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A meteor falls in the tri-state area of Virginia, Delaware, and Maryland in 2036, causing a small subset of “superpowered” humans to emerge, exhibiting all kinds of bio-technological advancements. There are now pyromancers, geomancers, and even hydromancers, such as Hozoki Bekhiar. Hozoki is able to extend her powers over water to include boiling enemies alive by increasing their internal temperature. But this amount of unchecked power has caused tensions to rise between the “Evoldan,” or mutated humans, and the normal folks who have survived the impact. Initially rounded up and studied by normal human scientists, the Evoldans, by 2037, are led by Hozoki. They attempt to establish normal relations and even manage to help rebuild parts of Washington, D.C. A change in presidents, though, changes the tenor of the times, and more restrictive laws and a military presence are established in the tri-state area.
Real Tech, a powerful conglomerate, is revealed to have been kidnapping Evoldans to conduct research and experiments on this new augmented species. But there are many more kinds of Evoldan powers, and the holders of these easily invade Real Tech to recover their victims. However, the belligerence increases until the Evoldans feel forced to conquer the humans.
Cyberpunk meets manga in this science-techno thriller. The protagonist, Hozoki, tells the story in the first person, a technique that allows sympathy to be established for this new hybrid of machine and human while at the same time exposing their subjective assessment of the situation. For instance, it becomes clear in the narrative that perhaps the Evoldans are unable to fully understand the normal human response to their fantastic powers. Readers get a thought-provoking glimpse into the strangely efficient techno-world of the Evoldans and the strangeness of mutation in the author’s intriguing novel.