The Birth of Paradise: A Meru Initiative Novella

by Nathaniel Eliason

"Be careful. If Felix finds you reading this, I can only imagine what might happen to you."
 
As a mysterious plague threatens to end civilization, disgraced tech mogul Felix Craft claims he's conquered death itself. He's invited journalist Rohan Patel to tell the story of the the creation of Meru. A digital paradise to serve as humanity's final hope.
 
Rohan arrives at Felix's estate, expecting either groundbreaking science or spectacular failure. What he discovers is far more terrifying.
 
Now, he's smuggling out a secret, wrapped in the story of that fateful day. Paradise is not what it seems. Felix is not a savior.
 
But Rohan knows how to stop him.
 
The Birth of Paradise is a standalone technothriller novella in The Meru Initiative series.

Genres: Fiction

118 pages, Paperback

Published January 13, 2026

Reviews

[Cameron Mcconnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella is the origin story of the virtual world of Meru. The philosophical discussions about what constitutes survival and what people might chose to do when faced with the mortality of themselves or their loved ones were interesting to read. I loved the stunning cover art and felt some questions raised in the excellent book Husk were answered, but was left with many more questions.

[Sonja Friedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A satisfying and illuminating prequel to Husk. If you're impatient for the sequel, it's a great holdover and fun learning more about the universe that got us to Husk.

[Natalie Forslind · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this novella. I haven’t read Husk yet and have to go buy it immediately. Can’t wait to learn more about the world and people in it.

[Lydia Marchelletta · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled with staying in the book, it was kind of all over the place.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was a quick interesting read. It was actually pretty suspenseful for such a short book.

[Jim Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an intriguing, philosophical jaunt back into the world of Meru. Or at least the origins of it. The Felix/Rohan interplay gave immediate Ex Machina vibes of Nathan/Caleb. I read a little bit each night over a week and was left wanting more, which I'm taking as a good sign!