#MAYASeedTakesRoot by #AnandGandhi & #ZainMemo drawing on South Asian Mythology & blending SF, Fantasy & Philosophy, this novel touches on identity, control & shared reality. Narrated steadily by #HugoWeaving on audio, who has a gift for voices. Thank you AE Titles / #S&SAudio | Simon & Schuster Audio & #NetGalley for the opportunity to review the e-audio ALC. #BookSky

Thank you NetGalley and S&S Audio for an early copy of the audiobook. Hugo Weaving is fantastic. So many unique characters and the world building is so interesting. It took me about 10% for everything to click but then I was really able to lock in. Great intro book to a trilogy. I am looking forward to seeing where they go with the story and I can’t wait to see more artwork on the characters!

I need to re-listen when the book comes out so I can get a better feel of the story. My review of the story now, I feel, is incomplete as I know there are a collection of details and connections that I haven't made.

I enjoyed listening to Hugo Weaving unravel this beautiful story where the forest is a neural network that everyone connect with and the "immortal Divyas" use the data for predictions but also to track and control the populace. Our MC is a young man who has never connected to the forest, Maya, and enters the competition to become an immortal Divya. As the story unfolds he discovers not all is as it seems.

This series is going to be epic. There are elements of fantasy, science fiction, and adventure. It asks us to define what freedom looks like. I enjoyed the elements of Indian and South Asian culture and language that I was able to identify while only listening. I feel like I will find more hidden treasure when I read it again.

Hugo Weaving made this story for me. His voicing awaked the character's emotions and the slow unfolding of secrets as the manner that the Divyas are involved is revealed.


#MAYASeedTakesRoot #NetGalley #AETitles #Simon&SchusterAudio
Thank you to AE Titles for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“What if the greatest threat to humanity wasn’t artificial intelligence… but humanity’s willingness to surrender itself?”

MAYA: Seed Takes Root is one of the most ambitious science fiction novels I’ve read in quite some time. Blending futuristic technology, philosophy, mythology, and social commentary, Anand Gandhi and Zain Memon have created a world that feels both breathtakingly imaginative and unsettlingly plausible. The concept of a living planetary network where every thought, memory, and decision can be harvested is fascinating and terrifying. Rather than relying solely on action, this story asks profound questions about identity, free will, surveillance, power, and what it truly means to be human. Those ideas stayed with me long after I finished reading. What impressed me most was how seamlessly the authors weave South Asian mythology into hard science fiction, creating something that feels fresh and unlike anything else on my shelf. The world-building is rich, immersive, and rewards readers who enjoy stories with depth and layers to unpack. If you’re a fan of Dune, Children of Time, The Three Body Problem, or philosophical science fiction that challenges the way you think, this is absolutely worth adding to your TBR.

This book is slow and amazing scifi. It reminds me of "The Martian Chronicles". The preface explains how the words and stories are going to be interwoven and some words are going to be familiar and other are not. Then right into the book they just write like everything is normal without explaining this character looks like X, but you get snippets of scales and tails and wings and heads in baskets like it's all normal. It makes reading a whole discovery, you need to catch all these details as it goes on.

Narration is perfect! Match made in mars! Calm and inquisitive voice to do all the different characters!

Audiobook Review: MAYA: Seed Takes Root by Anand Gandhi and Zain Memon

What first drew me to *MAYA: Seed Takes Root* was Hugo Weaving’s narration, but I was also intrigued by the creative backgrounds behind the story\. Anand Gandhi, known for his philosophical and visually ambitious filmmaking, and Zain Memon, a game designer with experience in interactive storytelling, bring together a blend of cinematic worldbuilding and immersive speculative fiction\. Hugo Weaving’s narration gives the story the gravity and wonder it needs to make its vast, philosophical world feel immediate and alive.

The story follows Yachay, a young man who has never connected to Maya, a living planetary network that links society and allows people to share knowledge and memories. In a world where nearly everyone is connected, his disconnection makes him an anomaly, but it also gives him a perspective no one else has. Standing outside the system that shapes his civilization allows him to question what everyone else accepts as normal, and that distance becomes central to the story’s larger theme of whether constant connection is enlightenment or control. After his grandfather’s death, Yachay discovers that the man he thought he knew was hiding major truths about their world and his place in it. That revelation pulls him into the Divya Trials, a competition that could grant unimaginable power and forces him to confront what Maya really means for humanity.

