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.