Mindwalker: The action-packed dystopian science-fiction novel

by Kate Dylan

Overview

DO NOT SURRENDER CONTROL.

'Mindwalker is a cinematic gut punch of action and espionage. Sharp-edged, tense and thrilling, you'll be holding your breath until the last page' Tasha Suri

Eighteen-year-old Sil Sarrah is determined to die a legend. But with only twelve months left before the supercomputer grafted to her brain kills her, Sil's time is quickly running out.

In the ten years she's been rescuing field agents for the Syntex corporation - by commandeering their minds from afar and leading them to safety - Sil hasn't lost a single life. And she's not about to start now.

But when a critical mission goes south, Sil is forced to flee the very company she once called home.

Desperate to prove she's no traitor, Sil infiltrates the Analog Army, an activist faction working to bring Syntex down. Her plan: to win back her employer's trust by destroying the group from within. Instead, she and the Army's reckless leader, Ryder, uncover a horrifying truth that threatens to undo all the good she's ever done.

With her tech rapidly degrading and her new ally keeping dangerous secrets of his own, Sil must find a way to stop Syntex in order to save her friends, her reputation - and maybe even herself.

'The thrill ride of a lifetime' Kat Dunn

'Pure adrenaline shot straight into your veins' Jesse Q. Sutanto

'Utterly enthralling' Saara El-Arifi

'This book will leave you breathless' Vaishnavi Patel

'Ridiculously thrilling' Claire Winn

'A vibrant thrill ride from start to finish!' Meg Long

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781529392708
Publisher:	Hodder
Publication date:	09/01/2022
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	536,961
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	14 Years

About the Author

Kate is a video editor by day, science fiction and fantasy author by night. Her love for creating new worlds is fuelled by a steady diet of coffee, books, and Marvel movies, and when she's not telling stories, you can find her haunting London cafes like an over-caffeinated ghost.

Editorial Reviews

In a post-apocalyptic future, a teen Mindwalker races against the clock.

Eighteen-year-old Captain Sil Sarrah is an agent for the Syntex corporation, trained from the age of 8 to use the processor grafted into her brain to rescue field agents by commandeering their minds from afar. It is a difficult job, misunderstood by those who don’t appreciate the advanced tech they use—and one that comes with a time limit. When a Walker turns 18, they start to malfunction, dying before the age of 20. Sil starts to experience terrifying glitches just as a mission gone wrong brands her a traitor to the corporation. On the run and desperate to prove her innocence, she approaches Ryder Stone, a member of anti-Syntex activist group the Analog Army, in hopes of finding intel about them that will buy her way back home. But as Sil learns about Ryder, the Analog Army, and their mission, she realizes Syntex may be hiding nefarious actions. Sil’s arc leads her to discover the truth behind the lies she has been told in a story full of twists, turns, and betrayals. This engaging, fast-paced story is set in a believable dystopian world in which most of humanity has been destroyed. The absorbing enemies-to-lovers romance and Sil’s thoughtful wish to find meaning in her short life enrich the story. Characters can change their physical appearances through aesthetic body modifications; unmodified Ryder has bronze skin and brown hair.

Thrilling. (Dystopian. 14-18)

—Kirkus Reviews

Mindwalker is a cinematic gut punch of action and espionage. Sharp-edged, tense and thrilling, you'll be holding your breath until the last page—Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne

Utterly enthralling with no time to catch your breath, Dylan plunges you into an unforgiving world full of tech, secrets and government control. With a plot that doesn't let you go and characters you don't want to let go, Mindwalker is aptly titled-it will continue to live in my mind rent free—Saara El-Arifi, author of The Final Strife

Mindwalker is pure adrenaline shot straight into your veins. The story grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go, and by the end, you'll be begging for another book from Dylan! On a deeper level, it's also a wildly important read that takes an incisive look at issues of consent. A must-read for both fans of sci-fi and those who think they don't like sci-fi!—Jesse Q. Sutanto, bestselling author of The Obsession and Dial A for Aunties

Deftly balancing break-neck action with reflections on consent, mortality, and what legacy we choose to leave behind, Mindwalker is here to grab you by the throat and pitch you head first into the thrill ride of a lifetime. Buckle up, kids, Sil Sarrah is a heroine for the ages—Kat Dunn, Author of Dangerous Remedy

