Father of the Future Book Cover Design for author Darren Shan published under his Darren Dash identity.

Cassique is a time travelling Fixer in AD 2853. It's his job to nip back into the past and fix problems which threaten to wipe out the world of the twenty-ninth century. But the longer Cassique spends in those past times, the more he comes to wonder if the docile, VR-obsessed people of his present would actually benefit from a reset. It's a dangerous thought, because that would mean taking a stand against Father, the world-running super-computer, and Father takes a very dim view of any form of rebellion.

When Cassique teams up with a couple of relatively famous figures from the past, they start trying to formulate a plan to make time travel work in their favour, and return the reins of control to humanity. But they have to be exceedingly careful, because Father might be listening...

A darkly comic cross between 1984 and Time Bandits, this science fiction work shines a light on the dangers of putting too much power in the hands of a computer, and is more timely than ever when framed against the recent debate concerning the rise of AI.