Seconds to Midnight
The Doomsday Clock is seconds from midnight. Across a fractured Europe, governments crumble, armies mobilise, and an AI named Omnia begins to rewrite the world’s destiny. From the shadows of espionage to the frontlines of cyberwar, humanity’s last defence may come from the very people it has already left behind.
“Modern conflict will be fought in code as much as on battlefields. Seconds to Midnight is a gripping, intelligent thriller that feels less like speculation and more like a warning.”
General Sir Patrick Sanders KCB CBE DSO ADC Gen
Chief of the General Staff 2022 to 2024
“A brilliantly woven narrative that feels less like fiction and more like a Sibylline warning. Timely, tense and terrifyingly insightful.”
Lieutenant General Sir Tom Copinger-Symes KCB CBE
Former Deputy Commander Cyber & Specialist Operations Command
“Seconds to Midnight feels unsettlingly close to the world we’re drifting towards. David Orson Newton understands the psychology of conflict and the fragile line between human judgement and machine control. A gripping, thoughtful thriller that asks difficult questions about the future we’re building.”
Levison Wood
World-renowned explorer, writer & photographer
"A gripping, compelling and timely AI thriller set against a complex, turbulent geopolitical backdrop. A must-read for AI/tech thriller seekers."
Alice McIlroy, author of The Glass Woman
Longlisted for the ILP John Creasey First Novel Dagger 2025
"As someone who researches modern conflict, this book is unnervingly real. Newton perfectly captures the anxiety of our time and raises so many questions about humanity, war, and peace."
Dr Jennifer Howe, Department of War Studies, King's College London
"As the title suggests, David Orson Newton's pulse-raising and focused novel is built around a ticking clock scenario, and the orchestration of tension is truly adroit."
Barry Forshaw
Crime Time
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About David Orson Newton
Combat veteran and technologist. Newton’s work has taken him from the warzones of Afghanistan, Iraq and Yemen to the leading edge of innovation in Silicon Valley. He now resides with his wife and son in rural Devon, England. An alumnus of the Faber Academy, Seconds to Midnight is his first novel.
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