The Hacker and the Ants

Jerzy Rugby is alone in the real world, recently separated from his wife and kids, but thankfully he still has his job as a computer programmer -- blissfully hacking away in the cyberworld, aiding the GoMotion Corporation in its noble quest to create intelligent robots. Then one day an ant gets into his computer, then into Studly, his personal robot ... then millions and millions of the nasty viral pests invade satellite television, infecting television broadcasts with digitized ants. Authorities trace the virus back to its source, finding a dead dog, a cut cable, and a bloody robot stuffed into the trunk of Jerzy's car. Is Jerzy Rugby the callous virtual criminal the media brands him, or is he just a set-up patsy for a larger conspiracy? Jerzy must now get to the bottom of the insectile plague before the insanity of his virtual nightmare becomes reality. Book jacket.

Rudy Rucker is a two-time winner of the Philip K. Dick Award and a professor of computer science at San Jose State University