This book is the second in a series and should be read after THE LEGACY HUMAN.
This series of books takes place in a future Earth where humanity is the minority of the population and the Ascenders are humans who long ago put their knowledge and consciousness into a computer matrix called Orion. They exist in artificial bodyforms are are essentially immortal--replacing parts but not awareness over the years. Eli is a legacy human, part of a cultivated population comprised of the progeny of people who chose not to ascend over a hundred years ago. He has earned a modest living as an artist due to the payments of his Ascender patron Lenora, but his true goal was to win Ascendance at the Olympics that just ended. His goal was two-fold: he would be ascender and could pursue Lenora, for whom he always pined, and his mother, who is sick with lymphoma and unable to be cured with the limited medicines humans are allowed to take, would also ascend and she would be cured in the process.
In the previous book, THE LEGACY HUMAN, Eli's plans did not succeed. And, he has learned that his humanity--which he ofttimes cursed--is not complete. Lenora had a hand in Eli's conception, with a number of other Ascenders who were hoping to determine if Ascenders in fact had souls. Eli has fits, fugues, where he loses his active consciousness and sees scenes that may be future or past. He paints within these fugue-states creating art that is transcendent, but he now realizes that his visions in the fugue are far more than art--they are communion with Orion, outside of Ascendency.
Eli is a poster child for the Human Resistance, factions of humans who want Ascendency to be a right, not a privilege to "win" but, at the moment, Eli isn't a believer in their cause. He isn't human, but his sick mother is--and the rebels are willing to cure his mother for his cooperation. Unfortunately, their camp is compromised and Eli is singled out as a security risk. While Eli and his friend Kamali (a human girl he'd like to actually date) fight to save the captured members of their camp, while also keeping Eli's secret. It's getting harder and harder to keep his genetic origins secret, however, especially as they are captured by human True Believers--God worshippers in the darkest sense--and other Ascenders, including Marcus, who believe Eli's origin to be a mistake that needs to be rectified.
The plot takes amazing twists, between the harsh reality of human life in New Portland and the surreal nature of Eli's fugues which are becoming more frequent and more detailed. Eli's able to discern the true nature of all creatures he meets in the fugue, and his fears over some are more warranted than others. He's also forced to make alliances that do not best suit him, in order to save the people he loves--sacrificing himself is not a viable option for his protectors and friends, however.
I really enjoyed the detailed world-building and the depth of the plot, which (naturally) features a character bent on world domination. Shame this character has such close ties to Eli. The characters within the story are fantastically crafted, with real motives and drives that cause alliances that are not always permanent. The secondary characters, Kamali, Cyrus, Lenora, Marcus and others, have true roles to play in Eli's journey. The resolution of this novel is sufficient to remove any cliffhangers, but readers know there is more of the story to come. Can't wait!