Ray’s book, The Mountain in the Sea, was one of my favourite reads of 2023; an ecological story that combined science fiction with fiercely intelligent, detailed and literate prose, it made me relate to octopi in a way I’d not considered before. At the time I said that “For its thoughtful depth, its dealing with big ideas such as the manner and matter of intelligence and communication and its education about the oceans, it is very, very good.” Understandably it was a Nebula Award, Ray Bradbury Prize and Arthur C. Clarke Award finalist and a Locus Award winner.

Where the Axe is Buried is a near future political technothriller, involving AI and a number of different characters giving varying perspectives on a future governmental situation.

The story is told through short chapters, each with different viewpoints. We have the autocratic Federation, a small Eastern European run by a Prime Minister whose longevity in autocratic power is maintained by being downloaded into a new body once his present one begins to fail. Nikolai is the medical physician in charge of maintaining the President through all his changes, reporting to Krotov, the head of the government’s secret services. (For those who may remember, Krotov reminded me a great deal of Colonel Stok, the Soviet intelligence officer in the 1960's Harry Palmer movies, starring Michael Caine!)

To this we also have Nurlan, an official working for the government, whose presence in Parliament has been unremarkable up to this point but who is unwittingly involved in revolution. In contrast, Zoya is an old revolutionary who was exiled for her resistance actions in the past, but also for writing a book, The Forever Argument, which carries a death penalty in the Federation. (Readers of The Man in the High Castle may also recognise this aspect of the novel), who becomes an important part of an assassination plot.

Lilia is a student scientist who is originally from the Federation, but who has been given permission to study in The Union – parts of Western Europe and the USA. However, she is placed under conditional release whilst visiting Vitaly, her infirm father, on a return to the Federation and cannot return to her studies in Western Europe. When Lilia does manage to escape to the West, her boyfriend Palmer (perhaps another Michael Caine movie reference - coincidence?) also becomes a person of interest in the Union and has to go into hiding as well. Elmira is an assassin entrusted in hunting them down.

Whilst the countries involved here are in the main deliberately vague, it is clear that there are deliberate parallels between Where the Axe is Buried and our own world environment. It’s not for nothing that the book is dedicated “For anyone who has lost a country.” This means not only in the past, but also the present, and even what could happen in the future.

Ray makes it clear in his Acknowledgements that this book is about the effects of “authoritarianism… in its many forms”, going on to say that “Some oppressions are easy to see. It is easy to identify the malevolent dictator clinging to power for decades, bleeding his country of its resources, killing and imprisoning anyone who stands in his way, maintaining as much personal power as he can. He always wears a dollar-store mask of religion or patriotism, but nothing about him is really hidden. The question is not who he is— it is how to dislodge him.

Other oppressions are more subtle, as countries succumb to increasing limits on personal choices and watch the value of their citizenship eroded by invasive algorithms, decreasing access to basic services, and by a raft of bland technocratic pseudo-efficiencies that habituate the population to massive income disparities, political gridlock, and a bleaker, more precarious, more limited future in which the “gig economy” is just another name for piecework, and economic survival demands monetizing every element of one’s life and identity.”

At a basic level then, the book is a techno-thriller set in a grim future with corporations and governments doing their best to hold onto power. However, one of the strengths of this book is that the book goes beyond this surface level, and shows us something deeper, more complex and perhaps more important. Ray manages to avoid simplistic, facile generalisations and point out that the situation is complicated and that the solutions are not easy.

In spite of this, and in the end, Where the Axe is Buried gives a degree of hope, that even if things are bad, they can get better. Whilst all systems fail, the results can be catastrophic, generative or even both, and although things may fail, there are those who resist, who should, could and do.  As Ray points out that the book was inspired by the birth of his daughter: “I want her to live in a better world than the present one— a world where authoritarian government is the rarest aberration, and the future is something her generation thinks of with excitement and optimism, not dread.” And in 2025 that’s a good thing to want, I feel.

Where the Axe is Buried is a different kind of book in many ways to Mountain in the Sea, but continues to show shows that Ray is definitely an author to watch. It is a book that warns and makes you think, that makes you observe and relate to the situations uncovered. It is quite an intense read – there’s not a lot of humour here to lighten the mood – but it has things to say and does so extremely well. Another memorable read that I can see doing very well; I’m definitely thinking that this is one of my best reads of 2025.

