A hundred years into the future, megacities dominate the landscape. Buildings soar a mile into the sky, leaving dark canyons below. While the wealthy and powerful live amongst the clouds, those below choke on pollution, blinded by the neon glow of Base City.

 Ashiro Taki has amnesia and can't remember anything before a few months ago.  Memories come to him, disconnected and unexplained.  A view of a building, the face of a child, and the noodle stand where the proprietor, Eido, seems to know him.

 What Ashiro does know is that he's enhanced, very enhanced.  Brain augmentation, data ports, and sensory upgrades give him extraordinary advantages when jacked in.  On the street, muscle, bone, and tissue implants make him an elite soldier.  But what is it all for?

 One day, while wandering through the smog-filled half-light of Base City, Ashiro comes upon a boy and his mother.  He recognizes the child, his smile, his voice, everything. Has he met him before?  Is the boy his?  What about the woman?  She's familiar, too.

 When Ashiro is injured in a deadly fight following a botched hack, he awakens to find the woman, Chiya, caring for him.  She doesn't know who he is but has discovered a terrible secret, something she's too afraid to tell him. 

 Ashiro is dying, melting from the inside out as his extraordinary enhancements degrade.

 The Hakko Ichiu Corporation is one of the largest in the world, and its resources are vast. In control of it all is Yugi Orgata. He has lost something very precious, and he wants it back.

 For Chiya, the child Wren is pure and innocent. He is her chance to be a mother again after losing her own son.  For Yugi, the boy is something else--and he will do whatever it takes to get him back.

 Ashiro, Chiya, and Wren find themselves united in a desperate struggle to survive. Together, they will fight to answer the greatest question of all-- What is The Magu Program?

Praise for Matt Hartle's first book, "Of Courage And Sacrifice."

"A storyboared-for-the-camera tale of techno-terror... the action in this novel moves at a fast clip!"   --Kirkus Reviews

"The Hunger Games is the loved dystopian series of my generation, and I can absolutely see this series becoming the new obsession of high schoolers everywhere.  ...I would absolutely recommend this one!"  --Joannasbookshelf, Instagram Influencer

"The story was well-written science fiction with well-developed characters. The plot is fast-paced, and the action in this book is top-notch."  --Falon Charles-Jabri

"I enjoyed reading this book, it had the same mystery, adrenaline, and suspense as the Hunger Games series. I would recommend this book especially if you enjoy robot rebellion and human apocalypse combined!"  --Lucia Maranghello

"This is one of the better sci-fi books and it really keeps the reader immersed in the story throughout the entire book. The well-written characters and great plot help this book be a great read for anyone that loves sci-fi. The story deals with human violence and artificial intelligence and how making decisions can really affect the way things come out. There is a lesson to be learned about how decisions can lead to consequences. This is a great starting book to a trilogy, and I would recommend this to anyone that loves sci-fi. I hope to see more from this author in the future. Overall, the novel was entertaining because of Hartle’s exceptional writing."  --Melinda Butler, Vine Voice