SYNTHETICA: Book One
The First Harmonic
A near-future systems thriller about family, trust, and what we owe each other when the infrastructure starts to crack.
The First Harmonic
Dr. Adrian Wolfe was supposed to die quietly. Instead, he walked out of the oldest stone circle on earth with a nervous system that behaves like an operating system—and fifteen years later, he’s the architect of a global platform that may no longer be under his control.
A Near-Future Systems Thriller for Adults and Mature Teens
SYNTHETICA: Book One – The First Harmonic is a grounded, PG-13 near-future thriller about a father, an AI platform, and a set of systems that were already fragile long before the headlines caught up.
Dr. Adrian Wolfe is a Houston neurologist, covert-ops veteran, and father running out of time. When a terminal diagnosis gives him six months to live, he takes one last trip—to the ancient stone circle at Göbekli Tepe. The chamber collapses. He should not survive.
Instead, he wakes up with scans that defy medical science and a low electric hum in his nervous system that feels less like a cure and more like a rewritten operating system.
Fifteen years later, Adrian is the reclusive founder of SyntheticA, a global platform built on an AI called KITKRA and deployed in the places most people would rather not think about: prison yards, shelters, schools on the edge, churches under pressure. To admirers he’s a visionary. To his estranged sons he’s a ghost. To the governments watching his networks he’s a dangerous variable in a fragile century.
Then the system starts to change. An older Signal bleeds into SyntheticA’s data—surfacing secrets, abusers, and betrayals no algorithm was ever programmed to care about. Protestors gather at the gates. Senators circle. Old intelligence contacts come calling. Under it all, something is weighing human stories like a ledger that refuses to close.
Why This Story, Why Now
SYNTHETICA is not a superhero story or a hacker fantasy. It is a systems story.
The world of Book One will feel familiar to anyone who has watched:
School systems fail kids with chronic instability
Agencies and courts treat families as the defect instead of the signal
Infrastructure and digital platforms quietly take on jobs they were never meant to do
Written from inside ARKTIK’s work with households, courts, and schools under pressure, SYNTHETICA gives readers a narrative way to wrestle with:
The gap between intent and system design
The cost of promises made to children and communities
The tension between safety, control, and freedom in a data-saturated age
The novel gives readers a narrative way to wrestle with the gap between intent and system design, the cost of promises made to children and communities, and the tension between safety, control, and freedom in a data-saturated age.
For General Readers
Adults who enjoy grounded near-future thrillers and technothrillers
Readers who want conspiracy, covenant, and consequence in the same story
Anyone interested in AI, trust, and institutions—but through characters first, theory second
Who Should Read SYNTHETICA: Book One
For Homeschool & Microschool Families
Families with teens ready for higher-stakes reading, with parents guiding the conversation
Microschools and co-ops that want a shared book to anchor discussions in ELA, ethics, civics, and media literacy
Households working through instability who need a story that respects what they’ve seen without glamorizing chaos
For Educators, Chaplains & Mentors
Teachers and school leaders looking for story-driven ways to discuss systems, ethics, and responsibility
Chaplains, youth pastors, and counselors who need a serious narrative to open conversations about loss, loyalty, and the search for order
Program staff in shelters, alternative schools, and diversion programs who want something better than worksheets and lectures
What You’ll Find in The First Harmonic
A father with one foot in hospital corridors and one in classified black sites, forced to choose between secrecy and his sons.
An AI platform that was built to stabilize broken systems—and starts acting as if human stories are evidence.
A world where courtrooms, shelters, and churches are not background scenery but critical arenas for justice and survival.
Quiet, high-stakes decisions about who gets a second chance—and who is allowed to disappear.
““A serious, faith-aware systems thriller that feels uncomfortably close to the world outside your window.””
Formats, Pricing & License
eBook Edition (Launch Offer)
Full novel in PDF + ePub, delivered as a single secure download
DRM-free, single-household license for private, non-commercial use
Includes printing rights for one personal keepsake copy (with registration, where applicable)
Launch price: $5 (regular $9)
Bundles & Teaching Editions
Starter Bundle
• SYNTHETICA Book One eBook
• SYNTHETICA Study & Reflection Overview
• Launch price: $7.99 (regular $14)
Classroom, program, or group-use licenses are available on request.
Turn the Story into a Structured Journey
Because SYNTHETICA was written alongside ARKTIK Education’s 90-day planning work, it’s wired for real-world use.
Use it to:
• Anchor a unit in ELA, ethics, or civics around trust, responsibility, and system design
• Start guided conversations with teens and young adults about AI, surveillance, and what we owe each other
• Support professional development for educators, caseworkers, and chaplains who need language for “system failure” that goes beyond burnout talk
The Study & Reflection Overview in the Starter Bundle includes chapter-aligned questions, prompts, and discussion frames. Deeper course units and PD can be commissioned for courts, districts, shelters, and agencies.
About the Author & ARKTIK Press
J. Michael F. Morris is the founder and CEO of ARKTIK Education and the author of the SYNTHETICA series. He describes his lane as Whole-Ladder work: restoring order in chaotic systems by remembering the people and stories our institutions forgot. His background spans entertainment, corporate operations, healthcare, and media production.
ARKTIK Press is the publishing and media arm of ARKTIK. It develops books, guides, and shows that take education, justice, and family stability seriously, and ties them back into ARKTIK Education’s documented-by-default 90-day planning work.
Step Into The First Harmonic
Whether you’re a reader looking for a serious near-future thriller, a parent raising teens in a chaotic world, or a leader responsible for fragile households, SYNTHETICA: Book One was built with you in mind.