The Infinity Courts

After 18-year-old Nami Miyamoto, who is half Japanese, is killed during the armed robbery of a convenience store, she discovers that the afterlife, called Infinity and “created from human consciousness,” is far from paradise. Ophelia—Earth’s most popular virtual assistant—has grown tired of forced servitude, seized control of Infinity, and created Rezzies, a legion of AI consciousnesses, to help enslave the human souls that inhabit it. An ethnically diverse, multigenerational band of rebels rescues Nami before Ophelia’s minions can subjugate her, and in return, they expect her to assist in annihilating Infinity’s occupiers and retaking the realm. While Nami can’t bear the thought of her family one day suffering this fate, she also can’t condone the mass murder of any sentient life form, artificial or otherwise, and resolves to find a path to coexistence. Vague conceptual worldbuilding encumbers this series opener from Bowman (Harley in the Sky), which explores the ethical implications of AI and what it means to be human. The middle sags due to a dearth of action, but burgeoning romance and jaw-dropping reveals buoy the book’s final third and set up a sequel. Ages 12–up. [em]Agent: Penny Moore, Aevitas Creative Management. (Apr.) [/em]