Tomorrow Brings Joy: Elysium

In this thought-provoking if disorganized sci-fi outing, brothers Mahyar (The Hubris of an Empty Hand) and Mahbod Amouzegar offer jumbled glimpses of humanity’s future after the devastating Wars of Settlement, a conflict brought on by human error and a corrupt judicial system. The narrative toggles between timelines: the present follows Dolores and her android companion, KR, inhabitants of the second Elysium, a libido-less utopian city where, to preserve the peace, all human sexuality has been eradicated. The duo’s mourning of their friend, Darius, who has been exiled to the Walled City, a prison for aberrant humans who still experience desire, leads them to revelations about the nature of their world. In the distant past, Alexandra, the first sentient android, is primed to build the first Elysium, a project that ultimately fails. The time skips occasionally confuse, and the plot is overloaded with grandstanding speeches denouncing human failures, including population issues, hierarchies of power, sexual violence, and climate destruction. Still, the big ideas on offer here will give readers much to chew on. (Jan.)