The worldbuilding and storytelling are both major strengths of MAYA: Seed Takes Root. The authors have created a richly layered society, and the novel reveals its living forest, technology, social structure, and future slang in ways that make the setting feel immersive and fully realized. At the same time, the narrative keeps moving with a strong sense of mystery and discovery, balancing big ideas about power, consciousness, and choice with a story that stays engaging throughout.

Overall, I really enjoyed this audiobook. It is ambitious, imaginative, and unlike much of the science fiction I’ve encountered. The pacing occasionally slows when the novel pauses to unpack its philosophical ideas, but those reflective stretches ultimately deepen the story’s emotional and thematic impact rather than diminishing it. Hugo Weaving’s narration, combined with the vivid worldbuilding and compelling story, made this a memorable experience. I’m very curious to see how this universe continues to expand.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ALC. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I would like to thank NetGalley and AE Titles / Simon & Schuster Audio for allowing me to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.

MAYA: Seed Takes Root, the first novel in the expansive MAYA universe, and it fuses Sci-Fi/Fantasy and philosophy into an epic, thrilling adventure. I had been hearing about this book off-and-on for awhile, and had it on my TBR, so I was so excited to see the audiobook opportunity pop up.

MAYA: Seed Takes Root takes place on planet Neh, in the living forest of Maya (the planet's neural network). Every citizen tethers in to Maya and share the work/play/learning, while the data is harvested by the Divyas. The data is used to predict the future and bend reality. Everyone tethers in; except Yachay; he doesn't want to be tracked or controlled like everyone else. But the Divya trials are coming up, which will ascend the winner to godhood. Yachay does not want to participate, but when he loses his grandfather, a dark family secret is uncovered that may change his mind; and his future.

The plot was fantastic! Not so much a straight line, but a spiraling exploration that rewards attention to detail. It is driven by intellect more rather than action, but it's existential and gripping. The pacing is meditative, with bursts of revelation that reframe your thoughts. The world-building is huge and immersive, and the characters are well-developed. They are emotionally vulnerable, but also act as a lens through which the story integrates reality. They feel human even when the narrative is operating on a cosmic scale. The narrator does a great job of telling the story and making you feel part of it. The story unfolds like a puzzle box; layered, deliberate, and deeply introspective.

Fans of cerebral, atmospheric, sci-fi thrillers will love this book. It will make you question your thoughts about consciousness, identity, and reality. It is boundary-pushing storytelling at its best! It is a phenomenal, well-written reading experience that will linger long after you finish. I will definitely be recommending it to my sci-fi friends.

Mind-blowing, an exercise of completely unleashed and unrestrained creativity. Wish there was more epic fantasy populated with non-human characters.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

MAYA: Seed Takes Root is one of the most inventive and deeply layered books I’ve encountered in a long time. The world-building here is second to none, packed with fascinating ideas, from trees that facilitate virtual reality connections to a high-stakes contest to become a god. The various species inhabiting this world are intriguing, and the core cast is well-fleshed out and genuinely likable.

That said, the sheer level of complexity makes the audiobook format a bit of a challenge. The early chapters throw you directly into the deep end with minimal exposition, leaving you to piece together key motivations on your own. For example, during an early scene involving a strip-mining operation, our protagonist is arrested for interrupting it—yet at the time, we’re given almost no context as to why the mining is happening or why his intervention is treated as a crime. Audio makes it tricky to flip back or cross-reference details when you're trying to find your footing.

Once the exposition catches up, however, the narrative momentum really takes off. It settles into a compelling, clear "chosen one" arc where our hero loses his grandfather and finds himself standing against a seemingly insurmountable system. By the end, it sets up an incredible foundation for a larger series.

Hugo Weaving’s narration is fantastic, but given the density of the lore, I think I’d opt for a physical copy if I were to read it again. Highly recommended for fans of rich, ambitious sci-fi/fantasyg. Just keep in mind that the print version might give you a smoother ride through that initial ramp-up.

"We let stories refine our beliefs, repair our instincts. […] Bit by bit, we let them rewrite us, stories become us, and therein lies their power. For whoever controls the stories controls our dreams, our nightmares, our very desires and fears. Their whispers become our will. They choose which instincts we feed, which hungers we starve. They control us all.”

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Audio for providing me with this ALC!

The MAYA: Seed Takes Root audiobook was incredible. Above everything, I found that Hugo Weaving's narration enhanced the book's prose beautifully. Gandhi and Memon's language when describing the world of Neh, the interconnected system of Maya, and even just the flow of each characters' thoughts was so lush and grand—Weaving's voice was the perfect match for that magnificence. Adding on to that, though I don't speak the language, I could tell that he took great care to pronounce every native term and name as accurately as possible, which is always something worth being applauded for.

I do think, however, that the main downside to the audio format is the listener's tendency to get lost in the less explicit worldbuilding, especially given the way this book thrusts you right into Neh without any preamble. I usually love that in a sci-fi/fantasy book (no clunky infodumping!), but maybe just because I typically read rather than listen to them. It can get a bit confusing in audio form, but after some time it does get easier to follow along.

On the other hand, I found the story itself so unique! I loved the not-at-all-subtle integration of current society's issues with big tech, AI, and data harvesting into the worldbuilding and overarching narrative. It is such an important topic and was expertly handled in this book. And reading/hearing about South Asian mythology in a fictional world as epic as this one was so exciting! It made me realize how many other (mostly Asian) mythologies are overlooked in favor of more mainstream Western mythos.

MAYA: Seed Takes Root was such a refreshing listen, and I highly recommend it to those looking for a beautifully written, intricate sci-fi/fantasy book that discusses very relevant issues alongside an action-packed plot and endearing characters.

Seed Takes Root (Maya #1)
by Anand Gandhi
This book is a new world for this reader. The mythology and cultural touch points of the story are far outside my expertise. The connections to Asian mythology and metaphors makes a entirely new world. The book shows the nature of classism, and cast system. The conflict between casts causes more of the conflict than the evil powers. Its a good book for middle school social understanding and looking an Asian culture and stories.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Audio, and the authors for this advanced listening copy.

First of all, how could it end like that??? Second, so much happened in this book, and yet it flew by. There’s still so much more that *needs* to happen that it felt like no time went by at all. There is a chance that listening to it (vs reading visually) made it feel like a breeze. Third, the downside of listening is that I didn’t get a glossary. The authors did a beautiful job of throwing you into this universe and building the world around you as if you’d been there all along. The upside to this is that you feel fully immersed in the story. The downside is that there are no explanations for their world’s terminology. I wish I could have read this immersively, referring to the glossary when needed. I also wish that I knew how to spell any of the words the authors have conjured into being.

That being said, I absolutely loved listening to this story. Hugo Weaving’s voice is absolute perfection! I want him to read every fantasy and sci fi book to me from now on. The clear narration! The emotion! The gravitas! His voice is a beautiful instrument that he wields masterfully.

I could tell after only a few chapters that I was going to want to read book 2, but the way it ended really solidified that for me. I need answers! I need to know what happens next! The authors created characters who are so vividly different from one another, but are brought together by seemingly chance encounters that build upon each other until we start to see the bigger picture. As I listened, I felt like I was just taking the story in rather than being aware of connecting to the characters. When things started to happen to them, I found myself feeling for them more than I expected. The authors did a wonderful job of crafting characters you want to root for, and root for them I did until the end. It’s killing me that book 1 hasn’t officially been released yet and I’m already yearning for book 2. Not to mention, I have no idea how many books will be in this series! If each book goes through as much as this one, I imagine it will be at least 3 books total.

Dear authors, please keep these books coming as quickly as you can! And please list all of them on NetGalley so that I can read them even quicker!

🎧 narrated by Hugo Weaving

Found the story really engaging, but listening to it was a little difficult to track who was who since I wasn't also reading the story. With that being said, I think it had excellent world building and I really enjoyed the overall concept of the book and story.

This is one of the most imaginative books I've read this year. MAYA: Seed Takes Root follows Kshar, Yashay and Ayn as their lives interconnect and steer all of them towards the divya trials. They each face challenges thrown at them from their individual lives, and it's clear that this book is the first in a series. Not much is explained to you up front, but you're able to glean a lot of information through description and context clues. This will be a great pick for fans of epic fantasy and sci-fi sagas.

The audiobook is narrated by Hugo Weaving and he was absolutely delightful to listen to. I listened at 1.5x speed and that seemed about perfect.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Audio for an advance listener copy of this audiobook.

I listened to the audiobook of this and I must say: Hugo Weaving was the perfect choice for narrator. He is both soothing and captivating, and breathes life into the story and lends to its richness and complexity.

