Divinity Games by Lou Gilmond – blog tour

Two years ago, I read Lou Gilmond’s first novel – a near future set political thriller called Dirty Geese, and enjoyed it a lot. It featured Harry Colbey and Esme Kanha, both Tory MPs, Kanha being Chief Whip, and backbencher Colbey was touted as the replacement Minister at the Department for Personal Information when the incumbent was found dead at his desk. A bill about private information was going through parliament and Percy Dvořáček was trying to get it changed – no more. We were also introduced to Henri Lauvaux, a VP of Alcheminna Systems, who are beginning to play an influential role in British politics, having the ear of the PM. Kanha and Colbey form an unlikely alliance to investigate.

After Dirty Geese came Palisade which continues the story in which Kanha is handed a dossier of information alleging government corruption – the journalist who compiled it appears to have been murdered for it, and old foes emerge once more. Although I was kindly sent this and the third book, I haven’t had time to read Palisade, but will definitely be going back to it to fill in the gaps.

Which brings me to Divinity Games. After a prologue, we go back 36 hours, to find Harry Colbey waking up in his offices at the Houses of Parliament. It turns out he has spent 218 nights there, not leaving the premises at all, as he explains to his Office Manager Tilly when she brings him a much appreciated morning coffee…

‘Someone, or more correctly something, has meddled with my life. They’ve cancelled my credit cards, taken away my bank account, stopped my train pass, my gym membership… even my library subscription has disappeared.’
‘I know, but–‘
‘They have created deepfake lies and slander showing me with prostitutes and underage girls. Every police officer in the country is told to arrest me for any minor infraction they can drag up from my past – every light I might have hopped as it was turning red, every second I might have failed to put my seatbelt on, every library book…’
‘But__’
‘And the minute I set foot outside the Houses of Parliament they send swarms of drones to chase me down and attack me–‘

Harry is now an independent MP, chucked out of his party who ‘believed’ all of the above. The tabloid website Mouth of the Mob had posted the photos, but nothing seems to be done about them, the new PM is working with them these days. The PM, however, is also increasingly having to answer to Alcheminna boss Henri Lavaux – or his avatar which is driven by the programme called Divinity. Alcheminna can, through their software and hardware, effectively eavesdrop on virtually anyone anywhere. They have whipped up a certain degree of fear in the British public over terrorists at large, and the little devices being delivered to every home in the country will allow instant communication if the worst happens. Added to this, Kanha (who is on the backbenches again too) now has evidence that another MP, said to have accidentally fallen off a cliff to his death, was driven off by a drone attack – her stack of evidence against the PM and his cronies is growing – but how is she to progress to bring down the corrupt parts of Government – who can she trust?

Meanwhile, Harry is going to have to venture outside the HoP for the first time. His daughter Chloe is engaged to Emir, and it is time for that awkward meet the parents dinner for them all. This means not only getting along with ex-wife Clarissa, but a potentially compromising evening with Emir’s parents – his father just happens to be the Chairman of Alcheminna, Lavaux’s number 1 company man. Amazingly, Clarissa comes to his rescue with suit and lift, no fighting when it’s their daughter’s night, and anyway she is a shareholder in Alcheminna now, one of the privileged few – ‘the Owners’ – she introduced Chloe to Emir after all.

The scene is set for some twisty and twisted politics. The bad use of AI in this novel is increasingly chilling – that the country could be effectively controlled by an avatar purporting to be the person themself, the listening devices in everyone’s homes (oops, many have smart speakers already don’t they? No Alexas in my house!). Will Harry and Esme be able to convince enough people of this corruption at the heart of government and getAlcheminna and Divinity shut down and removed? And the PM out?

While it would probably benefit the reader to have read one of the previous two novels to get to know our two main protagonists and to follow the development of Alcheminna and its founder from the beginning, Divinity Games just about works as a standalone read.

Gilmond’s themes of AI and the influence of Big Tech, the rise of populism and the mob, and the threats to democracy all make for a sobering and scary read. The loss of privacy is driving Britain towards becoming a totalitarian state, but one driven by AI rather than governance.

Balanced against that is the fact that there are good people left and that they can prevail against the odds, giving us thrills along the way. Colbey and Kanha are super characters standing up for honest folk. I particularly enjoyed getting to know Kanha more this time. I was also surprised to find I appreciated Clarissa more too, although she still has her faults – don’t we all? Once again, I liked the little bits about how the Houses of Parliament function that pepper the text, such as the role of the Speaker and the ‘Serjeant at Arms’ here – both lightly done and bringing the setting to life.

Divinity Games effectively brings a trilogy to a neat close, however, there is a delicious sting in the tail that could prompt another outing. I shall keep my eyes peeled for it.

Source: Review copy – thank you. Fairlight / Armillary Books paperback original, 304 pages. BUY at Blackwell’s via my affiliate link.