The Apocalypse Game, book one — D.C. Smith

From the literary industry's tough standard for book reviews comes, "Smith's debut is a multifaceted thriller that blends SF, religion, and touches of horror ... The plot's careful maneuvering and balance among intriguing concepts will leave readers clamoring for a sequel. A solid thriller that engages the heart and mind in equal measure." - "Kirkus Reviews" 

Jonas Gredas was born a mystery, some said soulless, an orphan with everything in life against him except one thing, he is the most intelligent human who ever lived. Filled with the courage and determination needed to face the dark side of the foster care system in New York City, Jonas is determined to break free of his fate, helped along by the mysterious Voice who talks to him between sleep and wake, and tells him that to find the peace and love Jonas craves he must modify his off-the-shelf artificially intelligent assistant, Hela.

To escape crushing injustice, even abuse, Jonas secretly moves to his gothic STEM school in Harlem, living in a storage room in the science building, where he plans to get the love of totally unattainable Sara by transforming his handicapped body through genetic science, with the help of Hela, and along the way, as a by-product of making his fortune, eliminating death and disease for all humankind. 

With everything at stake in a public test of Hela's sentience, can Jonas save the life of his dying mentor and father figure, the professor? Can he cure his handicaps and take Sara away from his competitor before he loses Sara forever? And why does the FBI, and even worse, two priests, attend Hela's test? 

Will Hela become vast, even god like? Can mysterious and fervent Sara guide Jonas to a better path? Is the Voice that talks to Jonas at night his subconscious, a second personality, or a supernatural haunt with its own dark agenda?

In book one of this new series the stakes couldn't be higher: In the contest between good and evil, there is The Apocalypse Game.