It takes about 45ish minutes of listening time to get a true grasp of what is happening, and even then the book has a lot of details that feel like they will be important further along in the series but do not necessarily have much meaning in this book.

The novel itself is poetic. It is part mythical, part sci-fi… and entirely original and imaginative. I loved the world-building of the social structure, invented terminology, philosophical ideology, and tech of this society. It was honestly immersive and I felt like I could see it all vividly in my mind. Doing something on this scale in only 416 pages is mindblowingly impressive and I tip my hat to the authors.

Be sure to grab a copy when it’s released on August 25, 2026!

Thank you to Anand Gandhi, Zain Memon, AE Titles, and Simon & Schuster Audio for providing this ALC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Rounding up from a 4.5!

I will be honest, i initially requested this ALC solely based on the fact that Hugo Weaving is the narrator. He was the perfect choice, truly!!

All that aside, I adored this book. I love science-fantasy fusions, i love non-linear timelines, and i love books that completely immerse you in entirely new worlds. This book executed every one of those perfectly.

This book was ambitious! You are immediately introduced to species so unlike humans, and a whole new lexicon that starts off intimidating, but becomes as familiar as your own language. Concepts that seemed overwhelming upon introduction became second nature as the story progressed. The authors and the narrator did a beautiful job bringing this potentially convoluted story together in a concise and enticing manner. can’t wait for the next one!!

This story kept me reading and wanting more. Despite not knowing most of the words, and despite having the index inaccessible to me (as I was listening to the audiobook), Hugo Weaving did an excellent job of stating what was present and building a world based on the facts in front of him without needing to elaborate. But none of that could have been accomplished without Anand Gandhi and Zain Memon's attention to detail and dedication to building a world that shows far more than it tells.

This book felt like a meeting between Babel by RF Kuang, Witch King by Martha Wells, and Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern saga. From the impact of words and stories to the mystery of Yachay, our main character, and the unfolding of his story and destiny, to the wide expanse of the world of Neh and the Divya - near-gods, who work to maintain order - this story swept me up and set me back down to earth far more times than I expected, but not a single time more than I wanted.

This book covered themes of love, loss, and questioning the world as you see it. These are told through Yachay, our main character, as he interacts with a world largely foreign to him - though as the reader we don't quite grasp the implications of that until later on in the story. His view of the world and his grandfather figure irritated me at first, seeming naive and frustrating in his direct and unambiguous thinking, but he won me over in the end.

The overarching plot, as well, where Maya trees connect every member of society and shape not only joys and games and memories but also information and desires, was eerily reminiscent of the sort of social media and Automated Intelligence era we find ourselves in today. We can find connections, and we can know so much more than we'd glean on our own, but at what cost? What cost to ourselves, our minds, and our own desires?

A book I'll definitely be picking up the sequel to, I wholeheartedly enjoyed this read and I look forward to when it comes out and I can share it with more people.

This was performed by Lord Elrond himself, and that was quite the fun thing for me that initially pulled me into its clutches. What got me next was the worldbuilding. I haven't heard enough about this book, and I fear it could be because it gives off AI vibes. However, every bit of MAYA was made by humans and for humans. his is apparent once you get through its wonderfulness. I promise you'll be entertained by this sci-fi epic.

What an interesting book. It was a lot to take in.

Let’s start out with the audio book, the narrator did an amazing job he kept me engaged. Despite the narrators fantastic job I don’t think the book is best consumed as an audio book mainly due to the complicated world building and the different creatures and therms that are within the story. I would have appreciated an access to a physical book to look up a bibliography or other ways to check what each species of the creatures in the book mean.

We follow a few perspectives that get us through the story and introduce the sides. We start with Kshar who is seeking all possible futures to ensure a riot takes place at the market place. After this we move onto our main character, Yachay.

From this perspective it seems like our usual hero story. There are trials, that are announced and we follow on his journey to them, meeting our side characters.

This is a political book. There are questions of freedom, of how much os your choice, how much is orchestrated by those who want you to think certain things. What can you trust? What is your role within the society, and how can you stand up for what is right?

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy. This world is hard to get the hang of at first but so worth it! Vivid descriptions, an exciting story, time travel, mystery, philosophy, social commentary. I will definitely be keeping up with this series and will want to reread this when the next one comes out as well! Hugo Weavings narration was perfect!

