The Immortal King Rao
A debut novel about a tech CEO and his daughter's letter.
The Immortal King Rao, Vauhini Vara’s first novel, came out in 2022 through W. W. Norton & Company. The story centers on King Rao, a tech CEO who steered society toward rule by corporations; after his death, his daughter writes a letter recounting his path to power. The book was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and made the shortlist for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize.
The plot opens with Rao’s death. His daughter, Athena, is imprisoned and given an injection that transfers her father’s memories into her mind. While awaiting a computer’s judgment for a crime, and as the planet deteriorates from climate change, Athena writes to the Shareholders on the Board of Corporations. She defends herself and reflects on Rao’s life, beginning with his birth to Dalit farmers in an Indian village.
Kirkus Reviews praised Vara’s clever wordplay and sharp observations of an algorithm-driven dystopia, though it noted some minor characters felt stereotypical. Publishers Weekly gave a starred review, calling the debut “potent” and admiring the execution of its family portrait. Critics at Vox and Vulture commended Vara’s speculative treatment of artificial intelligence, climate change, and capitalism. The New York Times described the novel as “a monumental achievement: beautiful and brilliant, heartbreaking and wise.” Bomb called it “intensely imaginative, lyrically voiced, and gorgeously written.” The Seattle Times highlighted the choice to frame the story as a letter to the Shareholders. Alta Journal deemed it a “masterpiece.” The Guardian respected Vara’s ambition but felt the novel tried to cover too many ideas, weakening its sense of identity.
Several outlets placed the novel on anticipated-read lists, including Ms., The Denver Post, Bustle, and Lithub. The New York Times included it in their 100 Notable Books of 2022. NPR featured it on their 2022 Books We Love list. The Philadelphia Inquirer, Vox, and Esquire each named it one of the best books of 2022.
Vara drew on her experience as a technology reporter for The Wall Street Journal when imagining King Rao. She first conceived the novel while working on short stories that later became her 2023 book, This Is Salvaged. Reading Moby-Dick for the first time showed her what a novel about capitalism could look like.
Quick Facts
- Author
- Vauhini Vara
- Isbn
- 978-0393541755
- Pub Date
- May 3, 2022
- Followed By
- This Is Salvaged
- Pages
- 384
- Genre
- Literary fiction, speculative fiction, climate fiction
- Publisher
- W. W. Norton & Company
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The novel begins with King Rao's death and follows his daughter, Athena, after she has been imprisoned and injected with a substance that endows his memories to her. As she awaits judgment by a computer for a crime, and while the planet is facing collapse due to climate change, Athena writes to the Shareholders on the Board of Corporations in defense of herself and in reflection of her father's life, starting from his birth in a village in India to Dalit farmers.
Critical reception was mixed. Kirkus Reviews noted Vara's strengths in clever wordplay and trenchant observations of an algorithm-led dystopia but questioned stereotypical depictions of some minor characters. Publishers Weekly found the debut potent and marveled at the execution of her family portrait. Critics in Vox and Vulture lauded Vara's speculative approach to artificial intelligence, climate change, and capitalism. The New York Times called the novel a monumental achievement. The Guardian admired Vara's ambition but found the novel suffered from trying to take on too many ideas at once.
Reader's Guide
The Immortal King Rao is significant as a speculative novel that examines corporatocracy, artificial intelligence, climate change, and capitalism through the lens of a family story. Vara's background as a technology reporter for The Wall Street Journal influenced the character of King Rao. The novel was inspired by her reading of Moby-Dick, which demonstrated what a novel about capitalism could look like, and by watching Battlestar Galactica and researching startups like Neuralink for the memory technology. The Board of Corporations and Shareholders were inspired by Thomas Piketty's ideas about organized transnational capital in Capital and Ideology. The novel was included on The New York Times list of 100 Notable Books of 2022 and on NPR's 2022 list of Books We Love, as well as Best Books of 2022 lists by The Philadelphia Inquirer, Vox, and Esquire. A television series adaptation is forthcoming, with Wiip acquiring rights and Madhuri Shekar tapped to adapt it to screen.
Did You Know?
- Vara came up with the idea for the novel while working on short stories that would become her 2023 book, This Is Salvaged.
- The novel's memory technology was inspired by Battlestar Galactica and research on startups like Neuralink.
- Vara consulted her own father, Dalit scholars, and several books including Viramma and Joothan to research Dalit life.
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