Get ready for a new sci-fi fantasy universe set in a world where people are connected to the same dreamscape that is tied to unknown, controlling forces. The first book of a series, Maya: Seed Takes Root, follows one person who wakes up and breaks free from the system.

The Matrix fans will feel right at home with the story, and it’s very fitting that the trailer released for Maya, the multimedia franchise from Department of Lore, features the voice of Hugo Weaving (The Matrix trilogy, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Lord of the Rings trilogy). The multidisciplinary science fiction storytelling studio will launch the crowdfunding project for the first book soon on Kickstarter.

Maya: Seed Takes Root is the first novel in the new sci-fi fantasy universe by filmmaker Anand Gandhi (Ship of Theseus, Tumbbad) and game designer Zain Memon (Shasn).

The book is planned for an August 19, 2025, release, and the Kickstarter campaign will have early access to exclusive art, lore, and updates for the Maya universe.

“The worldbuilding we did for Ship of Theseus was just the beginning,” said Gandhi in a statement. “With MAYA, we’re creating a storytelling universe that spans mediums and ideas — and Seed Takes Root is where it all begins.”

The studio is planning many projects in the Maya universe, including films, games, graphic novels, toys, and immersive experiences.

“Designing games taught me how systems shape choices,” added Memon. “With MAYA, we’ve built a world where most of the characters don’t realize they’re pieces in a larger game out of their control.”

About Maya

Synopsis: In the world of Maya, the ‘haves and the ‘have-nots’ labor in a world not under their control. Connected and controlled by a shared dreamscape, one person finds himself free from this control. What he chooses to do with this gift (or curse) will change the fate of the entire world.

In MAYA, immortality is a commodity, and minds are shaped, choices nudged, and futures manufactured – invisibly, systemically. Far beyond traditional science fiction, it’s a sweeping story of chaos and control, agency and prediction, the powerful and the expendable.