Catalyst by Chandramouli Venkatesan

Catalyst by Chandramouli Venkatesan

Tom Raines and his friends are eager to return to the Pentagonal Spire to continue their training for the elite Intrasolar Forces. They're in Upper Company now, vying for spots in CamCo, but soon discover troubling changes: strict new regulations, suspicious agents in positions of power, and the revelation that the Spire is under new military control. The trainees are now cadets.

What begins as an irritating adjustment soon reveals a dangerous shift in reality. Those now in control are aligned with the corporate sponsors who have ruthless agendas. And when the military academy begins welcoming new cadets with questionable neural processors, the first step in a plan with horrifying worldwide ramifications, Tom is desperate to stop it, even if that means keeping secrets from his allies.

Then a mysterious figure, the other ghost in the machine, begins a fight against the corporations, but with methods even Tom finds shocking. And when the enemy comes for Tom, how much can Tom endure in the battle to save himself? He must decide if he can still fight when the odds of success seem to be sliding from his grip.

In this exhilarating, explosive, and heart-rending conclusion to the Insignia trilogy, Catalyst brings Tom and his intelligent, passionate, and brave young friends stunning tests and dangerous confrontations, and through to an impossible future they could never have predicted.

Chandramouli Venkatesan is a corporate veteran with over twenty-eight years of experience in the industry. He has worked with Asian Paints, Cadbury/Mondelez, Mirc Electronics/Onida and Pidilite. He has served in various senior capacities, including as CEO and managing director. While the bulk of his work life has been in business and P&L leadership roles, there was a three-year period when he did a cross-functional stint as HR head for Cadbury India which further developed his understanding of what makes people successful.

Chandramouli is a keen golfer and sports enthusiast, and believes in holding his life in balance. This, coupled with his sense of values and spirituality, has led him to believe that every person must impact society positively. His personal mission is to help people succeed and he has conducted numerous speaking sessions in many organizations and mentored and guided several people to be successful in their careers. His first book, Catalyst, a bestseller, was a part of his mission to help people succeed.