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Back Cover Blurb
World leaders are on edge when reports start coming in of next generation androids having strange, apocalyptic visions of a lady in white.
But when an Artilect belonging to the wealthiest man in Africa shows up at Our Lady of Nigeria basilica claiming to be possessed, the stakes are raised.
The Vatican sends father Gabriel Serafian, an exorcist who left behind a brilliant career as a neuroscientist, to Benin City to investigate...and to figure out who is behind what must surely be a hack.
The timing couldn't be worse. Rome is on the verge of reconciliation with the Chinese Economic Interest Zone after a 50 year cold war, and the Chinese are particularly sensitive about the so-called Apparition.
Serafian quickly finds himself caught up in a conspiracy of global - and possibly supernatural - dimensions.
To discover the truth and save not only humanity but the artilects themselves, Serafian enlists the aid of a tough-as-nails Imperial Praetor named Namono Mbambu.
Serafian and Mbambu are helped by a guilt-wracked Filipino Emperor, a taciturn Caliph, and a Uyghur Sufi named Ilham Tiliwadi as they race against time to stop a centuries-old plot that could end humanity as we know it.
Our Lady of the Artilects is a mind-bending supernatural science fiction novel where "The Exorcist" meets "Westworld", with a light dusting of "Snow Crash"!
Review
OUR LADY OF THE ARTILECTS is a very thought provoking novel touching on a lot of deep issues including genocide, religion, faith, geopolitics, and just what it means to be "human". Aside from that it is also a pretty compelling story that takes place primarily in the somewhat unique SF setting of Nigeria. In that respect it hearkened me back to another series set in Nigeria which I absolutely loved, Tade Thompson's Wormwood trilogy. So right away I felt a sense of excitement as I immersed myself in Andrew Gillsmith's tale of androids, exorcisms, and clashing ideologies two centuries in the future.
The blurb covers a lot with regard to what this book is about so I will stick to the aspects and themes that I thought made this an interesting and engaging read. First off what really impressed me was how Gillsmith was able to write a SF book that has religion as a huge part of the plot, yet I never felt that I was being preached to or that the religion aspect was heavy handed at all. I was skeptical having read the description but in the end was pleasantly surprised at how the author straddled the line between science and religion masterfully. I never once didn't think I was reading a big ideas science-fiction novel even though the faith angle is pretty integral to the overall plot.
Gillsmith also injects some historical events that have always kind of fascinated me and weaves them into this book. One in particular being the Vision or "Three Secrets" of Fatima which supposedly occurred in a small town in Portugal in the early 20th century. These sections of the book had me completely sucked in as I wanted to know how that prophecy was connected to the events as they were unfolding in OUR LADY OF THE ARTILECTS. Let's just say this was one of my favorite moments in the entire book and only served to enhance my enjoyment. Oh and as I mentioned earlier, this is a pretty heavy book when it comes to tackling some real world humanitarian issues. Included among these is the crisis happening right now in China with the Turkic ethnic group the Uyghurs. If you would like to know more about it I suggest you Google the topic.
But heavy topics aside for just a minute, this is at its core a captivating SF book containing a truly absorbing central mystery that makes you want to keep on reading to the exclusion of all else. There was so much that I liked both with the incredibly tight writing and this intriguing plot. I will say that I would have liked a little more backstory on some of the characters as I didn't feel as connected to them as I probably would have liked, but maybe we will get a deeper dive in the next book. Yes that's right, I hear there is a sequel coming soon.
Ultimately, if you enjoy science-fiction thrillers that aren't afraid to mix in equal amounts of both science and religion, you should find a lot to relish with OUR LADY OF THE ARTILECTS. Not only that, it's one heck of a mind-blowing story that will take you on a wild ride as you attempt to uncover its many secrets, conspiracies, and might I say miracles. One thing is for sure, this is not the usual standard SF formula that has been used over and over again and I for one am pleased that we have Andrew Gillsmith as a fresh new voice to enjoy for many years to come. Really looking forward to the next entry in this one and also whatever new books he has cooking up!
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Wow, awesome review!
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