A review by sebrittainclark
Where the Axe Is Buried: A Novel by Ray Nayler

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

The authoritarian Federation is ruled by The President, who thanks to modern technology will never die, and no one is free. The west is stagnant, under the rule of AI MPs who haven't changed anything. On the brink of the world either being destroyed or replaced by something better, the lives of Zoya, Lilia, Palmer, Nikolai, Nurlan, and Elmira are intertwined.

This is an incredible dystopian novel imaging a techno-authoritarian future that considers what is good and what is evil and what does it mean to act. It is a complicated story that is both sad and hopeful, and I could not put it down.

I thought the narrator did a good job switching between all the different POVs.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy.