Bernard Beckett, Genesis, 2006

Anaximander is a student hoping to gain entry into The Academy, the austere, near-future governing body of all that's left of a plague-ridden humanity, existing in a dystopian, fenced-off New Zealand. Her specialised area of study is the life of Adam Forde, the person who unwittingly changed everything for the better, and as a lead-in to this short book that’s just about all your given. What you’re not told before starting this well crafted page-turner is everything else this book turns out to be: philosophical enquiry, mystery, internal puzzle, a consistent future history, a conspiracy, a ‘singularity novel’ of sorts, and hence a rich read indeed. Some biblical references are perhaps inevitable but they really don’t get in the way. Genesis has won several New Zealand literary awards already and is published in the UK in both adult and young adult editions. This is well worth picking up if you come across it; I wasn’t expecting anything as consistently good as this and more awards may yet beckon.  PY

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