Zero Override New by Steve Blackman (author)

i, Robot meets Alex Rider: a high-stakes adventure debut for readers of 10+, featuring a group of young underground hackers who steal from the rich in a world populated with bots and AI.
“An action-packed techno-thriller set in a very believable near-future dystopia. This was a really exciting read blending adventure, mystery and action in perfect measures … a stellar debut.” – Christopher Edge
“A propulsive, high stakes thriller filled with espionage and heists – this is the book of my dreams!” – Wren James
“Great fun, super-sharp and optimistic.” – Ross Welford
In a near-future London where humans and humanoid bots live side by side, a sophisticated virus is infiltrating the national system. If it uploads fully, every intelligent machine in the country – from home assistants to hospital bots to android enforcers – will shut down.
Zero, a thirteen-year-old hacker whose day job is to sneak into high-security server rooms and ‘liberate’ funds from undeserving corporations, has a serious distrust of bots – and no real interest in saving the world. But the virus threatens the life of Grace, his younger sister, who – as a result of the car crash that killed their parents ten years ago – now has a machine heart.
No one will work harder than Zero to stop the upload. Except perhaps Andi, a mysterious humanoid bot who has appeared with secrets of his own. Zero doesn’t trust him. He doesn’t even like him. But with only hours on the clock, the only way to protect Grace might be to partner up. And along the way, he must come up against MI6 – and unravel his own past…

• A fast-paced, page-turning adventure full of punchy action, intrigue, a hero to root for and a memorable cast – both human and android.


• The pace, thrills and stakes of spy novels like Cherub and Alex Rider, but from the rebellious angle of a Robin-Hood-style underground organisation.


• Tackles the hot and ever-growing topic of AI head on, asking thought-provoking questions about what it means to be human in a world of intelligent machines.