Loka

Divya continues the tale of Jayanthi and Vaha with the coming-of-age story of their child, Akshaya. Born during her parents’ exile after breaking the laws governing human genetic engineering, Akshaya is something more than human but less than Alloy. She grows up on an autonomous spacecraft alongside other humans and Alloys but longs to live a human life on Earth—despite the wishes of her mother, who wants Akshaya to live on Meru as she was genetically designed to do. Desperate for control over her own destiny, Akshaya convinces her parents to allow her to participate in the Anthro Challenge, a circumnavigation of Earth using only the methods available during the “human era.” Along with her best friend, Akshaya has to navigate not only the physical geography of Earth but also the interpersonal relationships that make up a human existence.