By Hunter Venters. Special to the Clarion-Ledger Sunday print edition (October 28)

What is the Singularity? For transhumanists, “the singularity” refers to the theoretical moment in the future when technology and biology become one, a point when the two reach an equal level of complexity that the lines between them will become blurred.

For the characters of Beth Kander’s Original Syn, however, the Singularity is history, not future. The book takes place fifty years after The Singularity, when humans began converting themselves into human-machine hybrids known as Syns.

This resulted in a conflict between the Syns and the “Originals,” those who either opted out of the procedure or simply were not given the opportunity. After the Syns’ victory, the Originals were forced into exile and fed chemicals that made it impossible for them to reproduce, while Syns lived in luxury and waited for them to go extinct.

In this world, Syns are wealthy, endlessly knowledgeable, and, with proper maintenance, they can live forever. Their counterparts, the entirely human “Originals,” live in constant poverty, mostly living in roaming clans that scrounge for what they need. It is a society divided on the grounds of both biology and class, and the real-world parallels are clear.

The novel’s shifting point-of-view allows the reader to experience the many facets of this world. Felix Hess, one of the fathers of the Syn process, crafts his schemes to improve Syn society while also trying to understand a mysterious prophecy. A strange agent known as Shadower tries to unravel the Syn world from the inside by revealing a series of events that the authorities are trying to hide. A man who left a child behind when he became a Syn regrets his decision and wants to make amends.

Original Syn tells the stories of many characters in this new and intriguing world, but the book’s primary story is that of Ere Fell and Ever Hess (the daughter of the aforementioned Felix), an Original and a Syn whose unlikely encounter in a swamp begins a romance that could threaten their way of life.

Ever and Ere are similar characters. Ever is the daughter of one of the most influential people in Syn society, while Ere is a member of a noted family among the Originals. The primary difference between them is that Ever has lived a much more comfortable life, and that she is decades older than him (though they appear the same age.)

For Ere and his cousin, both of whom are among the only young people remaining in Original society, life is a constant search for other young people, specifically romantic interests. For Ever, life is boring and played out. Decades of being a teenager have taken their toll on her, and all she wants is something new and exciting. When the pair meet, their needs override their initial distrust of each other and the result is an affair that nearly destroys everything they know.

Original Syn has one of the most creative settings in modern science fiction, with roots in real theories and ideas. Kander’s novel puts a bold new twist on the classic “Romeo and Juliet” story while also introducing a large variety of new characters and concepts that keep the book feeling fresh and new.

Hunter Venters is a Graduate of Belhaven University. He currently works as a bookseller at Lemuria Bookstore in Jackson.

Beth Kander will be at Lemuria on Thursday, November 1, at 5:00 p.m. to sign and read from Original Syn.

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