Description
Maya Lin & the Ancient Order of Seshat, in the arQitect is an upmarket, genre-blending science-fiction thriller that fuses ancient history, Taoist philosophy, metaphysical mystery, artificial intelligence, martial arts, and cinematic adventure.
The story begins in the fires of the Library of Alexandria, where Yuan Lin, an ancient Chinese scholar and member of the Ancient Order of Seshat, rescues sacred scrolls from destruction. The Order — a secret society of guardians dedicated to protecting humanity's most powerful metaphysical knowledge — entrusts these writings and artifacts to its members for safekeeping. For centuries, the Order's wise Seshati and devoted Medjay Knights have hidden and protected them in libraries, bookshops, museums and temples around the world.
In 2030, that hidden history collides with the future. Jing Qi Shen, an eccentric Chinese-American architect turned tech visionary, is assassinated during the celebrated launch of his new center for Integrative and Traditional Chinese Medicine at Stanford University. His company, QiNIUS, has transformed daily life through AI-powered wearable devices that can channel and manipulate Qi energy. In the aftermath of his death, QiNIUS falls under the control of ruthless forces determined to locate the Order's hidden artifacts and weaponize the ancient powers they protect.
Meanwhile, in Miami, Maya Lin, a young Chinese/Latina-American historian with the University of Miami, receives a mysterious gold medallion from her grandmother, Ju Li Lin, a San Francisco bookseller with a dangerous secret. The medallion is no ordinary family keepsake. It is a powerful cipher connected to a hidden scroll — and the key to a centuries-old mystery that QiNIUS will do anything to possess.
Suddenly thrust into a conflict she never knew existed, Maya joins forces with an eclectic crew: Mick Chaplan, her mentor and a prominent bookseller; Zhen Waiy, a wise and disciplined kung fu master; Cairo Muharib, a provocative Egyptian cultural pirate; and Teddy Adams, a witty aristocratic tech genius. Together, they race across the vivid landscapes of Miami and the San Francisco Bay Area, decoding clues, evading brainwashed pursuers, and uncovering the secret architecture that connects ancient wisdom to emerging technology.
As Maya's team follows the medallion's trail, her grandmother, Ju Li, undertakes a daring mission of her own, infiltrating QiNIUS' headquarters to recover a stolen artifact and outwit the corrupted corporation from within. The two quests converge at HQi, QiNIUS' yin-yang inspired fortress in Silicon Valley, where Maya and her allies must confront the dark ambitions of those who would turn sacred knowledge into a tool of domination.
Blending the historical intrigue of Dan Brown, the adventurous spirit of Indiana Jones, and the philosophical-techno mystery of The Matrix, the arQitect launches an ambitious nine-volume saga inspired by the Taoist concepts of Jing, Qi, and Shen — the Three Treasures believed to underlie all life. At once fast-paced and thought-provoking, it is a story about power, wisdom, identity, friendship, and the hidden forces that shape the world we see — and the world we do not.
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