Icicle: A Tensor Matrix
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Braxton Thorpe has discovered a threat to the entire Solar System, but he has a problem: he's dead. Frozen at death, he awakens to find himself uploaded into an electronic matrix. Exploring beyond the matrix and the larger GlobalNet, he discovers the Oort, a distributed electronic entity older than humanity, with an unnerving secret: aliens wiped out nearly all life on Earth once, and are coming back to do it again. The mathematical entity that is Thorpe has to find a way to convince humans of the threat, and in time to do something about it. But how, and what? If you've read Niven's "A World Out of Time" or Taylor's "We Are Legion," the opening of "Icicle" will only "seem" familiar. Buckle up for a wild ride; you ain't seen nothing.
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Icicle starts with a familiar premise - super rich technology tycoon Braxton Thorpe arranges to have his head frozen after death, waiting for sufficient advances to bring him back to life (or in this case, virtual life as a machine intelligence). Where Williscroft maps new territory is the way he explores feasible and reasonable scientific and cultural advances across the world, with an emphasis on global (and intrastellar) connectivity.
The book is well written, with mostly believable characters and motivations throughout (although if you can understand the mind of a cat, then you are better than I). There are some signs of American-centric patriotism, but this doesn't detract from the story (a few other cultures would have been nice to explore).
There is a very solid scientific and mathematical background to the novel, but you don't need to understand any of it in depth to enjoy reading. There are sufficient explanations throughout to keep any interested readers in touch with the methods employed - otherwise just sit back and enjoy the ride.