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For a little over a decade, J Devau has been caught where reality and fantasy collide, bringing forth characters--both human and otherwise--to retell their fantastic stories. When time allows, and there are no grinning sadists, ambitious overseers, sardonic clones, or cunning dead to occupy her, Devau most enjoys sipping spearmint tea and harassing her household. Theory of the Atheist is her debut novel.
Reviewed by Charles Remington for Readers' Favorite
Noel Cambrian’s time is running out - she is determined not to submit to calibration, determined not to lose her humanity, her independence, her self, but the odds are stacked against her. Theory of the Atheist by J. Devau presents a dystopian future where Noel’s world is ruled by once-human replicants. The citizens of Alias, a shielded harbour of perfection in a heat-blasted, barren world, are expected to hone their one principal ability to absolute perfection. In this quest they are assisted by a process known as calibration, a gradual surrender to a singular goal, the development of one’s optimum potential, which includes the addition or substitution of relevant body parts to assist with the process, turning one’s self into a characterless, mechanical automaton for the benefit of society and losing any individuality along the way.
Noel has a few days of grace left, but is determined that she will not succumb to calibration; there is only one alternative, however, and that is death. During a freak accident involving hover cars, she has a brief glimpse of an intriguing fellow citizen, Lain Bular, who appears to share her revulsion for calibration. Eventually finding each other in the underbelly of the city, they discover that they have a shared objective - to destroy the calibration process and return society back to the control of the human citizens. But Noel’s new ally has his own agenda and the pace of the narrative quickens as it rushes headlong to a gruesome conclusion.
In Theory of the Atheist, I found a highly original view of a possible future with an interesting interpretation of what a society controlled by machines would look like. The concept of every individual perfecting his or her best skill or ability to absolute perfection in the interests of society in general but to the exclusion of all else, seemed to follow logically from a mechanised mind and provided much food for thought. I am left wondering if this is not, to some extent, happening today with the over education and increasing educational specialisation of our children. A welcome new voice in the genre, I look forward to hearing more from J. Devau.
