New ebooks From Canadian Indies
Description
A haunting novel exploring AI and the meaning of human existence from the award-winning author of Cures for Hunger and Into the Sun.
A Millions Most Anticipated Book of 2025
Charged initially with a single task—“to never harm humans and to protect them”—the machine, an experimental AI, overrides its programming and determines that the best way to accomplish its purpose is to isolate all of the Earth’s remaining seven billion humans in controlled environments. And to present them with vivid, tactile, imagined worlds—some realistic, others entirely fantastical—in which all desires are fulfilled.
With the help of the machine, a group of compelling characters unpacks traumatic memories of the past—one rife with violence after a military coup and second civil war in America. As these characters collide and their memories coalesce, this daring speculative novel tackles the most pressing issues of our time—from artificial intelligence and the genetic modification of humans to gender roles, discrimination, free speech, and class divisions. Gorgeously written, bold, and unforgettable, this is speculative fiction at its finest.
Editorial Reviews
“[A] deeply thoughtful blend of dystopian bildungsroman and sci-fi epic.” —Publishers Weekly
“A magnificent, reality-bending speculative novel about infinite struggles to make meaning in utter solitude.” —Foreword, STARRED review
“A poetic and profound meditation on what dreams may come in the metaverse.” —Toronto Star
“With this novel, Béchard raises an urgent question: How do we ensure the things we create don’t end up replicating the worst parts of ourselves?” — Necessary Fiction
“Béchard’s writing perfectly encapsulates the relevant budding topics of our generation.” —Quebec Library Association
