Book Two of the Tesla Evolution.When friends fail and cities fall, when enemies grow strong taking everything you treasure, what can you do? Strike back. Sebastian and Melanie crusade against the cyborg enemy, risking everything against betrayal’s cruel bite.The Steam Academy is being rebuilt, but the city is not the same. The fortress of science—the last sanctuary from the marauding cyborg army sweeping the land—is being twisted by refugees as they flood to the city for protection.The world changes, power corrupts, and the enemy becomes harder to identify.Dark deeds are afoot, and friends are not who they appear to be as Sebastian and Melanie embark on a mission that leads them into the very heart of the enemy’s territory, where they must face their darkest fears and risk losing everything that is important to them.Winner of five international literary awards. A significantly darker outing than the previous installment, where the first was more of a quest to discover Sebastian's destiny and his mother's fate, Decay has no such strong light at the end of the tunnel. The theme of the book is stagnation and despair. This is in no way a failing of the book's writing, which is excellent and in fact a notable improvement from the first across the board; the tone of the book is well set and motivations of the characters have become individual and complex ... Lingane is certainly an author to pay close attention to this year and in the future. 5 Stars - SPR "Dialogue is crisp, pacing is strong, and despite its generally grim tone and flashes of violence, the story is dotted with touches of humor. Seb and Melanie are fun, personable teens whom readers can identify with and enjoy." - Kirkus Reviews Decay offers good commentary on contemporary society. The cyborgs parallel contemporary technology overtaking our lives. Have we become robotic as we rely on technology? Are people increasingly critical of anyone different? There is good commentary about how to proceed in this wartorn world. Some are pacifist and some are calling for war, the debate from all sides effective and engaging. There is much subtlety and nuance in describing the humans' plight. There is humor to balance out the darkness. The novel is plenty dark, but it is not unrelentingly grim. Recommended. - SPR Full Moon Review This steampunk thriller series continues with humor, energy, and air-scorching speed. Written with verve and wit, packed with action and authorial legerdemain ... Lingane's prose style is warm, humorous, energetic, and controlled, a tough job to handle when the pacing moves at air-scorching speed. - Foreword Reviews RECOGNITION: Foreword Reviews' 2014 INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award Finalist (Science Fiction) - Runner up in The SPR Full Moon Awards 2014 ( Science Fiction) - Top Ten Best Self Published Books of 2014 - theBookBag - National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist (Science Fiction) - Silver Medalist in the Wishing Shelf Awards for teen readers. - Ranked #1 in Top Rated Teen & Young Adult Steampunk eBooks on Amazon US during May '15 - Ranked #1 in Top Rated Children's Steampunk Books on Amazon US during May '15 Mark Lingane writes off-beat science fiction books, some of which have won awards. The Tesla Evolution series is studied at school and university-level in the US and UK.