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The Department of What it (Really) Means to be Human
Not yet published
Expected 1 Sep 26A near-future real-life society transitions to a post-capitalist, post-climate change reality.
The Department Of What It (Really) Means To Be Human is a thoughtful, optimistic sci-fi novel set in a near-future Aotearoa New Zealand where an investigator navigates a newly post-capitalist world in their search for a missing artist. When the world changed, Emerald Hutson closed the door on their old life. Now they’re a freelance investigator for the Grants and Stipends Office, augmenting basic income with cases that are both simple and easily resolved. Until they’re assigned to track down Gen Ecks, a notable installation artist who’s fallen off the map. When Em finds Gen, she’s under the influence of Moneta, a drug designed to let users experience memories as if they were real. Em’s inclined to declare their case closed and leave Gen to it. Most drug use has been decriminalized, and while Gen’s art might be suffering, there’s no reason to intervene if Gen wants to use Moneta. But the drug isn’t working as expected. Gen’s not just going down memory lane, she’s completely lost, unable to tell past from present. And she may not be the only one. To help Gen and expose Moneta’s dangers, Em cracks open old doors, beginning with an old colleague who’s been keeping an unsettlingly close eye on them. And in the process Em learns that while they may have been happy to take advantage of the world’s shift to start anew, neither they nor the world can be truly changed until they face the past head on.
The Department Of What It (Really) Means To Be Human is a thoughtful, optimistic sci-fi novel set in a near-future Aotearoa New Zealand where an investigator navigates a newly post-capitalist world in their search for a missing artist. When the world changed, Emerald Hutson closed the door on their old life. Now they’re a freelance investigator for the Grants and Stipends Office, augmenting basic income with cases that are both simple and easily resolved. Until they’re assigned to track down Gen Ecks, a notable installation artist who’s fallen off the map. When Em finds Gen, she’s under the influence of Moneta, a drug designed to let users experience memories as if they were real. Em’s inclined to declare their case closed and leave Gen to it. Most drug use has been decriminalized, and while Gen’s art might be suffering, there’s no reason to intervene if Gen wants to use Moneta. But the drug isn’t working as expected. Gen’s not just going down memory lane, she’s completely lost, unable to tell past from present. And she may not be the only one. To help Gen and expose Moneta’s dangers, Em cracks open old doors, beginning with an old colleague who’s been keeping an unsettlingly close eye on them. And in the process Em learns that while they may have been happy to take advantage of the world’s shift to start anew, neither they nor the world can be truly changed until they face the past head on.
224 pages, Paperback
Expected publication September 1, 2026
About the author
M. Darusha Wehm
36 books71 followersM. Darusha Wehm is a Nebula Award winner and Sir Julius Vogel Award winner, the author of Hamlet, Prince of Robots, the game The Martian Job, and over a dozen other novels. Their short fiction has been published widely and their poetry has been a finalist for the Rhysling Award.
Writing as Darusha Wehm, their mainstream books include the Devi Jones’ Locker YA series and the humorous coming-of-age novel The Home for Wayward Parrots.
Darusha is a member of the Many Worlds writing collective and they are a fifth of the writing team Darkly Lem, the author of The Formation Saga which starts with Transmentation | Transience.
Originally from Canada, Darusha lives in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand after several years sailing the Pacific.
Writing as Darusha Wehm, their mainstream books include the Devi Jones’ Locker YA series and the humorous coming-of-age novel The Home for Wayward Parrots.
Darusha is a member of the Many Worlds writing collective and they are a fifth of the writing team Darkly Lem, the author of The Formation Saga which starts with Transmentation | Transience.
Originally from Canada, Darusha lives in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand after several years sailing the Pacific.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
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February 20, 2026In The Department of What It (Really) Means to Be Human, M. Darusha Wehm presents a contemplative and quietly radical vision of the near future one in which society has moved beyond capitalism and climate collapse into a cautiously hopeful new era. Set in Aotearoa New Zealand, the novel blends speculative world-building with intimate character study, creating a story that is as reflective as it is forward looking.
Emerald Hutson, once tethered to a different version of the world, now works as a freelance investigator for the Grants and Stipends Office, supplementing universal basic income with straightforward cases. The stability of this post crisis society appears functional, even humane until Em is tasked with locating Gen Ecks, a once prominent installation artist who has disappeared into the haze of Moneta, a drug that allows users to relive memories as lived experience.
What begins as a seemingly simple welfare check unfolds into a layered meditation on memory, accountability, and societal transition. Moneta becomes more than a narrative device; it serves as a metaphor for collective nostalgia and the temptation to retreat into curated versions of the past. As Gen’s grip on temporal reality fractures, the novel raises pressing questions about whether a society can truly reinvent itself without confronting the histories that shaped it.
Wehm’s tone is measured and optimistic without being naïve. The post capitalist setting is neither utopia nor dystopia it is textured, bureaucratic, imperfect, and evolving. The investigative structure provides narrative momentum while allowing philosophical themes to surface organically.
Ultimately, the novel suggests that systemic change alone cannot guarantee personal transformation. Facing the past both individually and collectively is a necessary step toward any meaningful future.
Emerald Hutson, once tethered to a different version of the world, now works as a freelance investigator for the Grants and Stipends Office, supplementing universal basic income with straightforward cases. The stability of this post crisis society appears functional, even humane until Em is tasked with locating Gen Ecks, a once prominent installation artist who has disappeared into the haze of Moneta, a drug that allows users to relive memories as lived experience.
What begins as a seemingly simple welfare check unfolds into a layered meditation on memory, accountability, and societal transition. Moneta becomes more than a narrative device; it serves as a metaphor for collective nostalgia and the temptation to retreat into curated versions of the past. As Gen’s grip on temporal reality fractures, the novel raises pressing questions about whether a society can truly reinvent itself without confronting the histories that shaped it.
Wehm’s tone is measured and optimistic without being naïve. The post capitalist setting is neither utopia nor dystopia it is textured, bureaucratic, imperfect, and evolving. The investigative structure provides narrative momentum while allowing philosophical themes to surface organically.
Ultimately, the novel suggests that systemic change alone cannot guarantee personal transformation. Facing the past both individually and collectively is a necessary step toward any meaningful future.
March 16, 2026
3.5 stars
May 2, 2026
I found this in my bookstore and loved it so much. This book deserves much more attention, thanks for the cool story
August 2, 2026
“oh fuck”
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews