Any Human Power

Dream deeply. Rise up strong. Change is coming…

‘Instantly immersive and compelling, rich and strange, human and humane, and most of all inspiring … an extraordinary story.’ Lee Child

From the bestselling author of mythic, page-turning, world-building thrillers comes this present-day story of three generations thrown to the forefront of a political crisis and the uprising that follows. Virtual and real violence stalk the family’s every move, yet between them their skills include digital mastery, political edge and roots sunk deep into the old, wild myths of the land. In the combination of these they might just find the key to the transformation they yearn for…

As Lan lies dying, she makes a promise that binds her long into the beyond. Fifteen years later, her teenage granddaughter, Kaitlyn, triggers an international storm of outrage that unleashes the rage of a whole betrayed generation. For one shining fragment of time, the world is with her. But then the backlash begins and soon she and those closest to her find themselves facing the wrath of the old establishment, who will use every dirty trick in the book to fight them off. Watching over the growing chaos is Lan, who taught them all to think independently, approach power sceptically and dream with clear intent. She knows more than one generation’s hopes are on the line. Nothing less than the future of humanity stands in the balance.

Grand in scope, rich in courageous characters who breathe new life into ancient wisdom, here is a dream of a better future: the story of a world we’d be proud to leave to our children and their children and on, generations down the line.

Reviews of Any Human Power

'Instantly immersive and compelling, rich and strange, human and humane, and most of all inspiring … an extraordinary story.' – Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher novels

'Any Human Power is a polemical thriller like no other, an absorbing manifesto to change the world. It constantly surprises. Manda Scott's characters play havoc with your emotions, her narrative keeps you turning the pages, and her ideas might just change your life.' – Andrew Taylor, author of The Shadows of London

'Manda Scott is an unmissable, visionary author and has created a compelling political thriller that inspires belief in the possibility of a better future. Born of dreams, Any Human Power is a dream read.' – Adam Hamdy, author of The Other Side of Night

'An astonishing novel, at once powerfully contemporary and mythopoeic. Of its many achievements, the greatest is giving a sense that there is a way forward from our current predicament: the creative gift of hope.' – Oliver Harris, author of The Shame Archive

'Any Human Power is an extraordinary, ground-breaking, high-wire act of a novel, which vividly evokes not just why our world is at breaking-point, but how a single nation could be quickly and radically transformed in a way that scales up to encompass the globe. I wasn't just gripped all the way through, but moved, uplifted and energised by Scott's wild, vast, brave and tangible vision of the possible. If you care about the future of life on Earth, this is the novel for you.' – Liz Jensen, author of Your Wild and Precious Life

'I loved the mix of fantasy and myth … A hugely entertaining read with compelling characters, elegant prose and a story where we really want to find out what happens.' – Fantasy Hive

'Hopeful, engaging, heartfelt, imaginative …' – Rozie Apps, editor of Permaculture Magazine

'What an incredible book! Any Human Power will challenge what you thought you knew about life, death, and everything in between. Stunningly original and thought provoking.' – Paula Brackston, author of The Little Shop of Found Things

'Any Human Power represents a new, urgent, essential and unforgettable type of fiction that addresses who we are and the crossroads to which we've come, and offers us courage, grace and imagination for the journey.' – Jill Hammer, author of The Moonstone Covenant

'In this election year I hope it's discussed and read by as many people as possible. I hope it stimulates discussion, action, and helps to bring about change. It deserves to be a landmark.' – Anthony Day, Sustainable Futures podcast

'I experienced this as a whirlwind of a story, completely immersive from the beginning, and it took me on a wild ride.' – Julia Sherbakov, Impact Journey podcast

'Any Human Power is a powerful story that operates on many levels, from the archetypal and allegorical, to the theoretical and practical. Manda's writing style is both easy and beautiful, making a deep consideration of the horrors, complexities and potential ways forward arising from the poly-crisis accessible to a wide audience.' – Diana Finch, managing director of the Bristol Pound and author of Value Beyond Money

'I salute the central convictions running through this heartful novel: that truthfulness and authenticity may yet be the saviour of the world.' – Prof. Emeritus Rupert Read, author of Parents for a Future and co-director of the Climate Majority Party

'So many people are overwhelmed by the state of the world and can't see any way forward. We urgently need maps just like this to show us that another world is possible and how we get there.' – Nicola Peel, environmentalist, solutionist and co-founder of the South East Climate Alliance

'In Any Human Power, Manda Scott uses her own supreme imaginative powers as a novelist to open windows into the flow of possibilities. She inspires us to find our own routes into that flow and do the work demanded of us.' – Chris Smaje, social scientist, small-scale farmer and author of A Small Farm Future

'A clarion call for our times, this visionary book dreams into being a new mythology of interpersonal power, eco-societal agency and democratic governance.' – Nathalie Nahai, author of Business Unusual

'This book brilliantly depicts the frightening reality facing those who mobilise against a violent global establishment. However, instead of regarding cosmic and spiritual forces as separate from politics, this book transforms our sense of what is possible.' – Ruth Catlow, co-founder of Furtherfield

'A brave book of immense potency: an audacity of imagination and a phenomenal depth of research woven around a break-neck storyline and characters that live and dream and glimmer. It's a book that changes those who read it, in subtle but powerful ways.' – Angharad Wynne, co-founder of The Animate Earth Collective

'Any Human Power has the feel of a book that's landed at just the right moment … Scott's imagination has brought forth a radical manifesto, a holistic ideal in which seeing oneself in relation to eternity matters just as much as housing or transport policies, and she's done it in a way that makes it seem as though it's only five minutes in the future.' – Herald