From the bustle of Hong Kong and Berlin to the stark silence of Siberia’s post-apocalyptic tundra, four strangers find themselves bound by a singular mystery—an ancient Russian Orthodox cross with inexplicable healing power. But this is not a straightforward quest, and they are not the heroes of legend. Their journey unfolds across fractured timelines, shaped as much by their own shadows as by the elusive artefact they chase.
In Atlanta, Kate Davies stumbles upon the cross’s power when she witnesses its effect on a sick child. Finley Minor, an Englishman burdened by visions of the future, struggles with the weight of knowledge and consequence. Wallace Deng Moroz, a monk from a broken world a century into the future, clings to the belief that salvation may yet be possible. In his world, a genetic mutation has depopulated Earth, but he seems to be having visions of the cure. Jia Li MacPherson, a former thief and Shibari performer, knows too much about the deadly mutation—and those who seek to silence her will stop at nothing.
Their paths converge not in the name of fate, but of choice. As time bends and fractures, the question is no longer whether they will succeed, but rather which version of truth are they moving towards—and are they are able to choose their future.
A novel of shifting realities and human resilience, this is not just a race against time—it is a meditation on destiny, free will, and the spaces in between.
A compelling and mind-bending SF story – Kirkus Reviews
In Dixon’s epic fantasy novel, various seekers pursue an object that can lead them to paradise.
Finley Minor has always considered himself a boring sort, aside from the fact that he’s had accurate premonitions of the future since he was a child. He’s mostly learned to ignore them, except for the ones that help him as a market analyst. While undergoing hypnotherapy after being dumped by his long-time girlfriend, he has a vision unlike anything he’s ever experienced; he’s not just seeing the future, he’s in it, inhabiting the body of Wallace Deng Moroz in the year 2131, searching for an artifact (a crucifix called the ikona) that’s supposed to lead everyone to Shambhala. (“If we find it, we can lead humankind to a new world, of perfect health, longevity.”) Finley isn’t the only one searching for the ikona: In Hong Kong, Jia Li wants the artifact to heal her mother, who’s been poisoned; in Atlanta, Kate Davies unwittingly ends up with the crucifix after a client leaves his coat in her home.
As the pieces, and people, start coming together, Kate realizes that everything’s tied to an old science fiction novel her mother was obsessed with. Words from her past (from the author himself) start haunting her again: “Don’t forget Shambhala, my dear Katya.”
In this time-twisting, centuries-spanning yarn, Dixon delivers an engaging narrative of searching for utopia. Though the story hops around in time, from the 1930s to the present to 2131 and back again, the plot is easy to follow. Each character feels unique, even with the clear connections and similarities between them, making them easy to distinguish despite their shared goals or intentionally obscured pasts. Threads of religion, mysticism, meditation, and past lives are woven throughout the narrative, giving this story a soul-touching, deep vibe…
A compelling and mind-bending SF story.
~ Kirkus Reviews
more than just a story
IKONA is so much more than just a story. I had a sense of this during the first few introductory chapters, but the more the story unfolded, the more I realised that I had it all backwards. IKONA is not a truth embedded in a story but rather a story woven through a truth. In other words, IKONA is a Truth (with a capital T) to be received through the vehicle of brilliant storytelling.
I felt something reading IKONA – something deep and inexplicable, like an awakening, and it only grew and intensified as the story unravelled and surfaced to its own awakening. I bawled my eyes out reading the last few chapters. I was overcome by a mixture of grief, love, relief, and something else I cannot put words to.
It is a love letter to humankind, better yet, spirit-kind. IKONA held up a mirror which reflected back my humanness yet transcended it all the same. Maybe that’s why I can’t quite articulate what Ikona left me with, because the gift it gave to me was directly to my soul.
And at the very least, IKONA is an exceptional story. I can’t choose a character I loved more than another. They are all unique and important in their own way, and each one completely relatable. It’s not like seeing yourself mirrored inside a fictional hero, rather seeing yourself mirrored inside a fictional human, and understanding that it’s their very humanness which makes them the heroes.
The writing lands in your mind like poetry. The way Dixon describe emotion, such as Finley’s fear or Wallace’s grief, reads as though you can feel it in your very own hands. And although the story is brilliantly heartwarming and equally heartbreaking, it is also funny in the right moments. Each character possess a depth which begs of your investment, and quirks which can only endear you and make you love them all the more.
IKONA is a kaleidoscope of love and adventure – it takes you to so many places in time, and so many places in yourself. I implore you, as someone who adores stories, and as an artist and storyteller herself, please read IKONA.
