Though American author Ray Nayler is most noted for his science fiction, his second full novel, Where the Axe is Buried, demonstrates elements of speculative fiction, but is also a political thriller, albeit one set in a terrifying near-future.
Nayler has spent many years working internationally for the US government in the fields of environmental science and technology, and he brings that breadth of knowledge and experience to this complex, panoramic novel set in various parts of what was once Europe. There are two very different models of political power on display here, each with their own frightening implications, and both on the brink of possible collapse.
In the Foundation (formerly Russia) a power-mad leader is preparing to upload his consciousness to his latest, younger physical body, so that he may rule forever. We get the viewpoints of both the despotic president and his personal physician, as well as Lilia, a young woman who has developed something that might put an end to this endless political succession.
In contrast to the Foundation is the Union (formerly Western Europe) which is now under the willing subjugation of PMs, artificial intelligences who have taken over the running of various countries, but who now appear to be beginning to fail at that task, leaving societies crumbling and people rioting in the streets.
There are so many ideas flying around in Where the Axe Falls that it can be dizzying at times, but that’s what good science fiction does so well. There are serious philosophical and practical questions here about how we should run a society, humanity versus artificial intelligence, what it means to be human and flawed.
But there is also an emotional core to the story, told from a kaleidoscopic array of characters, which brings the ideas of individuals versus society into sharp focus. And there is a nerve-shredding political thriller underpinning it all, with genuine twists and reveals along the way. This is first-rate writing in any genre, and it confirms Ray Nayler as one of the best speculative storytellers around at the moment.
