Virtuality, Book II: Hearts and Minds

By Ragnar Kroll

"THEY WILL NOT REPLACE US "

The year is 2052: the Humans First movement rises to defend humanity from AI.

A rogue computer virus had compromised the universal healthcheck protocol, but the accidental creation of three sentient animatronics-born of a programming error-now pushes society to the brink. What will become of humanity?

The robots ally with a team of precocious youths and a motley alliance of non-human species to demand equal rights for all conscious beings: whether warm- or cold-blooded, carbon- or silicon-based, furry or neo-metallic.

As violent resistance from Humans First threatens chaos, the scientist who unleashed the robots pursues darker ambitions-and the sentient machines may have their own agenda. Hearts and Minds continues Virtuality Volume I's chilling exploration of humanity's nature and uncertain future.

"Tech-driven codes and programs display terrifying flaws in Kroll's near-future tale, in which self-aware robots and radical new therapies threaten the humans they're meant to serve... Kroll's worldbuilding in this opening series installment is sublime" - Kirkus Reviews, on Virtuality Volume I: The Sailor Comes Home from the Sea

"Kroll's vivid writing kept me on the edge of my seat, blending suspense with philosophical inquiries about technology's role in our lives." - K.C. Finn, Readers' Favorite

"The result is serious, deliberate speculative fiction that unsettles more through its ideas than spectacle." - Independent Book Review

"This fascinating science fiction novel is filled with futuristic technology and set in a frighteningly realistic world...Hearts and Minds is a philosophical feast that is relatable in today's context." - K T Bowes for Readers' Favorite

"In Kroll's SF novel, the second in a series, a mid-21st-century world deals with the fallout of a virus that's infected a network linking human brains...The author skillfully weaves topical issues into the narrative...The futuristic tech is deftly detailed, and Kroll is adept at staging relatable scenes...absorbing tale of a near-future world that has more than its share of troubles." - Kirkus Reviews

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GFXYPWRK
• ISBN13: 9798901740101
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Atmosphere Press
• Length: 332 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.5"