Silicon Embrace is a 1996 English language

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 science fiction

Science fiction

Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...

 novel by John Shirley

John Shirley

John Shirley is an American fantasist, author of noir fiction, and science-fiction writer. Shirley is a prolific writer of novels and short stories, TV scripts and screenplays who has published over 30 books and 10 collections...

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Set in the near future, it tells the story of a group of dilettante journalists in the course of a Second American Civil War. They get involved in a plot set by obscure entities within the US government together with an alien race from Zeta Reticuli

Zeta Reticuli

Zeta Reticuli is a binary star system located about away from Earth. It is located in the constellation Reticulum, and is visible to the unaided eye in very dark skies...

, which has influenced the evolution of the human race through genetic manipulations since very ancient times.