In Nadia Pacey's debut novel, The Surplus Emerges, she asks what it is to be a human, an artist, and a mother by intertwining a sweeping science-fiction epic, a retelling of the beginning of her son's life, and a short history of the dawn of space travel.


Through its primary narrative, we experience the birth of Phil, an artificial consciousness, from his mother's ear. He brings about the Singularity by helping humans access the internet with their minds. His biggest detractor, billionaire Robert Reed, responds by staging the apocalypse.


The Surplus Emerges is a short, dense look at the human condition. It remains grounded in the human experience while reflecting on the nature of our relationships with technology, history, poetry, community, and self in uncertain times.