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.

[4] Kirkus Reviews noted that "Vara’s strengths are in her clever wordplay and trenchant observations of an algorithm-led dystopia" but questioned the sometimes stereotypical depictions of some minor characters.

[6] Critics in Vox and Vulture observed and lauded Vara's speculative approach to issues such as artificial intelligence, climate change, and capitalism.

[20][21][22] Vara cited her time working as a technology reporter for The Wall Street Journal as inspirational to her later envisioning the character of King Rao.

[24] Vara specifically got the idea for King Rao's memory technology after watching Battlestar Galactica and later researching documents produced by startups like Neuralink.