An adult sci-fi thriller.
When your reality shatters, what will you do to put it back together again?
Still reeling from the failure of his last project, videogame developer Peter Banuk is working hard to ensure his next game doesn’t meet the same fate. He desperately needs a win, not only to save his struggling company, but to justify the time he’s spent away from his wife and daughters.
So when Peter’s tech-genius partner offers him the chance to beta-test a new state-of-the-art virtual reality headset, he jumps at it. But something goes wrong during the trial, and Peter wakes to find himself trapped in an eerily familiar world where his children no longer exist.
As the lines between the real and virtual worlds begin to blur, Peter is forced to reckon with what truly matters to him. But can he escape his virtual prison before he loses his family forever?
"Walters' debut is an exhilarating roller coaster as he masterfully executes the feeling of icy dread, instability, and being unable to reconcile reality with memories."
— Booklist
“A neat little slice of military-industrial paranoia that messes with reality - both virtual and actual - to good purpose. Liked it a lot.”
— Dave Hutchinson, author of the Fractured Europe sequence and The Return of the Incredible Exploding Man
"An outstanding debut novel that explores the blurred lines between virtual reality and real life. It gave me Total Recall vibes in the best way. I couldn't put it down!"
— Michael Mammay, author of the Planetside series
"Deep Dive is an imaginative, pulse-pounding sci-fi thriller with a poignantly relatable emotional core. The story is drawn so deftly and believably that I had a few goosebumps moments of 'What if this could really happen?' I couldn't read it fast enough!"
— Elly Blake, New York Times bestselling author of the Frostblood series
"If extremely fast-paced, sci-fi tech thrillers are your thing, then Ron Walter's debut, Deep Dive, is a must get. It's Blake Crouch's Dark Matter, filled with Tal Klein's The Punch Escrow, rolled up and lightly dusted with Mythic Quest. This was a tightly crafted, super fun, and original take on the virtual reality rabbit hole, and I couldn't turn the pages quickly enough."
— Chris Panatier, author of The Phlebotomist
"Ron Walters’ sci-fi debut, Deep Dive, packs an emotional punch while delivering believable, seamless world-building. For a parent, there’s nothing more cold-sweat-inducing than imagining a world where your kids are erased from existence; just a blip on your mind, and absent from everyone else’s. But that’s exactly the horror facing Peter, who must find a way to reclaim a life only he seems to remember. A brilliant, quick-paced read."
— Gabriela Houston, author of The Second Bell
"Walters finds gold in the VR trope in this techno thriller about a man who wants to be a better Dad but is no longer sure if his children ever existed. The story is quiet and loud, slow and fast, in all the right places."
— R.W.W. Greene, author of Twenty-five to Life and The Light Years
“Deep Dive, a fast-paced story about a man who tries out a virtual reality headset and emerges to find his actual reality—and what matters most—has melted away, will keep you turning pages until late into the night. Ron Walters is an author to watch!”
— Kristin Wright, author of The Darkest Flower
"A blistering, page-turning debut that's equal parts Inception and The Matrix, with a brilliantly heartbreaking concept at its core. You won't be able to put this book down."
— Dan Hanks, author of Captain Moxley and the Embers of the Empire
"Through a suspenseful, fast-paced plot bursting with wit, humor, and genuine heart, Deep Dive explores the very real struggles of creative ambition versus work/life balance. Parents especially will relate to the conundrum between Peter's drive and desires, and his desperate quest to reclaim what matters most. I loved every page of this exciting, heartbreaking book."
— Eva V. Gibson, author of Together We Caught Fire and Where Secrets Lie
A middle grade fantasy adventure.
If there’s one thing 12-year-old Calix O’Shaughnessy is good at, it’s bad luck.
Divorced parents? Check. Eyebrows singed off after an unfortunate grilling incident? Check. Accidentally releasing an ancient Irish fire demon from the statue where it was imprisoned by St. Patrick 1,500 years ago? Check and check.
Now the demon’s on the loose, tearing through Savannah, GA, and it’s up to Calix to take it down whether he wants to or not. Because it turns out, not only are fairies, monsters, and demigods real, but Calix is one of the heirs of St. Patrick, tasked with ridding the world of supernatural threats.
Left with no other choice, Calix, his cousin, and his best friend follow a series of cryptic clues around Savannah in order to retrieve the pieces of an ancient Irish weapon known as the Demon’s Bane, the only thing capable of defeating the demon. If they fail, the creature will raise an army of malevolent spirits and bathe the world in unholy fire.
All of a sudden, regular old bad luck doesn’t seem so bad after all.
A middle grade sci-fi adventure coming Fall 2024.
Twelve-year-old Jackson knows there are two things you need to survive in space: a solid ship and a good crew. Okay, so his temperamental ship was borrowed without permission. And yes, his crew is a bunch of misfit orphanage escapees who salvage wrecks around the asteroid belt to make ends meet. Other than that, they’re surviving on their own just fine, thank you very much.
Desperate for cash after an explosion nearly destroys their ship, Jackson and his crew are forced to make a delivery for the most wanted pirate in the entire solar system: Jackson’s older brother. Naturally, the job goes south the moment they realize the package they’re transporting contains an abducted alien child.
Unwilling to abandon their strange new friend, they blast off in search of the alien’s missing family, all the while dodging Jackson’s brother, a relentless bounty hunter, and half the solar navy. Their precarious rescue mission propels them to the darkest depths of the asteroid belt, setting them on a collision course with a galactic destiny far beyond any of their wildest imaginings.
CONTACT
For book and film/TV rights: David Dunton at Harvey Klinger Literary Agency at [email protected].