.. article copy and pasted from the website for "USA Today".. article written by Clare Mulroy.. .. three year old kate moss: ..".. whoishe.. whoishe.. whoishe.. whoishe.. ".. .. quoting finnegans wake about anna livia..

USA TODAY 2.1M Followers This author keeps predicting new 'dystopian' AI technology. What will come true next? Story by Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY • 3d • 4 min read The metaverse, expanded virtual reality and wearable technology that translates language live. These are topics from recent news cycles, but they're also key plot elements in “Coldwire” (out now from Simon & Schuster). Chloe Gong didn't intend write a ripped-from-the-headlines dystopian novel, but it happened anyway. Books can take years to write and usually take another two to edit and publish. Gong envisioned the technological advances in her book would still feel out of reach by the time it published, she says. But new AI advances and virtual reality spaces kept popping up, and she kept following in disbelief. Kick Off Your Game with 150 Free Spins – Ontario Players Only Ad Kick Off Your Game with 150 Free Spins – Ontario Players Only Jackpotcity call to action icon more Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning. "It feels like we are very rapidly heading toward that future, and especially Gen Z is looking at it in a way where it's no longer an unbelievable story, it's just a very near future take," Gong says. The first book of this new young adult trilogy, "Coldwire" is set in a world where humanity mostly resides in virtual reality. Gong says it's her twistiest novel yet, filled with high-stakes military missions and technology foibles, warring countries and citizens left to pick up the pieces. ‘Coldwire’ has dystopian technology, espionage plots and coming-of-age stories Chloe Gong is trading historical fantasy for cyberpunk with new novel "Coldwire." Chloe Gong is trading historical fantasy for cyberpunk with new novel "Coldwire." © One Grid Studio At 26, Gong is already the bestselling author of three series. Her debut, “These Violent Delights,” became a bestseller in 2020 when she was still in college. She has cemented herself as a BookTok favorite. Now, Gong ventures into cyberpunk, a science fiction subgenre set in a dystopian future. In “Coldwire,” humanity exists in two distinct planes divided by class and privilege. The “haves” stay in virtual reality “upcountry” as long as they can, and the “have-nots” are left to a crumbling real-world “downcountry.” As a cold war divides two powerful countries, we follow two young women trapped in a conspiracy – Eirale, a soldier framed for assassinating a government official and Lia, a military academy student paired with her academic rival for a dangerous mission. Both are outsiders in their own way, orphans of the marginalized Medan race adopted into the prominent Atahua nation. Ottawa Brickwork Repair - Expert Bricklayers - Brick or Stone Construction Ad Ottawa Brickwork Repair - Expert Bricklayers - Brick or Stone Construction stonehengemasonry.ca call to action icon more Though many of the characters in “Coldwire” relish in the glitzy virtual world, not everyone is as enchanted. One character opts to stay behind as her family logs in upcountry. Another grapples with a sensory sickness, unable to tell what’s real and what’s not. Another is an anarchist raging against a large corporation. “Dystopian books, to me, feel like we are head-on acknowledging what the world can look like if certain aspects of society disintegrate,” Gong says. “Dystopian is always written in reflection of what the author is looking at. … I think this genre has always functioned best when it has something to say about our current time.” Gong grew up reading young adult dystopian during the 2010s craze that included “The Hunger Games” and “Divergent,” so the target audience is intentional. "Coldwire" by Chloe Gong is the first novel in the StrangeLoom Trilogy. "Coldwire" by Chloe Gong is the first novel in the StrangeLoom Trilogy. © Simon & Schuster “‘Coldwire' is at its core a coming-of-age story,” Gong says. Her characters grapple with belonging and betrayal – trying to figure out their own place in the world as much as they are deciphering who is a spy and who is not. “It just feels more interesting to do a story like that from a 17-year-old’s perspective than, say, a 27-year-old’s perspective. I always like to say young adult fiction feels like you are trying to decide, ‘Am I worthy of these things? Can I have love? Can I have respect, power, etc.?’ And a lot of adult fiction feels like it’s asking, ‘What if it’s not enough?’” Can you name all these countries from their shapes? Most people can’t—prove you’re different! Ad Can you name all these countries from their shapes? Most people can’t—prove you’re different! QuizScope call to action icon more She also wanted to push the genre further. What if “The Hunger Games” explored countries outside of Panem? What happens when two governments battle for power and their “big, untouchable superpower conflict comes down to affect the people living in the shadow of that conflict”? Correcting cyberpunk’s fraught history with Asian cities Cyberpunk stories are often set in neon-glistening cities with futuristic technology. They’re also often modeled after Asian cities like Tokyo or Kyoto. “Blade Runner” is one of the most well-known examples. One peer-reviewed article from 2019 says movies like “Blade Runner,” “The Matrix” and “Cloud Atlas” employ “Asian imagery to address technophobic fears of mind invasion, rapacious consumerism, environmental breakdown, and the erosion of individual rights.” Leadgen logo USA TODAY Get unlimited digital access to USA TODAY and premium Sports+ stories One month free Get it now Rather than turning to historical texts and timelines like her previous books, this was the type of research that Gong did for “Coldwire.” Though the book is not set in our recognizable society, she still uses race and sexuality as cultural identifiers and to communicate marginalization. It’s important to have representation even when “it’s not the story itself,” Gong says. It makes for well-rounded characters. She first heard about the co-opting of Asian “cultures and aesthetics to make a parallel into a dystopian and terrible future” in a college course. It’s often a subconscious portrayal, but it makes an impact nonetheless. “I love these films, television shows, books, but there's no denying this racialized element to it,” Gong says. “What if I could also write within the space and both embrace the archetypes of this genre, but also subvert it from another angle, of what the canon has not really covered otherwise?” Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY’s Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you’re reading at cmulroy@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: This author keeps predicting new 'dystopian' AI technology. What will come true next? Sponsored USA TODAY Visit USA TODAY Lawmakers reach deal to end government shutdown: Live updates Dick Cheney's funeral date and location set America doesn't have enough babies. Could working from home deliver a baby boom? Sponsored