The novel “Nexus” by Ramez Naam was published for the first time in 2012. It’s the first book of the Nexus trilogy. It won the Prometheus Award.

Kaden Lane is a young scientist who is experimenting with Nexus 5, a new implementation of a nanotechnology that allows the direct connection between different minds treated as a drug with some friends and colleagues. Sam, one of the people at a party where it’s being spread out, turns out to be a government agent who infiltrated the group’s contacts.

When Sam’s cover is blown, Kaden Lane and almost all the members of his group get arrested. He’s made an offer he can’t refuse: he and his colleagues can go to prison for many years or he can work with the US government. His mission is to contact Su-Yong Shu, a Chinese neuroscientist accused of various crimes related to the use of Nexus, to gather information about her activities.