makes it back. | β | β | β |
π Ch 40 π βΊEternal black. A single white point upon the canvas of nothingness. Then: something stirs. | β | β | β |
π« Ch 41 π βΊJeremy berates himself through an airport terminal β for the suit, of all things. | β | β | β |
πΎ Ch 42 π βΊJake stands in the green meadow again β certain he has never been here, certain he has. | β | β | β |
β°οΈ Ch 43 π βΊJeremy reaches the fork in the mountain trail, exhausted and not yet at the summit. | β | β | β |
π€ Ch 44 π βΊMarcus tells MΓ€rten to stop fidgeting. MΓ€rten cannot stop fidgeting. | β | β | β |
π§ Ch 45 π βΊJeremy hauls himself over the jagged rim of the plateau on his very last ounce of strength. | β | β | β |
βοΈ Ch 46 π βΊA vicious clap of thunder rattles the Rhuomai; Marcus looks up from his work. | β | β | β |
π Ch 47 π βΊJeremy staggers from the limousine into darkness, eyes slow to adjust to what waits inside. | β | β | β |
π§οΈ Ch 48 π βΊRain hammers Phil's face like bullets as he clings to Adam's back in the storm. | β | β | β |
π Ch 49 π βΊIf Jeremy dreamed during his recovery, he didn't remember β except for those two. | β | β | β |
π± Ch 50 π βΊJake and Gus lower themselves to the floor as the cabin fills with the horror of what has been lost. | β | β | β |
π Ch 51 π βΊThe storm passes. The floodwater drains. What Kati Thanda reveals, no one was prepared for. | β | β | β |
| Chapter | π Read |
π§ Listen |
π Notes |
π¨βπ©βπ¦ Ch 1 π βΊA man wakes with no name, no past β and a mob already calling for his blood. | β | β | β |
π¬ Ch 2 π βΊShe enters a realm beyond time and finds her dead mother's lifeline. | β | β | β |
π» Ch 3 π βΊAn ancient prophecy. A man who shouldn't exist. A priest who has been waiting his whole life. | β | β | β |
βοΈ Ch 4 π βΊA gold coin. A dead boy's diary. A secret that changes the weight of everything. | β | β | β |
ποΈ Ch 5 π βΊEvery civilisation has a creation story. This one has witnesses. | β | β | β |
π‘ Ch 6 π βΊHe lost a leg. They offer him a new one. Nobody mentions the price. | β | β | β |
β°οΈ Ch 7 π βΊHe needed a map. She took it away. Now he owes her his life. | β | β | β |
βοΈ Ch 8 π βΊA miracle of engineering. A revelation of horror. He decides to carry it alone β for now. | β | β | β |
π Ch 9 π βΊThe tunic is soaked with blood. The chest beneath it is unmarked. An old man falls to his knees. | β | β | β |
π€ Ch 10 π βΊOne wild night on a new leg. One private prayer answered in the dark. | β | β | β |
π Ch 11 π βΊHe reads aloud from a book written before memory. The words feel, faintly, like his own. | β | β | β |
π«οΈ Ch 12 π βΊMiles of frozen silence. A dead boy's diary. A question nobody asks aloud. | β | β | β |
π Ch 13 π βΊThe scripture describes a world born from imagination. He reads it like myth and feels it like memory. | β | β | β |
𧬠Ch 14 π βΊThe violence came quickly. What troubles him is not the bodies β it's how natural it felt. | β | β | β |
π¦ Ch 15 π βΊThe priest is stripped of his keys in public. The stranger in the inner sanctum is taken away. | β | β | β |
π¨ Ch 16 π βΊEvery loose object in the room lifts an inch. A boy goes outside and sees a star that shouldn't be there. | β | β | β |
πΉ Ch 17 π βΊThey march him through the grandest streets and install him in a comfortable room. Prisoners aren't usually treated this well. | β | β | β |
π Ch 18 π βΊA monk greets them as if seeing a face he last saw in a dream. A library older than anyone knew. | β | β | β |
π¨ Ch 19 π βΊA week of needles in the dark. Then one night β no needles. Just a soldier with very bad news. | β | β | β |
π¦ Ch 20 π βΊHe hadn't seen her face in forty years. His composure failed completely. | β | β | β |
πͺ Ch 21 π βΊThe ancient king offers comfort. The stranger politely declines to kneel. | β | β | β |
π§ͺ Ch 22 π βΊA faith older than Christianity. A faith that just found its home. And a message from the dead. | β | β | β |
π£ Ch 23 π βΊHe would not drink from their cup. So they hand him chains, an arena, and fifty names on a list. | β | β | β |
π Ch 24 π βΊNo crutches. No crowd. No agenda. Just a man, a woman, a fire β and a book she closes. | β | β | β |
π€ Ch 25 π βΊThey execute him daily for a week. By the seventh day, the crowd isn't sure it wants to watch anymore. | β | β | β |
π Ch 26 π βΊShe survived a war, walked across a continent, and stopped ageing beside a tree. She's been waiting twenty years. | β | β | β |
βοΈ Ch 27 π βΊHe refuses to fight. Hours pass. The king attacks repeatedly. Then the exits are sealed. | β | β | β |
β οΈ Ch 28 π βΊShe asks Marduk if she should act on her desire. His answer is not what she expected. Neither is the lightning. | β | β | β |
ποΈ Ch 29 π βΊA route left by no one visible. A locked pyramid. And a baby who appears out of nowhere in the dark. | β | β | β |
