110

In the year 2040, humanity’s average life expectancy has been extended past the century mark, to 110. As they age, senior citizens look to synthetic implants and additively printed prosthetic parts to maintain their normal body functions. Increasingly, humankind relies on robots for assistance, and seniors are attracted to boutique retirement villages run with the help of intelligent humanoids. Hard-nosed Australian property magnate Jeremy Kerr is looking to develop island resorts. He enlists the help of a renowned climate advocate to acquire a tropical island habitat owned mainly by centenarians. This quest is also motivated by the discovery of some sunken treasures in the surrounding waters. But he encounters opposition from the habitat’s manager, who pulls together a ragbag alliance of residents, robots, and robot experts to beat the tycoon’s team to the salvage and fend off the takeover. In the meantime, a young researcher is working on ground-breaking robotic technology that can be safeguarded by Asimov’s laws and other institutionalized constraints. Inadvertently, the modified robots take on an unexplained consciousness that may potentially upset man-robot relationship forever. In this science fiction novel, climate change and South China Sea politics provide a multi-faceted setting for a clash of wills, wits, and technical prowess. As the plot unwinds, quirky, identifiable human characters are pitted against one another whilst robots are conflicted by human manipulation of their governing laws.