Zendegi

The novel "Zendegi" by Greg Egan is set in Iran in the near future and explores themes of brain mapping, virtual reality, and democratization. The story follows two main characters, Martin Seymour and Nasim Golestani, as they navigate the consequences of their work on a virtual reality platform called Zendegi-ye Behtar. As Nasim develops the platform, she creates a virtual proxy of Iranian football team captain Ashkan Azimi, which becomes a huge success, but also sparks controversy from religious fanatics and a human rights group. Meanwhile, Martin and his family face personal struggles, including the death of his wife and his own terminal cancer diagnosis, leading him to request that Nasim create a virtual version of himself for his son to communicate with.learn more on wikipedia