The Black Book (so-called in reference to an earlier Zero State release) is the first media release from Array Consulting and the re-launched Zero State Media.
The Black Book is a combination of the novel, game, art object, and social-political document. Primarily written and edited by Dr. M. Amon Twyman, it is the story of the unfolding 21st Century, and of a pivotal time in human history. That pivotal moment is a kind of Singularity, in which various accelerating trends (some good, some bad) converge in a brief period of massive, radical change. Here I am not using the word “Singularity” to refer only to directly technological change (such as the development of Artificial Intelligence), but to all exponential change evident in the world today. Much – if not all – of that has been caused by technology, yes, but is now woven into the very fabric of our societies and world. Hard times and strange times are coming.
The Black Book tells the stories of the founders of the Zero State, and as such is personalized to the people who receive copies, and is the basis of the ZS Alternate Reality Game. It is both a record of events and a way to establish the founding mythos of a better future, to inspire others.