All systems fail. All societies crumble. All worlds end.
Nebula Award, Ray Bradbury Prize and Arthur C. Clarke Award finalist and Hugo and Locus Award winner Ray Nayler returns with a gripping technological thriller.
'A fast-paced dystopian thriller' - SFX Magazine
'First-rate science fiction' - Cory Doctorow
'As much a novel of ideas as it is a techno-thriller . . . A more erudite and emotionally engaging Philip K Dick' - Irish Times
In a familiar yet different Europe governed by AI, life is more efficient, objective, and peaceful. Yet all is not as it seems. Meanwhile, at Europe's eastern edge, the Federation endures under the rule of a President who has preserved his power by transferring his consciousness from body to body.
As both worlds begin to crumble, Lilia, a Federation scientist, discovers a way to slip the nets of surveillance and alter the balance of power. On the run, she becomes the reluctant centre of a struggle between resistance and control. Yet the systems and people surrounding her may already be beyond redemption. Is there any way to put humanity's future back in its own hands?
| ISBN: | 9781399627900 |
| Publication date: | 5th February 2026 |
| Author: | Ray Nayler |
| Publisher: | Weidenfeld & Nicolson an imprint of Orion |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 336 pages |
| Genres: |
Speculative fiction Technothriller Narrative theme: Social issues Artificial intelligence Science Fiction |
All systems fail. All societies crumble. All worlds end.
Nebula Award, Ray Bradbury Prize and Arthur C. Clarke Award finalist and Hugo and Locus Award winner Ray Nayler returns with a gripping technological thriller.
'A fast-paced dystopian thriller' - SFX Magazine
'First-rate science fiction' - Cory Doctorow
'As much a novel of ideas as it is a techno-thriller . . . A more erudite and emotionally engaging Philip K Dick' - Irish Times
In a familiar yet different Europe governed by AI, life is more efficient, objective, and peaceful. Yet all is not as it seems. Meanwhile, at Europe's eastern edge, the Federation endures under the rule of a President who has preserved his power by transferring his consciousness from body to body.
As both worlds begin to crumble, Lilia, a Federation scientist, discovers a way to slip the nets of surveillance and alter the balance of power. On the run, she becomes the reluctant centre of a struggle between resistance and control. Yet the systems and people surrounding her may already be beyond redemption. Is there any way to put humanity's future back in its own hands?
Where the Axe Is Buried features in the following genres: Speculative fiction, Technothriller, Narrative theme: Social issues, Artificial intelligence, Science Fiction
Where the Axe Is Buried is available in Paperback, Hardback
Where the Axe Is Buried was written by Ray Nayler and published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson an imprint of Orion
Where the Axe Is Buried has 336 pages
£9.89