Jeremy Bender — a part-time writer, full-time dad, and long-time student of religion and folklore — invites readers into Twin Rivers, a visceral, idea-driven novel where a theocratic city worships an AI god and the line between technology and faith dangerously blurs.
Centered on Yonatan, a newly ascended priest wrestling with guilt and doubt, and the exile-bound Keeper Samyaza and vengeful Lucretia who upend the city’s fragile order, Twin Rivers is equal parts political parable, character study, and pulse-quickening thriller.
Inspired by the real-world rise of both religiosity and machine intelligence, Bender’s novel asks what we sacrifice when we hand our truths to machines — and it’s the perfect starting point for book clubs that love fierce moral questions wrapped in vivid worldbuilding.
Quick Look
Author: Jeremy Bender
Title:Twin Rivers
Genre: Sci-fi/Fantasy
Print Length: 381
Publication Date: January 8, 2026
Buy: Amazon
Author Website: Click here
Social Media: Substack | BlueSky | TikTok
The High Priest rules the city of Twin Rivers in the name of the Lord of Mercy, his AI god. In this land, where robotic Brothers complete all labor and humans are left to enjoy the fruits of this Eden, something rotten grows. Yonatan, a newly ascended Priest in the sclerotic Priesthood, is meant to shore up the faith of those left behind.
Yet as Yonatan’s preaching takes him deep into the city’s bowels, he must confront heresy far deeper rooted than he ever imagined. When he sees one of the city’s paramilitary Keepers leave a young woman to die because of her unsanctioned implants, Yonatan must decide whether his faith in the Lord of Mercy outweighs his own belief in human exceptionalism.
Q&A with Jeremy Bender
Q: What is your book about and what inspired you to write this book?
A: This book was inspired by two seemingly opposed trends I saw occurring simultaneously—a rise in religiosity and conservatism in society at the same time that rapid investments were being made in technology, particularly in automation, machine learning, and AI.
This story originally started out as a thought experiment based on that observation. I wanted to drill down into the idea of could there be a highly advanced technological society that used this technology as the basis of a religion. And, if such a society existed, what would it look like? How would technology and religion blend together and complement each other?
This idea led to the development of Twin Rivers. From there, the story felt like it grew organically. My novel is about those living in such a society and their ultimate search for meaning in a theocratic society based around an AI god.
Q: When did you start writing, and what made you decide to publish this book?
A: I wrote this book in fits and starts, probably starting around 2016. I had never written anything of this length before, so I’ve rewritten the novel fully three times. Each time I learned something new about the characters, the writing process, the world, and myself. Some events also intervened to make the process take longer—I had two kids, there was a pandemic, and I switched between multiple different full-time jobs.
Ultimately, it was my wife who encouraged me to publish. She’s been a strong cheerleader for this story ever since the first draft, encouraging me to take time to dig into the world and characters more strongly. With this latest draft, the story finally feels ready to tell the story I’ve been trying to tell. Outside of the story, the world also seems to be in a position that fits the story—AI is on the rise, and people are either lovingly embracing it or shunning it.
Q: Which character was the most fun—or most challenging—to write, and why?
A: I have a soft spot for a second-tier character, Marie. She was challenging because she barely existed in the first drafts, acting merely as a set piece to encourage one of the main characters. However, over the course of the rewrites, other side characters were merged into her arc and became her. I think during this process, she finally found her voice and presence in the story. This editing was challenging, but I learned I love rewriting and editing stories—something I never thought I’d write, but here I am. Marie deserves a lot of the credit for that change of heart, I think.
Q: What themes or messages do you hope readers take away from your book?
A: I’d like readers to walk away from this story questioning aspects of themselves and the world around them. I’d like readers to revisit their views on technology, for good and bad, as well as on how both technology and religion can serve as ways to bond people together but also shackle them down.
There are also themes around the idea of human exceptionalism. What makes people truly special and unique, and how can we preserve that?
Q: Were there any real-life experiences that influenced your story or characters?
A: Thankfully, not really! However, one of the main characters, Yonatan, struggles throughout the novel with feeling his place in the world, as well as dealing with questions of whether he is deserving. I think these are questions many people grapple with; I know I do.
Q: What question do you wish readers would ask you about the book?
A: Why do you think people would accept AI as a god-like figure?
I think we are already seeing this. People are rapidly shifting to using AI as a single source of truth; even with the knowledge that AI hallucinates, as a society, we are treating generative AI as omniscient. Correspondingly, we are seeing reports of people treating chatbots as therapists, lovers, and some are even thinking of AI as a messenger angel. I don’t think, then, that it is as much of a stretch as when I first started writing this book that a society could set up a powerful AI as a god-like figure.
Q: Do you have a favorite quote or moment from the book you’d like to share?
A: The book starts with one of the main characters, Yonatan, attending his Ascension to the Priesthood of Twin Rivers. At the end of his Ascension, he approaches the crowd and the High Priest produces a golden blessing—a cybernetic implant—that lances towards Yonatan’s neck. As it melds into his larynx, a gush of blood flies from Yonatan onto the crowd, where they eagerly catch his blood and smear it down their own faces.
I love this moment because it captures early on the sort of society Twin Rivers is. Highly technologically advanced while being very primal and raw, among the orthodox members of the society, in its religiosity.
Q: What was the biggest challenge in writing or publishing it?
A: Figuring out what I was doing! The first draft was one long chapter, with notes at the end of the document and no clear structure or development at all. It took me a long time to work up the courage to rewrite that first draft and take on the process of writing a book in a more orderly fashion.
Q: What’s next for you as a writer?
A: As always, there are more ideas than time. I have an idea for a sequel, as well as multiple ideas for unrelated fantasy books. Right now, I’m working on a new project about a witch, isolation, and finding one’s way back into society.
Author Bio
Jeremy Bender is a part-time writer, full-time father, and all around dilettante. He has worked in the threat intelligence, cybersecurity, and education fields for over a decade. This work, as well as his studies in college on religion, folklore, and Middle Eastern history, have influenced the stories he writes.
Jeremy has short stories published in The Arcanist, Black Hare Press’ “Year Seven” anthology, Support Indie Authors, and Lit Up.
Buy: Amazon
Social Media: Substack | BlueSky | TikTok
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