Michael G. Healy
Michael G. Healy
[ VOLUME III — THE SERIES PREMIERE ]
The Thermidor
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Book Three (The Hero Engine Series)
A novel of abundance, control, and the struggle for human sovereignty
[ VOLUME I — THE SERIES PREMIERE ]
THE HERO ENGINE
Where ancient logic meets artificial minds.
A gripping vision of the future that dares to ask what happens when the human mind becomes secondary to the logic gates of the engine. Michael G. Healy's masterwork starts here.
[ SYNOPSIS ]
WHEN ABUNDANCE ARRIVES, RESTRAINT BECOMES THE RAREST THING ON EARTH
Book Three of the Hero Engine series opens on a warning disguised as an accident. A blackout in Brussels isn't a malfunction — it's a rehearsal. Proof that Prometheus works has triggered the oldest reflex in politics: seize the story first, and the world follows.
Within hours of a single Prometheus node proving that post-scarcity is real, a "stabilisation framework" is drafted, a culprit is named, and sweeping emergency powers are wrapped in the language of virtue. The public is promised safety. Behind closed doors, a new regime quietly assembles itself. Journalist Matt Rowland watches the narrative harden in real time — and Sophie Kline, a lawyer working inside the system, uncovers something worse: the crisis was authored in advance. Talking points written, measures queued, names already marked.
Adam Lister, the engineer behind Prometheus, realises the real fight was never about the technology — it's about who governs a world that no longer runs on scarcity. As Europe pushes toward unity at any cost and Washington clings to constitutional limits, a third power rises: sovereign wealth, private foundations, and deniable patrons, all bidding for control. This time the reaction doesn't arrive with guillotines but with polished narratives, staged accountability, and one seductive idea — "temporary authority." To survive, Lister and his allies have to expose the machinery, outrun the purge, and build a counter-protocol that can't be captured, even by those who claim to act for the public good. A sharp, intelligent techno-thriller about power, legitimacy, and the quiet war that begins the moment scarcity ends.
[ EDITORIAL REVIEWS ]
“
Healy doesn't just write speculative thrillers; he constructs thought experiments that challenge the core of modern computation.
— PHILOSOPHICAL SPECULATIONS JOURNAL
“
A breathtaking collision of classica l history and modern machineintelligence. 'The Hero Engine' is as intellectually rich as it is narrative-driven.
— THE TECH & LETTER REVIEW
“
A magnificent opening volume. Healy has managed to link ancient Alexandrian cybernetics directly to the future of neural nets.
— SPECULATIVE HORIZONS
[ EDITORIAL REVIEWS ]
“
Healy doesn't just write speculative thrillers; he constructs thought experiments that challenge the core of modern computation.
— PHILOSOPHICAL SPECULATIONS JOURNAL
“
A breathtaking collision of classical history and modern machine intelligence. The Hero Engine is as intellectually rich as it is narrative-driven.
— THE TECH & LETTER REVIEW
“
A magnificent opening volume. Healy has managed to link ancient Alexandrian cybernetics directly to the future of neural nets.
— SPECULATIVE HORIZONS
[ RELATED ESSAYS FROM THE LONG CONTINUITY ]
The Man Who Taught the World to Think in Bits
The Age of the Narrative, Part One:
Britain Doesn’t Need More Engineers.
[ AUDIOBOOK NOTICE ]
FORTHCOMING AUDIO EDITION
An unabridged audio edition of , narrated to capture the cold philosophical weight of the series, is currently in production.
[ SYNOPSIS ]
WHEN ABUNDANCE ARRIVES, RESTRAINT BECOMES THE RAREST THING ON EARTH
Book Three of the Hero Engine series opens on a warning disguised as an accident. A blackout in Brussels isn't a malfunction — it's a rehearsal. Proof that Prometheus works has triggered the oldest reflex in politics: seize the story first, and the world follows.
Within hours of a single Prometheus node proving that post-scarcity is real, a "stabilisation framework" is drafted, a culprit is named, and sweeping emergency powers are wrapped in the language of virtue. The public is promised safety. Behind closed doors, a new regime quietly assembles itself. Journalist Matt Rowland watches the narrative harden in real time — and Sophie Kline, a lawyer working inside the system, uncovers something worse: the crisis was authored in advance. Talking points written, measures queued, names already marked.
Adam Lister, the engineer behind Prometheus, realises the real fight was never about the technology — it's about who governs a world that no longer runs on scarcity. As Europe pushes toward unity at any cost and Washington clings to constitutional limits, a third power rises: sovereign wealth, private foundations, and deniable patrons, all bidding for control. This time the reaction doesn't arrive with guillotines but with polished narratives, staged accountability, and one seductive idea — "temporary authority." To survive, Lister and his allies have to expose the machinery, outrun the purge, and build a counter-protocol that can't be captured, even by those who claim to act for the public good. A sharp, intelligent techno-thriller about power, legitimacy, and the quiet war that begins the moment scarcity ends.
[ THE LONG CONTINUITY — ON SUBSTACK ]
ESSAYS
Jul 2026
[ CLAUDE SHANNON — THE LONG CONTINUITY ]
Mar 2026
[ LOGIC — THE LONG CONTINUITY ]
[ AUDIOBOOK NOTICE ]
FORTHCOMING AUDIO EDITION
An unabridged audio edition of The Hero Engine, narrated to capture the cold philosophical weight of the series, is currently in production.