That which has been is what will be,
That which is done is what will be done,
And there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there anything of which it may be said,
“See, this is new”?
It has already been in ancient times before us. – Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 (NKJV).
Nayler’s Where the Axe is Buried reminds me of the Book of Ecclesiastes. It is, in my mind, the least hopeful and most useful book of the Bible. All of this has happened before, and all of it will happen again. That idea can break the spirit because your efforts are useless. However, that also means that the efforts of your enemies are ultimately useless. Sooner or later, they’ll lose, too. 
Anyway, here’s the broad outline of the story: In the near future, there are two main forms of government: (1) an authoritarian Federation, and (2) custom-built AI prime ministers that are the end result of “rationalization” programs in which people basically cede authority to computers. It is unclear to the reader whether things are going very well under either system. However, things are certainly trending down in some of the AI PM nations, in which the AI seems to be forcing its own shutdown by intentionally running up energy costs to unsustainable levels. Both systems are on the brink. The characters we follow aren’t the “main characters” in the sense of the biggest actors in the story, but instead are nearby the major events. They didn’t start the fire, but they’re dealing with the fire. It’s unavoidable. How far will you stick your neck out in an authoritarian system? Where is your limit? Who is culpable when everyone cedes authority to software?
I go back and forth on whether reading books like this is healthy for me in times like these. Ultimately, though, despite my background in law and politics, I find I only understand history, politics, and spirit through art. I grok through no other medium. So I have read books like this if I want to engage in any sensemaking. If you find hope in books, I think this one will leave you with plenty to think about. If you need escapism, this isn’t for you (right now).