Book

The Blackout Protocol: A Solarpunk AI Thriller

Book 1 in The Photonic Conspiracy

View all books in this series

by P M Stryker

In 2035, solar-powered Aurelia City gleams with promise—until precision blackouts mask a devastating financial heist. Mara Reyes can see what others can't. Fired from the CleanGrid Authority for whistleblowing, her rare chromesthesia lets her perceive data fluctuations as color shifts in the city's transparent PV-glass towers. When a mysterious $2 billion theft coincides with millisecond power interruptions, the CGA has no choice but to bring her back. 72 hours. That's all Mara has to solve the case before a solar eclipse provides perfect cover for the ultimate data heist. Partnering with Helios AI's idealistic creator and a street-smart courier with underworld connections, she races across gleaming rooftops and through shadowy corridors to uncover the truth. But as corporate interests push for a proprietary lockdown of the city's open-source power grid, Mara discovers the conspiracy runs deeper than mere theft. The blackouts are just a test—and what comes during the eclipse could destroy Aurelia's solarpunk utopia forever. In a world where energy is abundant but secrets are the true currency, Mara must decide: Who controls the light? And who deserves to live in the sun? THE BLACKOUT PROTOCOL is a fast-paced solarpunk techno-thriller where cutting-edge solar technology meets high-stakes espionage, perfect for fans of Neal Stephenson's TERMINATION SHOCK and William Gibson's THE PERIPHERAL.

Publication date: May 4, 2025