Any Human Power is the latest novel by Manda Scott, known for her Boudica series, who has recently contributed five articles to Permaculture magazine. It is an entirely different animal to her historical trilogy and yet it holds some of the themes and keys in her earlier work.
This is an exploration of how we might transition to another world that is possible, to paraphrase Arundhati Roy. Manda does this through various original themes. She dives into the world’s gaming community and explores its huge potential as a positive social change driver. Manda also explores the power of social media and its algorithms, and the possible channels of disobedience that could repurpose a corporate system to enable political change. She presents three key strategies (at least) to transform the political landscape. Woven into this new world is also permaculture, regenerative agriculture, the power of community and many other new paradigm empowering ideas and practices. These themes are deftly written from someone who has both a powerful intellect and a profound grasp of so many vitally important subjects. (Listen to her podcast Accidental Gods to find out more.)
There is more, however, to this novel than good subject matter. Manda’s novel is utterly original. Her central character dies in the first few pages yet remains our narrator from the ‘beyond’ for the entire book. Scenes draw upon life after death, lucid dreaming, and other shamanic practices that allow various archetypal powers to coalesce with political insight and revolution. Any Human Power is an extraordinary blend of ancient wisdom and contemporary life with all its complex systems. It is brilliant. I have never read anything like it before.
Manda also writes good literature. Her characters are well drawn, her gut twisting plot is well executed, and her fiction contains some beautiful prose. Though a big book, Any Human Power is so full of magnetism, drama and good storytelling that the reader is compelled to read it in as few sittings as possible. If you are seeking a possible pathway to an alternative future with insights from the liminal, non-material dimensions as well as contemporary life, you will love this book. It is outstanding.
Maddy Harland, PM’s Editor and Cofounder
For more from Manda, and to order her extraordinary book, Any Human Power, visit: https://mandascott.co.uk
For Manda’s series in Permaculture magazine, you can read all back issues for free with a subscription. Visit: www.permaculture.co.uk/subscribe
Maddy Harland is the co-founder and editor of Permaculture magazine and author of Fertile Edges – Regenerating the land, culture and hope.