Where the Axe Is Buried

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All systems fail, societies crumble, and worlds end. In an authoritarian regime, a plot brews to assassinate the President, a man who has transferred his consciousness into multiple bodies to cling to power. Meanwhile, in a Western Europe that has replaced human governance with AI Prime Ministers, an experimental artificial mind malfunctions, threatening global stability. As both the Federation and the West begin to collapse, Lilia, a brilliant scientist whose invention could help topple the President, goes on the run from an extensive surveillance network. Her fate intertwines with a diverse group resisting the global status quo: Palmer, her London-based ex-lover, desperately searching for her; Zoya, a veteran activist imprisoned in the taiga, whose writings have sparked a revolutionary movement; Nikolai, the President’s physician, caught in the treacherous politics of the Federation; and Nurlan, a parliamentary staffer whose efforts to save his Republic go awry. Meanwhile, Krotov, head of the Federation’s security services, orchestrates plots and employs agents and assassins. Following his debut, Ray Nayler immerses readers in a thrilling near-future world of geopolitical intrigue, blending a revolutionary operation with a sharp critique of authoritarianism that stifles human freedom.