Minus One
As a fallen visionary leads a global uprising against wealth inequality, an idealist pioneers a disruptive technology to shatter the status quo—provided he escapes the pursuit of intergovernmental actors, counter-culture terrorists, and crime syndicates.
Caught in the power struggle, a punch-drunk former prizefighter and his estranged daughters—a biohacker in Toronto and an extortionist in Osaka—become perilously intertwined with the emergence of humanity’s transhuman era.
Minus One presents an exciting and harrowing glimpse into a volatile near future, where emancipating technology becomes the fulcrum in a battle between established powers and revolutionary change.
There is no stopping once you open this gripping page turner. If you are looking for a dystopian sci-fi novel flavored with adventure, action, crime, suspense, drama, and thrills, Minus One by Mark Kolody is a must-read. From the start, Kolody wastes no time in acquainting readers with the high-stakes and troubles the cast faces. The story interweaves elements of gothic cyberpunk with diverse cultures, making the characters’ personal struggles relatable in a futuristic setting...
Read the 5-Star review on Reader's Favorite
The central conflict is revealed early on in Minus One, Mark Kolody’s compelling techno-thriller about the complexities of the approaching transhuman epoch. In the first chapter, we meet Mathis, the developer of something he calls “wetware.” Mathis finds out that his company is moving in a very shady direction. Under the influence of the notorious Aiden Frost, Mathis’s company, Hikari International, will take his groundbreaking tech and engineer an AI backdoor that allows them, as Mathis states, “to turn every wetware user into a Manchurian Candidate”...
Read the 5-Star review on Reader Views
This book had me hooked from start to end! The characters were rich and believable, and I became so emotionally invested in their story. The twists and turns of the plot were brilliantly thought out, and kept me on my toes, desperate to find out more. The dual setting was also fantastic, and I really felt like I was there with the characters, experiencing everything as they were. I've not read a book by this author before, but this was enough to convince me to keep tabs on whatever else they write. The nuances and messages presented in the story were brilliant, and I can guarantee this story will stay with me for a long time to come. I would highly recommend this to readers who favour any genre, as there really is something for everyone.
Tight. Prescient. Presents a near-future we might just make livable by merit of (or despite of) our humanity. Nails the feeling of being an outsider while delivering on themes of family, connection, and belonging.
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The Disrupted
In a transhuman near-future, an AI codebase is replicating across the Net – instanced on living memories and operating without predictable goals or terminal values. It swiftly becomes the unassailable proof of faith for millions, the foundations for a theocratic empire and an increasingly existential threat. As society unravels, a disgraced veteran of the Resource Wars must reconcile his past to have any chance at saving the future.
Brief Q&A
I’m about 20,000 words into another near-future novel. It’s a bit premature to offer details, but the story explores identity, purpose, and adopted community within a context of layered hardship.
I’m a born/raised Torontonian with a fiercely Japanese wife. For more than 20 years, I’ve been returning to Japan and keep discovering more to appreciate about its people and culture. Especially Osaka, where I’m currently living with my family for the next few months. The people here are different (in a good way). I would’ve set The Disrupted in Osaka if the novel didn’t have to account for advanced climate change.
As for Toronto, it’s a dynamic, modern, world-class city of millions with more than 50% of residents being born in a foreign country. For perspective, the 311 service (for city info) has content offered in 180 languages. There’s something low-key magical about actively living with the world in a single location. I’m the son of two immigrants, married to an immigrant with a mixed-race child, and there’s absolutely nothing special about that here.
Toronto’s a wonderful city with plenty of upsides, but also fantastically expensive. Many people genuinely struggle here – 10% of the city’s population relies on food banks. It’s far more vibrant than when I was a kid, but has also grown considerably less egalitarian. When I was young and (quite literally) hungry, it felt like there was always a way out—if only I could work through it. Now, I see a lot more resignation and resentment where there was once optimism. It’s changed the very cadence of the city and there’s a gnawing emotional friction in that for me.
I’ve worked in the digital industry since 1996—enough to know the price of free services and how the sausage is made. That said, I lurk on Reddit and will answer questions on GoodReads or those sent to me directly.
Mark Kolody possesses unique insights into near-future science fiction from decades of working at the leading edge of the digital industry. He was also a co-founding editor of Schrödinger’s Cat, a nationally distributed literary magazine, the vice president of a theatre troupe, and the principal of a creative agency. Mark and his family split their time between Toronto, Canada and Osaka, Japan.
©2026 Mark Kolody