First published 2000
In a New Orleans where nanotechnology reshapes daily existence, the protagonist navigates a world where familiar communications have vanished and human lifespans stretch far beyond natural limits. Radio waves no longer carry voices across the airwaves, silenced by technological advancement that promises both wonder and disruption. The city pulses with Afro-Caribbean traditions and Voodoo practices that persist even as four distinct waves of nanotechnological development sweep through society. Death takes on new meaning when life itself can be extended indefinitely, forcing communities to reckon with loss and memory in unprecedented ways. As the protagonist confronts personal grief in this transformed landscape, extraterrestrial contact becomes imminent, threatening to upend not just individual lives but the entire fabric of human civilization. The collision between ancient spiritual practices and cutting-edge science creates tensions that ripple through families and neighborhoods. When the aliens finally make their presence known, every person must decide how to respond to forces that will fundamentally alter human existence forever.
Genres: science-fiction, aliens, 21st-century, alternate-history
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: collision-of-cultures, technological-disruption
Setting: New Orleans, Crescent City
Period: 21st Century
576 pages · Paperback · Gollancz