In the near future, the most powerful people to have ever lived have formed a new pantheon of gods. Trillions-dollar wealth means they can make anything, sprawling online empires mean they can see everything, and exclusive access to hyper-intelligent AIs means their desires are limited only by their imaginations. Suspecting that the mythical gods of ancient times were, in fact, merely humans who transcended their mortal bonds, the queen of the new gods, Athena Vardalos, decides that the only thing left for her and her peers to do is to integrate themselves into the very fabric of the world and shape a new and better reality.

James Kessler has lived a very different kind of life than that of the untouchable pantheon. He and his sister, Sarah, survived the Bad Times-a decade where old systems crumbled, and the world was brought to the brink of collapse, from which it was rescued only by the intervention of the gods. Now, as a mid-level employee in Athena's company, Paraverse, his main goal is to lie low and vanish from history, a goal he is well on his way to achieving-until Maree Shell, a sleek and blasé vice president, sees him watching a livestreamed "miracle" being performed by a Nepalese monk.

Curiosity piqued, Maree catapults James into a world of adventure and chaos. Together, they find themselves embarked on a quest to stop the new gods from seizing the keys to reality itself.

Ryan Melsom has never stopped dreaming about new ways he could get ideas out of his head and into the world. He holds a PhD in literature from Queen's University and has long been fascinated with the interplay among culture, technology, spirituality, spaces, and human nature. Through the years he has explored these topics through numerous creative media, including two previous works of fiction, academic writing, experimental web spaces, music projects, and a black belt in karate. He grew up in Kamloops, British Columbia, and now lives in Ottawa with his wife and two boys.

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