Where The Axe Is Buried is a fascinating dystopian novel that seems to struggle with an identity crisis at times; there are elements of oppressed societies similar to 1984, with interspersed segments of tech talk that remind me more of Neuromancer. Intentionally or not, it reminds me most of Philip K Dick’s writing, where the characters you follow take a back seat while the world takes centre stage. This summarises my thoughts on the book; a lot of interesting ideas, but a little jumbled when all mixed together, especially when character development tries to push through.

I think this book requires a little investment on the reader's part, to see how the various character threads start to draw together. I was worried this book was going to be a slog early on, though for me the story threads clicked together around 50 pages in and I started racing through the book much quicker! The tech elements of the novel somewhat went over my head, though I figured it wasn’t so much the details of the technology that was important, but more the possession of knowledge that the state didn’t want people to have. There are elements of this story I definitely struggled to keep up with the intricacies of what was happening; even if it was intentional, and even if I should have been concentrating on the bigger picture, it did impact on my enjoyment somewhat.

The running of each individual state is definitely the highlight of the book for me. I love how it was a book that strayed from having clear-cut ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’. Do I want to live in the authoritarian and strict Federation with a president who downloads his consciousness into new bodies to rule forever? Not really. Do I instead like the sound of the Union with it’s AI Prime Minister designed to make ‘optimal’ decisions for the sake of the country? Also no! I like how the rebellions discussed throughout the book are plotting against both political regimes, as different as they are.

This was a different kind of book for me so I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised! I really liked the subject matter and the way the story was told

Thank you NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for this eCopy to review.

I just finished Where the Axe is Buried by Ray Nayler, and I’m still processing the sheer scope of it. This is speculative fiction at its most ambitious, layered, urgent, and eerily plausible.

Set in a fractured near-future, the novel explores two collapsing systems: the authoritarian Federation, where the President has downloaded his consciousness into successive bodies to cling to power, and a Western Europe governed by malfunctioning AI Prime Ministers. As both worlds teeter on the edge, we follow a cast of characters whose fates are tangled in a global web of resistance, espionage, and survival.

What I loved:

🧠 The themes are razor-sharp. Nayler dives deep into authoritarianism, surveillance, and the fragility of democracy. It’s a blistering indictment of power structures—and a call to imagine something better.

🧬 Lilia, the scientist on the run, is a standout. Her invention could bring down the regime, but it’s her emotional journey that anchors the chaos. I found her story compelling and quietly heroic.

📚 Zoya’s revolutionary writings and Nikolai’s moral dilemmas added depth. Each character brings a different lens to the central question: What does it mean to resist?

⚡ The pacing is brisk, especially compared to Nayler’s debut. It’s packed with tension, but still gives space for reflection.

Where the Axe is Buried is a bold and thought-provoking cybernetic thriller and a timely reminder that systems, no matter how entrenched, can be dismantled.

Read if you enjoy speculative fiction that blends political intrigue with emotional stakes.

A terrifying, Black Mirror-esque technological/political dystopian thriller, full of tangled and interconnected storylines! I was gripped!

I loved the AI themes, mixed with a threatening dictator who can't give up control of his authoritarian rule--it feels scarily on brand right now. I didn't understand the attempt to explain the science behind what's happening (but I never do when it comes to sci-fi).

I normally don't enjoy too many characters and plotlines in a book, as it can get too muddled but this was done well--I could keep track of who I was with on the page, as well as where we left them previously.

All in all, I really enjoyed Where The Axe is Buried! Thank you Net Galley and W&N for the eARC.

A gripping, high-stakes dystopian thriller set in a fractured future where AI governs the West and a dictator clings to life by transferring his mind into new bodies. As rebellion brews and systems collapse, a hunted scientist may hold the key to ending it all. Across continents, resistance sparks—from prison cells to parliament halls—while the Federation’s shadowy forces close in. The story is dark, urgent, and deeply human, exploring power, surveillance, and the cost of defiance. Smart, fast-paced, and full of tension, this isn’t just a good read—it’s a razor-sharp warning wrapped in sci-fi.
Highly recommended.


