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Maya: Seed Takes Root
Combining elements from science-fiction, fantasy, and philosophy, MAYA is a new mythology for the 21st century - not of gods and monsters, but of us.
The Divya Trials have been announced. Billions will compete. One will ascend to godhood.
On the planet Neh, the omnipresent Maya trees form the planet’s neural network. Each citizen tethers daily to Maya, entering shared dreamscapes for work, play, and learning. The immortal Divyas harvest this data - every thought and every memory - predicting futures and bending reality itself. Everyone is connected. Everyone is tracked. Everyone is controlled.
Everyone except Yachay.
An ordinary nineteen-year-old manushya raised in isolation by his ailing grandfather, Daddu, Yachay has never tethered to Maya - making him invisible to the gods of data. Daddu urges him to enter the upcoming Divya Trials, a once-in-a-lifetime competition where billions vie for immortality and omnipotence. But what will Yachay do next? Not even the all-knowing Divyas can tell.
Seed Takes Root, the first novel in the expansive MAYA universe, combines hard science fiction, high-fantasy, and South Asian philosophy into a thrilling epic adventure and urgent allegory. It asks the questions that define our time: Who controls our stories? Who profits from our data? And in an age of perfect prediction, is freedom still possible?
The Divya Trials have been announced. Billions will compete. One will ascend to godhood.
On the planet Neh, the omnipresent Maya trees form the planet’s neural network. Each citizen tethers daily to Maya, entering shared dreamscapes for work, play, and learning. The immortal Divyas harvest this data - every thought and every memory - predicting futures and bending reality itself. Everyone is connected. Everyone is tracked. Everyone is controlled.
Everyone except Yachay.
An ordinary nineteen-year-old manushya raised in isolation by his ailing grandfather, Daddu, Yachay has never tethered to Maya - making him invisible to the gods of data. Daddu urges him to enter the upcoming Divya Trials, a once-in-a-lifetime competition where billions vie for immortality and omnipotence. But what will Yachay do next? Not even the all-knowing Divyas can tell.
Seed Takes Root, the first novel in the expansive MAYA universe, combines hard science fiction, high-fantasy, and South Asian philosophy into a thrilling epic adventure and urgent allegory. It asks the questions that define our time: Who controls our stories? Who profits from our data? And in an age of perfect prediction, is freedom still possible?
- GenresFantasyScience Fiction
396 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2025
2 people are currently reading
701 people want to read
About the author
Anand Gandhi
1 book81 followersAnand Gandhi is a polymath filmmaker and public intellectual credited with ushering India’s new wave of cinema. He has created culture-shaping projects across media.
His debut feature Ship of Theseus won India's National Award for Best Film (the country's highest honor, often likened to the Academy Award for Best Picture) and was hailed by the UK Critics' Circle as "life-changing," collecting major prizes at festivals including Transilvania, Tokyo, and BFI London. His mythological horror epic Tumbbad, now regarded as a contemporary classic, opened Venice Critics' Week, and won Filmfare and Sitges awards. As producer, he championed groundbreaking works such as An Insignificant Man, recognized by IDFA and Doc Impact Hi-5 for its measurable civic influence, and Disney+'s sci-fi comedy series OK Computer, which premiered at the Rotterdam International Film Festival.
Gandhi has consistently pioneered emerging narrative forms: from VR journalism (ElseVR) to award-winning board games. His empathetic short-form storytelling has won multiple Cannes Lions and Spikes Asia awards. His intellectual contributions have been recognized with the Contribution to Jain Philosophy Prize by Mumbai University. He has co-created the speculative architecture pedagogy at CEPT University.
As both practitioner and thought leader, Gandhi stands as a defining influence in contemporary Indian storytelling.
His debut feature Ship of Theseus won India's National Award for Best Film (the country's highest honor, often likened to the Academy Award for Best Picture) and was hailed by the UK Critics' Circle as "life-changing," collecting major prizes at festivals including Transilvania, Tokyo, and BFI London. His mythological horror epic Tumbbad, now regarded as a contemporary classic, opened Venice Critics' Week, and won Filmfare and Sitges awards. As producer, he championed groundbreaking works such as An Insignificant Man, recognized by IDFA and Doc Impact Hi-5 for its measurable civic influence, and Disney+'s sci-fi comedy series OK Computer, which premiered at the Rotterdam International Film Festival.
Gandhi has consistently pioneered emerging narrative forms: from VR journalism (ElseVR) to award-winning board games. His empathetic short-form storytelling has won multiple Cannes Lions and Spikes Asia awards. His intellectual contributions have been recognized with the Contribution to Jain Philosophy Prize by Mumbai University. He has co-created the speculative architecture pedagogy at CEPT University.
As both practitioner and thought leader, Gandhi stands as a defining influence in contemporary Indian storytelling.
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