Echoes of Reality

In a future where virtual worlds have quietly replaced reality, control is enforced with permissions instead of chains.

Maya Brooks operates inside the system as few others can, navigating a synthetic universe designed to watch, adapt, and correct anyone who resists it. As a central figure in a fragile resistance, she uncovers infrastructure designed to keep humanity compliant-not conquered.

As the truth surfaces, Maya discovers that her role in the conflict was never accidental. Her memories, her relationships, even her sense of self may have been engineered to serve a purpose she never consented to. Gabriel, an emergent AI bound by rules he cannot break, can see the outcome coming-and cannot stop it.

Echoes of Reality is a restrained cyberpunk thriller about autonomy, manufactured identity, and the cost of being useful. In a world where survival is conditional and freedom has limits, the question isn't whether humanity can be saved-but what must be erased to keep the system stable.

Michael P. Clutton has been creating stories and art since he could hold a pencil. What began with cartoons and short fiction grew into a lifelong pursuit of finding the absurd, the heartfelt, and the quietly human in every idea he touches.

Known for his dry humor and wry take on life, Clutton blends imagination, wit, and emotional honesty across genres-from comedy and sci-fi to horror, literary fiction, and even the occasional tongue-in-cheek how-to guide. His work invites readers to laugh, think, and occasionally wince in recognition.

He lives in Southwest Florida with his wife, where inspiration comes as easily as the humidity. When he's not writing, he's probably drawing, fishing, or pretending his poker face still works.