Mindwalker is a brilliant rollercoaster of a ride for those who love sci-fi, those who are new to it, and everyone in between. Packed with incredible action and thought-provoking commentary, this book will leave you breathless—Vaishnavi Patel, author of Kaikeyi

Ridiculously thrilling. Mindwalker is an explosion of everything I love in sci-fi: breakneck pacing, badass characters, stunning twists, and a teched-out world. Buckle up and hang on—Claire Winn, author of City of Shattered Light

A vibrant thrill ride from start to finish! Dylan's sparkling debut is full of instant character favorites paired with a wickedly vivid, tech-filled world of intrigue, romance, and nonstop action. This story has something for everyone-it's truly the sci-fi fix I've been dying for!—Meg Long, author of Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves

Mindwalker is the fast-paced, smart and surprising sci-fi of your dreams. Dylan's writing is masterfully commercial, her characters are complex and compelling; it's impossible to stop reading once you've started—Sarah Underwood, author of Lies We Sing to the Sea

Mindwalker is the most exciting book I've read this year. It starts fast and just gets faster! Kate Dylan's debut is expertly crafted and reads like a high-budget TV show waiting to happen. I can't wait to read more from her—Ben Oliver, author of The Loop

A thrilling, fast-paced page-turner. The worldbuilding is inspiring - utterly inventive, intricate, and wonderfully believable. Definitely a must-read for all sci-fi fans—London Shah, author of The Light at the Bottom of the World

Mindwalker is everything I love in YA SciFi: a fierce protagonist fighting the odds in a world just beyond our own, quick-witted banter, a mysterious rebel love interest, and a ticking clock. Pure adrenaline!—Emily Thiede, author of This Vicious Grace

Action-packed, whipsmart, and chrome shiny, Mindwalker combines deep questions about consent and technology with a propulsive plot and fascinating (if terrifying) near future world—L. R. Lam, Sunday Times bestselling author of Dragonfall, Goldilocks and Shattered Minds

MINDWALKER is a cyberpunk near-future tale filled with action and thrills which I thoroughly enjoyed ... combining a fast-paced story with some consideration of ethical issues around corporate propaganda, manipulation and fully informed consent. It is well-written, easy to read and holds the reader's attention to the end—BSFG Newsletter

Kate Dylan's thrillingly fast-paced, futuristic and original sci-fi debut might fall into the YA category, but it holds plenty of appeal for just about anyone who loves action-packed Marvel-esque plots, quick-witted banter and intriguing characters with murky morals—Culturefly

This SF YA debut boasts pin-sharp characterisation and nail-biting, swift-paced action—Guardian

Well written, with strong central characters, plenty of action and constant page-turning suspense—ParSec

This engaging, fast-paced story is set in a believable dystopian world in which most of humanity has been destroyed—Kirkus Starred Review

Christmas gift guide: 'It's hard to stop reading this high-tech, high-concept thriller'—The i

What to Read: 'This book could revive the dystopian genre and I will be flying the flag for that'—Stellar Magazine

From the Publisher

★ 2022-10-27
In a post-apocalyptic future, a teen Mindwalker races against the clock.

Eighteen-year-old Captain Sil Sarrah is an agent for the Syntex corporation, trained from the age of 8 to use the processor grafted into her brain to rescue field agents by commandeering their minds from afar. It is a difficult job, misunderstood by those who don’t appreciate the advanced tech they use—and one that comes with a time limit. When a Walker turns 18, they start to malfunction, dying before the age of 20. Sil starts to experience terrifying glitches just as a mission gone wrong brands her a traitor to the corporation. On the run and desperate to prove her innocence, she approaches Ryder Stone, a member of anti-Syntex activist group the Analog Army, in hopes of finding intel about them that will buy her way back home. But as Sil learns about Ryder, the Analog Army, and their mission, she realizes Syntex may be hiding nefarious actions. Sil’s arc leads her to discover the truth behind the lies she has been told in a story full of twists, turns, and betrayals. This engaging, fast-paced story is set in a believable dystopian world in which most of humanity has been destroyed. The absorbing enemies-to-lovers romance and Sil’s thoughtful wish to find meaning in her short life enrich the story. Characters can change their physical appearances through aesthetic body modifications; unmodified Ryder has bronze skin and brown hair.

Thrilling. (Dystopian. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews