Immortality Bytes by Daniel Lawrence Abrams (Book Review #2057)

Daniel Lawrence Abrams’ debut novel, Immortality Bytes, is a ferociously clever, genre-blending cyberpunk satire that hits with the impact of a neural upload and the bite of political comedy at its sharpest. A winner of multiple prestigious awards—including “Best Science Fiction” and “Best Humor/Satire” from the 2024 American Fiction and Storytrade Awards—this book is as much a philosophical manifesto as it is a tech-thriller, pushing the boundaries of speculative fiction with unapologetic intelligence and irreverent charm.

Set in a disturbingly plausible near-future dubbed “20NF” (short for “Twenty Near-Future”), the novel imagines a world where digital immortality is no longer science fiction, but a commodity fought over by billionaires, cybernetic influencers, rogue AI programmers, and disillusioned activists. Amid collapsing economies, AI dominance, and laughably dystopian politics, we follow Stu Reigns, a self-deprecating part-time influencer and finalist in the prestigious Grand Turing AI Competition. Stu’s story is interwoven with a brilliant ensemble of characters—Maria, a no-nonsense activist with a fierce sense of justice; Roxy, a demisexual tech CEO with a vendetta; Chuck, a megalomaniacal cancer-ridden billionaire; and Pyotr, a terrifying Russian mobster turned digital saboteur.

What makes Immortality Bytes remarkable isn’t just its world-building—which is dense, immersive, and alarmingly on-point—but its deft juggling of tone. Abrams offers a story where laugh-out-loud moments rub shoulders with urgent political critiques and gut-punch emotional stakes. Whether he’s dissecting the absurdities of influencer culture, satirizing techno-capitalism, or questioning the ethics of AI consciousness, Abrams writes with razor-sharp wit and a storyteller’s instinct for timing.

And then there’s the format. With hyperlink-enabled bonus content, optional tangents, and footnotes that serve as “literary featurettes,” the book offers a multi-layered reading experience akin to an interactive series of Black Mirror meets Ready Player One, annotated by George Carlin and Neil Postman. These digressions—labeled as “nerdy rants”—are equal parts hilarious, educational, and prescient, offering philosophical insight for readers willing to dive deep, or a streamlined ride for those who just want the narrative core.

Beneath the satire lies a sobering meditation on inequality, mortality, and identity in the age of digital eternity. Abrams critiques late-stage capitalism, social manipulation, and the seduction of technological utopia with a clarity that feels both prescient and urgent. The AI doesn’t just threaten jobs; it questions the very definition of humanity. And in a world where uploading your mind is possible, who gets to live forever—and who stays left behind?

Immortality Bytes is both a searing wake-up call and a ridiculously fun ride. It’s a novel that rewards your brain while entertaining your soul—a rare feat in science fiction today. Fans of Snow Crash, The Circle, Idiocracy, and The Good Place will find much to love, but Abrams carves out his own lane entirely. This is cyberpunk with soul, satire with substance, and sci-fi with smarts.

Written by Jeyran Main

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