THE MERGE

In a climate-ravaged future, a mother and daughter from London plan to have their minds merged as a form of government-sponsored population control.

In this taut thriller, a new kind of technology enables a person’s mind to coexist in another’s body. The two minds in one body are then called Combines, identifiable by their double names, mandala neck tattoos, and green clothing. A government-corporate enterprise, also called Combine, the process is marketed as a way of reducing the population and reversing climate change, but people who don’t merge are punished through government mandates: Most are forced from their homes into government apartment buildings, menstrual cycles are monitored, prison inmates are involuntarily merged, Oxford will only accept Combines. Of course, if you have the money, you can remain as you are. Amelia Anderson, a videographer, and her mother, Laurie, have signed up for an experimental merge group of risky cases—Laurie has Alzheimer’s disease, which will be cured when she merges into the body of her daughter. However, even with her failing cognition, Laurie is against the merge, as are many in London who protest in the streets and outside the Combine clinics. Secretly, Amelia volunteered them both as a form of gonzo journalism to have access to the inner workings of Combine during their three-month preparation period. She plans for them to escape before the merge, but doesn’t realize how difficult that will be. Walker has produced an inventive exploration of climate change, class disparity, corporate influence, and biotech “enhancement,” all of which converge in this frightening vision of a totalitarian Britain. Amelia and her mother discover Combine’s deadly secrets, in a world where individuality takes on a new meaning. Whether they will be able to escape is another matter.

An excellent addition to the growing catalog of 21st-century dystopian nightmares.