Synthetic Changes Everything.
Until It Changes You.
“They say synthetic will set people free.”
In fractured New Albion, synthetic promises freedom from addiction, fear and suffering. But as the State loses control of the drug that once kept society stable, old loyalties begin to collapse.
Anouk Walker has already survived the Midnight Factory. Now she’s being pulled deeper into a conflict where trust is dangerous, survival demands compromise, and every side believes it can control what comes next.
A haunting psychological dystopian novel about loyalty, dependency, and the human cost of systems built on control.
About the Book
Synthetic was supposed to change everything. Instead, it threatens to tear New Albion apart.
As alliances fracture and the balance of power begins to fail, Anouk finds herself caught between resistance groups, political manipulation, and the people she cannot afford to lose.
What begins as survival becomes something far more dangerous. Because synthetic is not freedom. It is leverage. And as fear spreads through the State, Anouk must decide what she is willing to sacrifice before everything they fought for disappears completely.
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Praise For Synthetic State
"...a dystopian sci-fi story that will grab your attention from start
to finish. It shows that through small acts of kindness—and even through courageous acts of
defiance—hope can still shine in the darkest of places... emotionally
moving and thought-provoking."
5-Star Readers' Favorite Review
What You Will Discover
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A society destabilised by dependency.
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Political systems built on control and fear.
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Love surviving inside institutional collapse.
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Loyalty fractured by survival.
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The seductive promise of artificial relief.
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The cost of remaining human.
Perfect For Fans Of...
If you love dystopian and speculative fiction that blends psychological tension, institutional control, and emotionally immersive storytelling, Synthetic State is for you.
Readers drawn to atmospheric, morally complex speculative fiction such as:
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A Scanner Darkly — Philip K. Dick
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The Windup Girl — Paolo Bacigalupi
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Severance — Ling Ma
Fans of emotionally charged, psychologically immersive dystopias like:
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Never Let Me Go — Kazuo Ishiguro
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Silo — Hugh Howey
Readers who enjoy unsettling, system-driven speculative worlds such as:
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Amatka — Karin Tidbeck
And lovers of intimate dystopian fiction shaped by political collapse and human compromise like:
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Station Eleven — Emily St. John Mandel
Acclaim For Synthetic State
"The story is told at a masterful pace, with bits of worldbuilding slowly revealed as the characters move through their grim world... In this darkness, each revelation about the true nature of the world hits like a gut punch... Tender humanity and hope bloom amid the bleakest, most desperate dystopia"
5-Star Reedsy Discovery Review
About the Author
Russell Luyt
Russell Luyt grew up in South Africa before moving to the United Kingdom, where he built a career in social psychology and academic writing. Now based in Paris, he has traded lecture halls for quiet cafés, bringing a lifelong fascination with human behaviour into the world of fiction.
After years of writing academic literature, he now enjoys exploring stories that speak to both the heart and the mind—narratives shaped by psychological depth, emotional truth, and the fragile resilience of humanity.
Synthetic State
the second novel in
The Shimmerfall Trilogy
© 2025 Russell Luyt
