Polis

by Thierry Bréboin

14 November 2083 Almost 50 years after the collapse of our thermo-industrial civilisation, our world has gone through some immense changes. Financial, economic, political, and societal crises, natural and climate catastrophes, mass human migrations, worldwide pandemics, and the disappearance or increasing scarcity of fossil fuels have taken centre stage over the last five decades. Human civilisation has halved in size and is trying to rebuild a new world. Grandpa Phil now lives in Polis, where the New Constitution, established in 2035, follows an absolute dogma of reverence towards Nature and Mother Earth. Political organisation and daily life are based on this founding principle. Jeremy, together with the team from the ground-breaking project Hypo, and Sylvia, the Minister of Mother Earth in Polis, will be forced to deal with an imminent threat. NEOM, an ultra-futuristic “Smart City” run by quantum computers, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology is based on a philosophy that is diametrically opposed to that which is followed in Polis. Humanoids and cyborgs outnumber human beings here. Human cloning is carried out on an industrial scale. All inhabitants and visitors in NEOM have to be injected with a subcutaneous identity microchip. Julie, a genius in quantum physics that is responsible for the Artificial Intelligence department, will try to alert the outside world about a terrible threat being planned by the Governor of NEOM. She will have to confront her fate. She will learn about her past and have to make a defining decision for the future. This social science fiction novel raises philosophical questions about human beings’ place on planet Earth, the limits to growth at all costs, overconsumption and extreme consumerism. Will human civilisation finally live in harmony with Nature and planet Earth? Will it finally understand that it is only a guest here for an indeterminate amount of time and that it is therefore essential to protect and respect this original Eden that is our Mother Earth? Or will it continue to exploit, pillage, and overconsume, in a spirit of individualism and a headlong rush towards a belief in infinite growth? Is it able to muster some self-control, or does it need to be governed, conditioned, and manipulated? This is the message of POLIS , the first volume of the trilogy APRES it is a story about a possible future, which is dramatic, realistic, and so close to now.

348 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 2, 2020

Reviews

[Jackie Bedford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly recommend Polis! It has everything from sex and romance to nuclear war! Set in 2083 this novel is packed full of the issues that we are currently facing such as climate change, pandemic etc . It's a scary but hopeful story of two opposite futuristic civilisations. One is high-tech, run by computers, humanoids etc and the other has gone back to living with nature. It's well-written, racey and exciting but also educational - I learned loads!