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David W. Stewart’s Angel of Mortality is a futuristic novel about saving Earth from the xenoborgs. What is the xenoborg threat, you might ask? Well, on one hand, they are biomechanical machines that are slowly gaining sentience. On the other hand, you can say that they are the embodiment of humanity’s hopes and dreams of the future: self-perpetuating technology that doesn’t have the hangups of their human creators but who, also at the same time, has seemingly human behaviors.
The book is a chillingly plausible future that readers are plunged into where humanity inevitably has to grapple with the unintended consequences of its own brilliance. This is the brilliance that allowed people to communicate with God, allowed people to surmount the troubles of nature, and reign supreme over the other animals.
The premise of Angel of Mortality is centered around the SANG, a revolutionary device invented by Dr. Raisa Ilyushkin, one of humanity’s brightest minds, who is an astonished brilliant scientist of a troubled woman with her own issues to deal with. Dr. Ilyushkin’s invention, the SANG, was initially designed to combat the massive ecological degradation happening all over the Earth. Possessing the power to manipulate matter at a subatomic level, essentially making it a god that can create life from the inanimate, the SANG is perfectly capable of conducting its mission and more.
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The Players in the Xenoborg Threat
Even though much good can be done with the SANG, it takes no time at all for more malicious powers to see and be attracted to its potential for catastrophic destruction.
Hijacked by Apparat, a ruthless criminal syndicate, the SANG is quickly weaponized, developing the xenoborg threat.
Xenoborgs are powerful cybernetic organisms that span the size of continents and have the power to quickly consume resources and obliterate entire ecosystems, threatening to extinguish the existence of all life on Earth.
While the SANG is immensely capable in its own right of wreaking havoc across the globe, the xenoborg threat is greatly exacerbated by plenty of monkey wrenches thrown into the pile, specifically the humans who want to take control of the SANG’s power.
The humans who take center stage in Angels of Mortality are:
- Dr. Raisa Ilyushkin. She is the tormented creator of the SANG who is grappling with the weight of immense guilt at her invention.
- Agent Kai Tanaka. He is a skilled but jaded special agent who is currently tasked with stopping the xenoborg threat by defeating the Apparat and their monstrous creations.
- Dr. Anya Sharma. She is a brilliant geneticist who becomes an unlikely ally in the fight against the impeding and existential xenoborg threat.
- Stepan Pavlovich. He is the ruthless leader of the Apparat who is driven by a chilling blend of ambition and nihilism to recreate Earth in his own demented image.
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David W. Stewart’s Vision of a World on the Brink
Stewart depicts a world that is teetering on the edge of collapse, with great results. Driven by their unstoppable hunger and aided by their fearsome intelligence, the xenoborgs are akin to locusts who rapidly consume resources, leaving behind only a trail of devastation. This gives a sense of inevitability to their actions. Cities crumble, ecosystems collapse, and the human population dwindles in their wake.
The novel also correctly portrays the social and political upheaval that can be caused by an overwhelming threat such as the xenoborg threat, with governments crumbling, societal order breaking down, and humanity facing the very real possibility of extinction.
Stewart’s Angel of Mortality is not just a story that warns of humanity’s potential destruction through its own hands. It’s also a testament to its resilience and its indomitability.
While the odds are seemingly insurmountable, there is still hope.
There is still a good chance that a ragtag group of scientists, soldiers, and ordinary citizens can band together to fight for survival, not only for themselves but for the whole of humanity. They must overcome not only the overwhelming power of the xenoborgs but also the internal conflicts, political intrigue, and the very real threat of human betrayal.
David W. Stewart’s “Angel of Mortality” is a powerful and thought-provoking novel that will stay with readers long after they turn the final page. It’s a story of hope and despair, of triumph and tragedy, and a chilling reminder of humanity’s fragility in the face of its own creations.
It is available for purchase through this link!
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