Promo text

For fans of Dan Simmons, Gene Wolfe, Neal Stephenson, A Canticle for Leibowitz and other classic metaphysical sci-fi…this near future technothriller dives deep into questions of consciousness, faith, and artificial intelligence.

When Artilects (next generation androids) begin reporting a strange apocalyptic vision that only they can see, most governments assume it is a hoax–or a hack.

Then one of them belonging to the wealthiest man in Africa shows up in the Basilica of Our Lady of Nigeria claiming to be possessed. The Vatican sends Fr. Gabriel Serafian, an exorcist and former neuroscientist, to investigate. Serafian quickly finds himself swept up in a conspiracy of global–and possibly supernatural–dimensions.

Tropes present

Biblical android Thierry. This android has a soul, and appears to be possessed by a demon, spurring an investigation by the Vatican. These androids are called “artilects,” sometimes “synths.” They’re a rare item in this world, used as AI assistants by the wealthy.

Secret agent priest Father Gabriel Serafian is the Vatican’s chief exorcist, a Jesuit priest, and neuroscientist sent traveling the world to figure out what’s really going on.

Ninja nuns Imperial Praetor Namono Mbambu seeks out the bad guys, frequently dodging bullets, jumping from roof-to-roof, and other action-girl behaviors.

Apocalypse prophecy The Our Lady of Fatima prophecies feature prominently in the story. Fiction and actual history fool around with each other here because the Fatima visions are, in real life, a big deal in the Catholic Church, but the notion that some of the messages from those visions are being kept secret from faithful is a fringey conspiracy theory. In this book, however, the characters are aware of these apocalyptic secret messages, and they’re kept in a vault way down in the basements of the Vatican.

Incensepunk A subgenre of cyberpunk in which the religious institutions feature prominently.