Imagine if it was normal to learn how to use super special technology to see other’s dreams. Imagine a world where genetic disease is all but nipped in the bud. Imagine a place where science separates cults from everyday people. Sounds far-fetched, but Nadia Afifi’s The Sentient makes this sound like it could happen to us.
Amira Valdez is an aspiring neuroscientist who has high hopes of being placed at a space station for her ‘work placement’. When she goes in for her test, it turns out that the academy she is at has better ideas: setting her up to work at the failing Pandora project. This project is about cloning a human, so it was rather odd that a neuroscientist was needed for the project.
At least, that was what Amira thought. As the book got started, it was obvious that she got more than she was bargaining for. Not only did the project often report that it was failing, but as Amira uncovered, there were a lot of secrets to be uncovered, with no stop to it in sight. As a scientist myself, I could see a lot of myself in Amira, being curious and super determined, no matter what. I mean all the best scientists question things too!
Amira is presented as a strong, curious individual, whereas some of the others didn’t and instead they were rather malleable and bent to others’ wills. I loved how the city itself recognised that not everyone conformed to Miss/Mr and the most widely accepted salutation was M.. This was nice to see in a book, although one character didn’t not believe in having genderless salutations, which makes the character super unlikable to me. Speaking of the world, it was nice to see the contrast between the cults (both spiritual and the cosmics), the scientists, and the general public. This definitely made the world a lot more three dimensional to me, and really drew me into the story itself as I wasn’t sure who the bad guys really was until way past halfway through!
I loved how Amira’s academy friend gets involved with her technological aptitude, getting Amira out of trouble during the book, alongside the space intelligence person who showed her just how dodgy the Pandora project was. The way that Afifi integrated science with speculative fiction and thrill was well done. Heck, I really loved the cult aspects, where anything to do with the city, or outside the group of cults was punishable. This is unlike breaking the rules around the towers that house the project. It was super interesting to find how Amira, the space cop, and the Pandora test subject all somehow related to the cult in one way or another.
If you’re looking for a sci-fi with everything thrown at you at once, but so clear that it didn’t feel disjointed, this is definitely a book to consider. With some dystopian feels, but also mind-reading, it really hit that soft spot I really crave, and there really isn’t much of it in the genre, so I was really excited whilst reading this one!
Honestly, this book was big on character, big on plot, and a well written science fiction piece, all good things I love as a bookworm and a scientist!
The Sentient is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of September 8th 2020.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Amira Valdez is a brilliant neuroscientist trying to put her past on a religious compound behind her. But when she’s assigned to a controversial cloning project, her dreams of working in space are placed in jeopardy. Using her talents as a reader of memories, Amira uncovers a conspiracy to stop the creation of the first human clone – at all costs.
As she unravels the mystery, Amira navigates a dangerous world populated by anti-cloning militants, scientists with hidden agendas, and a mysterious New Age movement. In the process, Amira uncovers an even darker secret, one that forces her to confront her own past.
