The year is 2454: Earth's hard-won utopian society is threatened by a young boy with apparently god-like powers.

The year is 2454. Humanity has engineered a hard-won golden age, forged in the aftermath of a bitter conflict that wiped both religion and nation state from the planet. Now seven factions or 'hives' co-govern the world, their rule fuelled by benign censorship, oracular statistical analytics and technological abundance. But this is a fragile Utopia – and someone is intent on pushing it to breaking point. Convicted for his crimes, celebrated for his talents, Mycroft Canner is the indentured instrument – and confidant – of some of the world's most powerful figures. When he is asked to investigate a bizarre theft, he finds himself on the trail of a conspiracy that could shatter the tranquil world order the Hives have maintained for three centuries. But Mycroft has his own secrets. He is concealing a much greater threat to the seven Hives, a wild card no degree of statistical analysis could have prophesied. This threat takes the unlikely form of a thirteen-year-old called Bridger. For how will a world that has banished God deal with a child who can perform miracles?

"Thought-provoking, disturbing, occasionally perverted, and always entertaining. Worldbuilding at its richest" - Kirkus Reviews

"Incredibly ambitious and groundbreaking... Palmer writes gloriously lush prose stuffed with asides, allusions and nods to the reader'" - Guardian

"Admirable in its scope and attention to detail... A book thats quirky and makes you think'" - Concatenation

"A powerful, beautifully written novel... It is a mystery, historic document, social commentary and futuristic science fiction all combined to make an excellent novel'" - Concatenation