As Gutov says, read it with your heart, and not your head.
A profound emotional and somatic response
I was blessed to hear about IKONA while it was still coming to life—a process that itself felt like a journey of following one’s soul purpose and choosing one’s own path rather than the narrow one society lays out for us. Not everyone has the strength to do that. I’m deeply grateful that IKONA has now made its way into the world.
IKONA is a transmission. It weaves the invisible threads our minds can’t always see but our hearts instinctively know to be true. Through poetic prose, M.D. Dixon invites us into a story where we feel both the relatable humanness and the expansive multidimensionality of each character, reminding us that our souls are infinite, time is not linear, and we have the power to influence every timeline when we follow the resonance of the heart. These concepts may feel natural to many of us now, but the world wasn’t always ready for them. Now is the time.
I experienced a profound emotional and somatic response while reading—I felt energy releasing in my body, and many tears flowed, especially throughout the last few chapters. My mind couldn’t explain why, but my heart was remembering something for which I have no words.
This is a story of remembrance and empowerment—of realizing that we get to choose the world we live in, that we are far more powerful than we often allow ourselves to believe, and that our destinies are more interwoven than we know. Amidst the chaos, we can choose balance, goodness, love, and healing. We can trust the unseen to support us as we move into the unknown, guided by an inner compass that cannot lead us astray.
IKONA will invite readers and seekers to find the courage to stay open and curious—to explore a new way of seeing themselves and to recognize how deeply connected we all are in ways we could never have imagined. We have more in common than we think, which is why the path forward is to feel with the heart, not the mind. ~ Kirsten Snobeck
IKONA inspires hope and brings comfort
IKONA left me delighted and deeply satisfied. M. D. Dixon gifts a seasoned and compelling delivery in a wonderfully crafted tale of courage, love and sacrifice set throughout a time-hopping framework of existence, constantly clutching with imagination and emotion.
Fresh and remarkable, ever-expanding with resplendent depth—new exploration for heart, mind and soul. Generous dimensions of storytelling float gorgeously aloft single-genre tedium, propelled by a magnetic flow of narrative which never falters or slows.
Magical and tight, sharp and colorful, witty and heartfelt. A richly woven, marvelously original portrayal of a diverse yet inextricably connected group of main characters, each holding a share of the spotlight with an individual charm while baring the raw limits of their disparately directed human complexities.
A stimulating and rewarding voyage into the spaces in-between. Immersive, compelling, and essentially human. Amidst challenges to individuals and humanity alike, IKONA inspires hope and brings comfort.
I literally couldn’t put it down!
Such an amazing book. I literally couldn’t put it down! I don’t usually read fiction, but the time-slip, action and humour kept me engaged whilst the spiritual message for our times embedded in the story moved me in a completely unexpected way, with ‘The Bridge’ becoming my favourite chapter. I am truly honoured to have been given the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy.
An absolute masterpiece
Dixon crafts an absolute masterpiece. I read IKONA in three sittings. This hypnotic novel is layered with meaning, mythic depth, and curiosity about time, memory, and what might bring humanity to a new world.
This story hums with momentum, calling together the most unlikely constellation of characters — a mystic, a monk, a sex worker, a thief, a shaman — and the people they have lost, loved, or are willing to risk everything for. Finley’s fierce desire to mute his ability to see into the future becomes both a burden and a necessary doorway to inhabit himself in an alternate timeline to answer the novel’s larger questions about fate, destiny, and soul.
The narrative moves through multiple, liminal, mind-bending timelines held in perpetual suspense — propelling the reader backward and forward in search of the icon known as the IKONA. Is it a relic born from a cult’s obsession with a science-fiction novel, or something far more valuable? Could it point humanity toward a hopeful, magical place — a world freed from the shadow of disease?
Each character plays a vital role in unraveling the knots of this time-sensitive quest. As the story unfolds, the apparent differences between characters dissolve, revealing an intimate, secret mission for knowledge and restoration, rather than revenge.
Woven throughout are themes of past lives, time travel, plant medicine, and unexpected cures — not as spectacle, but as inquiry: What future is possible when we journey together beyond collapse?
IKONA is not a warning story. It is a hopeful one. A visionary novel that gestures toward a utopian potential rooted in connection, courage, and remembrance. I finished the final pages stunned with insights, eager to return, knowing there is more waiting within the pages. ~ Prajna O’Hara, author of Edge of Grace, Fierce Awakenings to Love