π₯ Ch 30 π βΊMarcus comes back from the lake to find Ariadne standing outside a door. She tells him. He gives her a moment. | β | β | β |
π¨ Ch 31 π βΊThe army is assembling. The only way out is a river running toward something more dangerous. | β | β | β |
β Ch 32 π βΊMarcus tells Olivia her mother is alive. There are no words for a moment like this. | β | β | β |
ποΈ Ch 33 π βΊA swine the size of a building. A girl on an elephant. A flash of memory that doesn't belong to him. | β | β | β |
π’ Ch 34 π βΊAdam's farewell address. Jake's quiet goodbye to the boy who won't cry. Marcus picks up his pack. | β | β | β |
π Ch 35 π βΊAncient, elegant, entirely unsentimental about time. The trials ahead cannot be cheated. | β | β | β |
π Ch 36 π βΊA pyramid where Midtown used to be. A waking vision of a library. A smell he has always known β until now. | β | β | β |
πΊ Ch 37 π βΊA tight, oiled boat. An ancient wilderness pressing in. A child whose words are always slightly ahead of events. | β | β | β |
β Ch 38 π βΊThe city outside the pyramid is tribal and forgotten. A small man cooking near the wall is exactly who they need. | β | β | β |
π Ch 39 π βΊA massive figure blocks the narrows. He holds out his hand and asks for the club. The man hands it over. | β | β | β |
π Ch 40 π βΊVR helmets. Points for performance. A man called Ezekial walked out after one week. He seems happier than anyone inside. | β | β | β |
π« Ch 41 π βΊThe trials continue. The child is five years old now. She talks to someone no one else can see. | β | β | β |
πΎ Ch 42 π βΊHe enters as himself and within a day the Meta-Mind has made him famous. That's part of the plan. | β | β | β |
β°οΈ Ch 43 π βΊA room so perfect no one who lies down ever leaves. He stands in the doorway and doesn't sit down. | β | β | β |
π€ Ch 44 π βΊThe machine has been recording his dreams and rewarding him for the good ones. He recognises the manipulation. | β | β | β |
π§ Ch 45 π βΊFrom the ridge, the army is visible on the plain below β a dark line, moving north. They move on. | β | β | β |
βοΈ Ch 46 π βΊThree people. Three missions. One morning. A revolution. A hundred thousand people flooding into Central Park at dawn. | β | β | β |
π Ch 47 π βΊThe valley is almost too beautiful to be real. The child slips away. When he finds her, she says his name. | β | β | β |
π§οΈ Ch 48 π βΊThe vaults are stripped. Almost everything is gone. One gold bar remains β with a message on the bottom. | β | β | β |
π Ch 49 π βΊThe child has found a way to give them more time. A boy hears her voice in his head and keeps it to himself. | β | β | β |
π± Ch 50 π βΊA dusty shelf. A scratched-out face in a photograph. A clock he has seen before. He walks outside and says nothing. | β | β | β |
π Ch 51 π βΊGhost-voices urge him to stop. The child at the back of the boat strings fruit on a line and says nothing. | β | β | β |
πΏ Ch 52 π βΊThe team splits. The tunnels narrow. A prosthetic catches on the edge. Gus watches his father let go β calmly, lovingly. | β | β | β |
π Ch 53 π βΊHe sends them all ahead to safety. He goes on alone. She makes a promise. | β | β | β |
π₯ Ch 54 π βΊA boy watches his father's life played back around him. Two men who built the world's worst idea face each other at last. | β | β | β |
π Ch 55 π βΊBeyond the edge of the visible world, everything is returned to him. He walks back no longer only one man. | β | β | β |
π₯ Ch 56 π βΊA dying man. A soldier who hates him. A medpod in the dark. The lid seals. The loop closes. | β | β | β |
π‘ Ch 57 π βΊIn this place, wounds do not heal. He descends anyway. What waits at the bottom has been waiting since Chapter 1. | β | β | β |
ποΈ Ch 58 π βΊA man demonstrates his last great invention β then slips away while the other's back is turned. | β | β | β |
π Ch 59 π βΊShe wears the faces of the people he loves best. A hooded stranger arrives. Then, in golden armour, a father walks in. | β | β | β |
π Ch 60 π βΊEve's grip on the mountain releases. The doors open. A man goes to find his grandson. | β | β | β |
πΆ Ch 61 π βΊFather and son reunite in the mountain caves. At the crossroads, a voice calls upward. He goes alone. | β | β | β |
β³ Ch 62 π βΊHe straightens them himself. Folds their hands. Sits with them in the dark. He does not call anyone. | β | β | β |
πͺ Ch 63 π βΊAt the summit, a face he recognises without being told. He comes out the other side changed. | β | β | β |
π΄ Ch 64 π βΊGus carries his father's body to the roots of the great tree. He will not let anyone help. | β | β | β |
π Ch 65 π βΊThe starship departs. A stranger appears at the door β older eyes, a longer memory, and a warning. | β | β | β |