Palmerston North Local To Publish Fifth Novel

Iranian-born Mahyar Amouzegar announces latest novel, Tomorrow Brings Joy: Elysium, out 27 January 2026

Co-written with brother Mahbod Amouzegar , the plot is driven by their personal experiences with cultural upheaval and reinvention. Tomorrow Brings Joy: Elysium is a gripping dystopian tale that explores the cost of utopia, artificial intelligence, and a post-war world.

“The questions at the heart of this novel, about technology, memory, and what it means to be human, are more relevant than ever,” says the authors.

The novel explores how the rapid growth of technological advantages is impacting our everyday lives. As a reader, you can’t help but think, could this actually happen?

Set across three timelines, the novel envisions a future where humanity stands at a crossroads. Following the catastrophic “Wars of Settlement,” two competing ideologies emerge: Elysium, a curated society where human desires are suppressed to maintain order, and Empyreal, a return to hierarchical structures and traditional family units. As androids once built to serve become objects of fear and secrecy, one artificial intelligence, Alexandra786, may hold the key to humanity’s past and its future.

Blending philosophical depth with pulse-pounding storytelling, the Amouzegar brothers craft a world where history is rewritten, intimacy is sacrificed, and the search for truth threatens the very foundation of civilization. Dolores and her podmates, young humans raised in Elysium, take readers on a jounrye to uncover the dark origins of their society and the price paid to maintain control.

About the Authors

Mahyar and Mahbod Amouzegar, brothers born in Tehran, grew up surrounded by literature, with their father bringing home new books each night from his job at a publishing house. They emigrated to the United States as teenagers amidst the upheaval of the Iranian Revolution. Both grew up in San Francisco, where the city’s literary culture and the rise of the tech industry shaped their creative and intellectual paths.

Mahyar, previous president of New Mexico Tech, raised his family between Palmerston North and the US. He now lives full time in Aotearoa and is the author of four novels that explore themes of identity, resilience, and human condition. Mahbod, inspired by his parents' literary legacy, has edited and published his mother’s works and is compiling his father’s memoir. This novel represents the culmination of a lifelong journey to reconnect with their heritage.

By weaving together elements of their past and present, the Amouzegar brothers have crafted a story that bridges imagination, memory, and the enduring ties of family.

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