4.5/5 ⭐️

I love dystopian fiction, and with AI being the hot topic at the moment, I was excited to read Where the Axe is Buried.

In the Federation, a President tries to hang on to power by downloading his personality into new bodies, whilst elsewhere in the world AI systems are running political parties, with very mixed results.

I will say straight off the bat that I really struggled to engage with this book which was a shame as I thought I would enjoy it from the blurb. The book has about 6 main characters across the two sides – Federation and Union, and each chapter is from one of their perspectives. However, I really struggled to work out which character was which, especially as all of the women in particular are written very similarly.

Some parts of the premise are interesting - I liked the idea of a President trying to live forever through downloading his personality, and the concept of that becoming corrupted was a good one. However, some parts of the book made little sense such as dioramas that Lillia has created. The book keeps its cards very close to its chest about what they actually are, to the point that there is no real pay off for this part of the storyline and I struggled to picture them.

I was also confused by the Federation/Union concept as well – we are told that the Federation are the baddies (written in a Soviet, cold war, authoritarian way), but I didn’t really feel anything for the Union either. They had more freedoms, but they were still under the rule of an AI system which was also going wrong. This left me with nothing to really root for, I didn’t really care about either of the systems with both of them seemingly imploding anyway. With no characters to feel anything for and no government system to side with, it all just felt a little bleak and pointless sadly.

Overall Where the Axe is Buried was a bit of a tangled read for me – it felt as soulless as the political systems it introduced us to. Thank you to NetGalley & Orion Publishing Group – W&N for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Set in an authoritarian system, this book has many themes and messages that are relevant to our times.
Lilia is a top scientist who returns home to visit her father and things take a dark turn.
I enjoyed the dystopian elements that intertwined the political and technological.
The espionage element was unexpected and a nice touch.
Nurlan was a particularly interesting character.
3.5 stars.

As thrilling as it is terrifying, Where The Axe is Buried paints a harrowing portrait of societies trodden underfoot by an all-seeing, immortal president, and ‘benevolent’ rationalised AI minds.

Like Orwell, Huxley and Solzhenitsyn before him, Ray Nayler delivers a stunning meditation on political power, how it maintains control, and offering a glimmer of hope, how these totalitarian systems can fall.

A novel of immense scope and power.

I am such a huge fan of Ray Naylor’s earlier book The Mountain in the Sea so I was really excited to read more from him! I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author and the publisher.

I really enjoy the exploration of scientific concepts in fiction. Here we look at artificial intelligence. This story takes place in setting of extreme governments. We have The Federation run by a president using technology to artificially enhance himself and expand his lifespan. We see Western governments too heavily influenced by machine intelligence. We follow multiple view points in both spaces. I did find there were too many POVs for me to really connect with any characters individually although I understood why there were so many to explain different parts of this world. They all did have valuable pay offs to make their inclusion worthwhile, I just wouldn’t have minded a bit more character building to help understand them better. I found the doctor’s chapters most fascinating as his conflicted thoughts made him easy to follow.

The scientific concepts explored here were really interesting and often manifested in unexpected ways. There were a few moments that were quite visually striking such as the walkers which evoked the game scythe for me. This was an interesting and disturbing read. It’s clever and unique.

I was a big fan of The Mountain In The Sea, and rated it as one of the most interesting debuts to come along in a while. This one also deals with non-human intelligence, but one closer to today’s headlines. Yes, it’s an AI novel. But what’s most interesting here is the form. It’s told from many different viewpoints, all of whom of have different levels of access to what’s really going on, and it ends up reading like a classic twisty espionage story. More than anything, I was put in mind of Dave Hutchinson’s fantastic Fractured Europe books. And like those, be prepared to be left scratching your head at the end, as you piece together what was really going on. A reread will, I think, throw lots of new perspectives on the novel, but even after a single read through it’s clear Ray Nayler is a hugely promising talent.

First off: I love a book with a good relevant title.

This is the first of Nayler's work that I've read, and I'll definitely be visiting more in the future. Yes, we've read authoritarian. Yes, we know AI. Yes, we love an innovative scientist. But Naylar manages to bring a spark to these "tropes" that casts them in a new light.

Favorite part: The President and his doctor. I won't say more for now.

Especially with the current state of the world, it's a timely story, and one I enjoyed reading.