Gods of a New World

Gods of a New World
by Ryan Melsom
Published by Shadowpaw Press
Review by Michelle Shaw
$26.99 ISBN 9781998273379

A mind-bending thriller set in a dystopian future is not something I usually read, but Ryan Melsom’s immersive world and powerful writing in Gods of a New World kept me turning the pages. All 336 of them!

What initially drew me to the book was its premise. A thriller set in a world controlled and reshaped by trillionaires using superpowered AIs – “a world where miracles are engineered and secret technology is wired into the very air”. It sounded frighteningly almost relatable.

Within this world we are introduced to the two central characters: James Kessler – a childhood survivor of the “Bad Times” (when the world as we know it crumbled), who is now living a very pleasant life as a cog in the new social structure; and Maree Shell – a privileged executive living the high life in the controlling hierarchy of the new society. These two unlikely collaborators are confronted with a frightening conspiracy by the gods of this new world to seize control of reality itself, by encoding their consciousness into the world — stripping away the free will of the world’s inhabitants in the process.

The book has been described as “a fascinating exploration of an-all-too-plausible future” and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I’d be scrolling on my phone and feeling the dopamine hit as I clicked on a favourite game or a news article about one of my favourite topics, and I’d think: “what if I could literally lose myself in that feeling? If the pleasure I’m feeling is magnified and curated just for me, and I could immerse myself in the sensory world that I’m feeling drawn to? What if I could communicate with people through my mind instead of texting them. And what if AI was really controlled by a secret group of people with nefarious, or even apparently noble, motives?”

Melsom’s world is especially frightening because it’s set in the potential near future so it’s almost imaginable. He pushes the boundaries of existing technologies and ideas, and asks, “what if”?

Though it took me a while to get into the book, regular readers of science fiction and dystopian novels may find it easier to immerse themselves in this world. But the more I read the faster I read…it became propulsive.

Gods of a New World is written by Ottawa author Ryan Melsom who holds a PhD in literature from Queens University. He’s long been fascinated by the interplay among culture, technology, spirituality, spaces and human nature, and through the years has explored these topics through numerous creative media, including two previous works of fiction, experimental web spaces, music projects and academic writing.

The book is published by Shadowpaw Press, located in Regina, which was founded in 2018 by award-winning author Edward Willet.

THE BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE OR FROM WWW.SKBOOKS.COM