Book excerpt: In the tradition of Scott Westerfeld comes a riveting and edgy science fiction novel which raises questions of mortality, technology and morality. Lia Kahn is beautiful, popular and destined for success . . . until the horrific accident that nearly kills her. Lia wakes up in a body that is not a body. It's a machine, designed to look and feel human, and her memories have been 'downloaded'. Lia will never age. She need never feel pain again. And, as long as she is vigilant about backing up her memories, she need never die. Struggling to come to terms with what has happened, Lia tries to return to her own life. But nothing is the same . . She's one of the 'mechanicals' or 'mechs' now. Her friends and boyfriend turn their backs on her, shutting her out. Even her own family can't seem to understand that underneath it all, she's still the same person. Or is she? Drawn to a seemingly reckless circle of 'mechs', Lia starts to see the limitless options of her new 'body' - after all, there isn't anything they can't do! But there are some who would like to see the new technology vanish, and these strange mechanical beings along with it. Can you really be human without a body? And is it technically murder to 'kill' a machine…? Praise for Skinned: 'A spellbinding story about loss, rebirth and finding out who we really are inside' Scott Westerfeld 'A thoroughly absorbing book, drawing you in immediately' The Book Bag Also by Robin Wasserman: Crashed Wired