Two heroes in two very different versions of Earth: one ravaged by war, the other ravaged by violent climate change. Each of them is fighting to find a way to reverse the damage done and heal their world. The answer will surprise them both in this thrilling novel by Fiona Moore, shortlisted by the British Science Fiction Association for Best Sci-fi Novel of 2024.
Ken Usagi, a war correspondent from the icy wilderness of Nunavut, is investigating reports from soldiers of strange, biomechanical machines appearing in the middle of battles. When he comes face to face with one of these creatures in a terrifying encounter of his own, it sparks a memory from his troubled childhood. Suddenly, Ken knows these machines hold the key to ending the devastating conflict tearing his world apart. He sets out with two friends on the most dangerous assignment of his career, searching for the machines' origins.
In another time, Totchli, a biotechnician from a Mesoamerican society pummeled by catastrophic climate change, receives a desperate message. Communication has been lost between their facility and an expedition team to the north, on a mission that potentially carries the last hopes of his people's survival. He must leave the safety of his facility to the south and venture into wild, uncharted territories to try to find the expedition team and re-establish communications. Failure would mean the end of his world.
In a race against time, with the fate of two worlds hanging in the balance, Ken and Totchli must navigate a web of secrets, lies, and dark cosmic forces that threaten to consume everything they hold dear.