The Karma Sequence by A. O. Wagner (EXCERPT)

The Karma Sequence is a fascinating novel that blends mystery with philosophical and speculative fiction, asking: what if your genes know more about your future than you could ever imagine?

Dan, an introverted computer genius, has fought his way back from a life-shattering crisis that left him isolated, powerless, battling addiction, and close to death. Now, he is asked to investigate a computer system for gene analysis, the very same one he developed. On its own, the system has begun predicting the exact date on which analyzed people will die.

Several deaths confirm the system’s predictions.

As Dan searches for answers, he embarks on a personal journey of finding new purpose and helping others face and recover from the addiction that once consumed him, too.

The pulse-pounding first book in The Karma Kantanta series blends high-stakes suspense with deep philosophical exploration. As Dan contends with technology, addiction, and the search for life’s true purpose, readers are taken on a thrilling and emotionally charged journey. A. O. Wagner’s own experience with addiction brings authenticity and depth to this unforgettable story.

Read on for an intriguing excerpt that lays the groundwork for Dan’s spiritual mission!

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Gitte was sitting on a high stool at the far end of the kitchen island. When she saw Dan, she closed her laptop and waved him over while taking a sip from her large coffee mug. She didn’t get up to exchange handshakes or to hug, and Dan had never seen her shake hands with anyone—even at meetings or parties. But she smiled warmly at him as he walked through the kitchen, where he hadn’t been in more than a year.

“Hi, Dan. Sit down for a moment,” she said, pointing to the chair next to her own. “I just have to hear how you’re doing.”

“Hi, Gitte. I have an appointment with Ryan. I think he’s waiting for me,” tried Dan cautiously, but to no avail.

“Ryan can wait a few minutes—he’s sitting in the garden, enjoying the wonderful weather.”

Gitte looked thoughtfully and approvingly up and down at him as he sat down on the chair to her left.

“You seem to have recovered one hundred percent after your disease,” she said after he’d settled himself on the high stool. “You can’t imagine how happy I am that you came out of that in one piece.”

“Thank you. That’s sweet of you, Gitte,” replied Dan, and though he assumed there was a significant element of polite accommodation in her statement, he couldn’t help but notice that her eyes went a little moist as she said it. She briefly sipped her coffee before continuing.

“It’s really impressive that you’ve gotten through your dependency problems—and with no help at all.”

Dan nodded. “Thanks, Gitte—but it’s not quite true. I couldn’t have done it without the treatment and the AA meetings. The addiction would have ended up killing me.” He pondered for a moment before proceeding.

“And I also had another experience that was crucial, not only for my recovery but also for my entire outlook on life and self-understanding.”

Dan didn’t know why he told this part of his experience to Gitte. He’d decided never to share it with anyone—not even with Michael, the person he knew most interested in spiritual things—mainly because he realized how strange it must sound. But, for some reason he couldn’t put his finger on, Gitte seemed like someone who would understand. And besides, it might be good to have the courage to share with another person. He took a deep breath before continuing.

“When I was at the bottom of the hole, as I picture it, I had a strange dream, or vision is probably a better term.”

He paused briefly to find the proper wording and noticed that Gitte looked interestedly at him.

“I think it’s normal to have nightmares and weird dreams when your body, and consequently your mind, is so destroyed by alcohol,” he continued. “Digestion stops, and your system can’t absorb any energy. You also lose the ability to sleep, so you don’t experience the periods of deep sleep where the brain cleans up the day’s inputs and experiences. You’re so destroyed in every way that it’s hard to comprehend.”

Dan looked around the room as he tried to articulate his experience to Gitte—and perhaps also to himself.

“There may be a scientific, neurological explanation for my particular experience, but it was so intense and unforgettable that it changed everything—not only in getting my life back on track but also in my perception of other aspects of life and existence.”

He glanced at her, trying to determine if his story still had her interest. It seemed like it, so he opted to continue.

“This happened one night, when I was so down and out that I had no strength to move, and just lay on my sofa watching a bit of TV from time to time, waiting for my body to be able to sleep, just for five, ten minutes. Once when I finally slept—it sometimes took a few days before it happened—I met in my dream a being that I perceived only as a voice, coming from a black, shapeless object that filled the entire visual area of my attention.”

Again he looked at Gitte, who nodded to show she understood, encouraging him to continue.

“I’ve never been religious, but I had no choice but to identify this voice as God or an oracle explaining things, and to whom I could ask questions.”

“So, what did you ask it?” Gitte interjected with interest.

“I formulated the obvious question when such an opportunity presents itself, and asked what the meaning of life is,” said Dan, smiling sheepishly.

“And what did the voice say to that?”

“In a matter-of-factly tone, it stated that life is its own purpose, that the purpose of all living things is to try to survive and reproduce.”

Now Gitte was smiling too.

“Well, that’s true, I guess—if you reduce the definition of life to a purely biological phenomenon.”

“Exactly! As you ask, you’re answered. I tried to rephrase and then asked, what’s the meaning or purpose of my personal existence?”

“Good thinking,” commented Gitte with a smile. “You hadn’t lost your rational faculties entirely, after all.”

“Thanks. Well, the strange thing was that even though my body and my thoughts were a big, broken mess, my dialogue with the voice was surprisingly clear, as if it was another—deeper—part of myself doing the talking. This wasn’t something going on in my body or mind—but still something I was part of. Perhaps something that was, in fact, more me than my body or consciousness.”

“So, what did the voice answer to the question about the meaning of your existence?” asked Gitte, now clearly even more interested.

“The voice, God, or the oracle, replied that the meaning of my existence is the same as for all humans, but that I should find out for myself what it is—that it’s the reason we’re here.”

“Have you found the answer?” asked Gitte, without a hint of sarcasm.

“Not yet,” replied Dan. “But I’m working on it; and the voice told me it wasn’t too hard to figure out.”

Dan referred to it as the voice, but he felt certain that it had to be God. It had referred to itself as the Master Entity, and told him he was very close to dying. But it said someone was shielding him and had advocated giving him one more chance.

The reason its message had made such a deep and indelible impression on him and his entire existence wasn’t only the words, but the way they were spoken. He’d experienced them more clearly than if they’d been shouted into his ears with a megaphone. Not as screams—just words that struck him at a depth he hadn’t known existed. In a depth where only the words existed.

It surprised him how much of his conversation with the Master Entity he’d referred to Gitte, and how uplifted he felt for having dared to share his profound experience with another human being. It would have been even better to share it with Susan, but he knew that would never happen.

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The Karma Sequence by A. O. Wagner was published December 9 2024. Grab your copy at Amazon!

You can also snag the entire trilogy of The Karma Kantata at Amazon, as well!