Dark State

Dark State is the second book in the thrilling Empire Games series, set in the same world as Charles Stross' The Merchant Princes series. In the near future, one America is experiencing its first technological revolution, while in a parallel world, the United States is a hi-tech police state. Both timelines are poised for conflict. Miriam Burgeson's America is heading for civil war. However, a high-profile defection might avert this crisis, if only Miriam and her agents can arrange it in time. Rita Douglas, a rival US spy, arrives during this turmoil. Rita's world is rocked when she realizes Miriam is her birth mother, changing her own mission irrevocably. Then her United States discovers yet another parallel earth and the remains of an advanced society. Something destroyed that civilization, and Rita's people are about to rouse it, leading to consequences for both worlds.