Richard W. Bown - writer - programmer

writer & programmer

After thirty years in the office, I decided it was time to start telling stories about the brutal and sometimes mundane world of corporations. Where the ambitious rub shoulders with those who just want to do a day’s work.

My debut novel, Human Software, is a wry look at the games people play in the name of progress. We discover a world where data centres, AI and job cuts impact real lives. As one industry reviewer put it, “freaked me out more than any Stephen King”. Human Software is now available via all good bookshops.

I’m now writing the follow-up. You can follow my updates by subscribing to the newsletter or following me on Bluesky or on Substack.

When corporate wants you gone, who does the dirty work?

BETH WALTERS has kept Gerbach’s IT systems running through skill, stubbornness and too many sleepless nights. She works hard to support her family and community.

CHRISSIE HEGARTY is a new executive on a mission. She’s flown in from New York with a mandate, a deadline, and little patience for sentiment. She’s done this before. She knows how it ends.

They are not enemies. Not yet.