Thank you to NetGalley, Authors Equity Publishing, and AE Titles / S&S Audio for the e-ARC and audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an ambitious and wonderfully detailed story that asks readers to be patient at the beginning. The authors warn you that the vocabulary and concepts may feel unfamiliar at first, and they were right, but everything gradually began to come together. Once I understood the world and its systems, I could appreciate how much thought went into the story’s ideas about technology, intelligence, shared knowledge, and the ways information can shape entire societies. The novel is set on Neh, where intelligent species connect through Maya trees that enable shared dreamscapes and glimpses of the future, giving the book a fascinating foundation in science fiction and mythology. The writing is meticulous and packed with detail, but it ultimately builds toward one heck of a story. I enjoyed watching the unfamiliar language and worldbuilding become clearer through context rather than having everything explained immediately. Pairing the audiobook with the e-book was the perfect way for me to experience this book. The narration helped me work through the vocabulary as needed, while having the text in front of me allowed me to revisit passages and absorb some of the denser details at my own pace. This was definitely a more immersive read than a quick one, but I’m glad I took the time with it. The combination of text and audio made the world easier to enter, and by the end I felt rewarded for staying with the story while everything unfolded. I’m especially glad I was able to experience MAYA in both formats because each one added something valuable to the reading experience.

4.5/5 ⭐️

Finding the proper words to describe this book is as difficult a task as I can remember writing a book review. Maya is not for the faint of heart as the names, places, really everything are unfamiliar and not expressly explained. The main character is in a constant state of discovery, giving the reader a learn as they learn kind of reading experience. That said, it’s awesome; it is intricate and complex in all the ways I want from a fantasy series. While its characters in my opinion do fall a little flat at times their dialog doesn’t and the plot carries the day. Do I totally know what’s going on? NOPE! I need the next one pronto. Also, Hugo Weaving should narrate more!

I admit it; I requested this ARC because of Hugo Weaving. I didn't even read the description first. However... I don't regret it. This was an interesting blend of hard scifi and mythological fantasy, both epic in scale and language. I'd love to see this as a movie. The story is packed with detail and isn't what I'd call a "beach read", but I think it's worth your time and attention.

Avis Lecture 🧐 📖 "Maya : Seed Takes Root", tome 1 de la trilogie, Anand Gandhi et Zain Memon 🌐⛓️

✨SP audio - sortie le 25 août 2026✨

Avez-vous déjà rêvé de découvrir une Science Fantasy à la Matrix ? Et bien, chers amis, ne cherchez plus et c'est un gros coup de cœur ❤️

Co-écrit par le cinéaste Anand Gandhi et le créateur de jeux de société Zain Memon, Maya: Seed Takes Root est une œuvre hybride monumentale.

Le livre plonge le lecteur sur la planète Neh, où sept espèces intelligentes vivent connectées à un réseau biologique : l'arbre Maya.
Maya offre des espaces de rêves partagés permettant de prédire l'avenir avec une précision absolue. Grâce à ce réseau, les Divyas dirigent le monde sans armée : ils façonnent directement le désir et contrôlent la destinée.
La planète Neh est vivante, complexe et organique. Écosystèmes, espèces uniques, langages et technologies de prédiction... la sensation d'immersion est immédiate et vertigineuse. Quand on parle de Worldbuilding, là on y est vraiment 😱.

Sous ses airs de hard science-fantasy, le livre tend un miroir brut à notre société hyperconnectée. Le réseau Maya rappelle étrangement nos réseaux sociaux, nos données massives et la manière dont l'attention et le libre arbitre sont manipulés au quotidien.
Le roman pose également des questions centrales : Si le futur peut être prédit à la seconde près, le libre arbitre existe-t-il encore ?

Et niveau personnages ? D'un côté, Kshar, déterminé à assassiner un dieu dans une simulation réglée comme une horloge ; de l'autre, Yachay, un jeune faiseur de devinettes qui n'a jamais été connecté au réseau Maya et dont l'existence même est une anomalie dans le système. Je les ai adoré ! 🤩

Malgré tout, l'entrée en matière est exigeante - d'autant plus quand vous en faites la lecture en audio ! 😅 Les premiers chapitres projettent le lecteur directement dans le grand bain, avec peu d'exposition préalable. Il faut accepter d'être déboussolé le temps de comprendre les enjeux, les concepts riches et denses ainsi que les règles de cet univers.

Maya: Seed Takes Root, avec son Worldbuilding, est purement et simplement l’une des plus grosses claques littéraires de mon année ! 🤯💥