In near-future Los Angeles, archivist Xandria Brown battles worsening long COVID symptoms and corporate threats as she strives to preserve the Diwata Collection of African American ephemera, relying on AI assistive technologies during a sudden library lockdown. Blending Afrofuturism, environmental justice, and archival resistance, the novel explores memory, disability, and the fight to control historical narratives, ultimately shifting to the future society whose artifacts Xandria has worked to protect.

Reader Review Summary

Set in a near-future Los Angeles, the novel follows Xandria Brown, an archivist at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, who is dedicated to preserving African American ephemera, particularly the Diwata Collection. Xandria, who suffers from worsening neurocognitive symptoms due to long COVID, relies on AI assistive technologies and healthbots to manage her daily life and work. The plot unfolds as the Huntington is thrown into lockdown during a hostile corporate takeover, forcing Xandria to depend on her adaptive technology and intuition to protect her work. The narrative is structured with mixed media elements, including timelines and artwork, and shifts between Xandria’s perspective and those of other characters, including AI bots and, later, citizens of the underwater Diwata colony, spanning from the near future to a far-future society inspired by Black Panther Party ideals and environmental separatism.

Readers appreciated the book’s detailed worldbuilding, especially its depiction of a climate-changed California and the integration of AI technologies into daily life. The protagonist, Xandria, was noted for her vulnerability and complexity, particularly as she navigates the challenges of long COVID and the pressures of her archival work. The mixed media and epistolary formats, including timelines and artwork, were highlighted as enhancing the archival theme and providing insight into Xandria’s character. The book’s engagement with themes such as environmental justice, racial inequality, disability, and the politics of historical preservation resonated with many readers, as did its focus on a Black woman protagonist in her forties and its commentary on corporate control over cultural memory.

A significant number of readers found the novel’s structure confusing, particularly the abrupt shifts in perspective and timeline. The transition from Xandria’s story to the far-future Diwata colony was described as jarring, with some feeling it read like two disconnected novellas or separate books. The frequent changes in point of view, including those of AI bots and new characters in the Diwata section, made it difficult for some to stay engaged or connect with the narrative. Others noted that the book’s pacing was slowed by history infodumps and that major plot threads were introduced and dropped without resolution. Some readers also struggled with the dense futuristic jargon and felt that the narrative lacked cohesion, making it challenging to follow.

The book is scheduled for publication on April 1, 2025, and is categorized as science fiction and fiction, with an Afrofuturist focus. It has received an average reader rating of 3.48 out of 5 from 27 ratings and 15 full reviews. Content and trigger warnings mentioned by readers include medical content, death of a parent, grief, sexual harassment, racism, bullying, sexual content, and animal death. The author, Stacy Nathaniel Jackson, is a trans poet, playwright, and visual artist, and this is their debut novel. The book has been recommended for adult readers and those interested in Afrofuturism, archival work, and speculative fiction addressing corporate overreach, disability justice, and environmental themes.