The Companions

DEBUT In the near future, a viral outbreak has swept the country, leaving the populace living under quarantine. Meanwhile, the Metis corporation has developed technology that allows the consciousness of a person to be placed into an artificial host. The resulting entities, called companions, are either wards of their relatives or property, with no rights. Lilac is one such companion, but she cannot forget her life and escapes her assigned post to seek out someone from her past. Her search covers decades in which society’s stance on companions changes, while both regular humans and others like Lilac struggle with the question of what makes someone human. Lilac’s story weaves in and out of the narrative, and the author gives plenty of other points of view, including a human caregiver, a homeless teen, a movie star who becomes a companion, and one of the scientists involved in creating the technology that made companions possible.