'A smartly written thriller that opens with a satisfying bang . . . splendid' Stephen King

'Powerful and intelligent' Guardian

'A major, major talent' George R.R. Martin

________

ENTER POST-PANDEMIC EARTH

Three years after a virus wiped out 99% of the men on earth, a mother and son are on the run . . .

All Cole has left in the world is her boy, Miles.

With men now a prized commodity, keeping him safe means breaking hastily written new rules - and leaving her own sister for dead.

All Miles has left in the world is his mother.

But is one person enough to save him from the many who would kill to get their hands on a living boy?

Together, Cole and Miles embark on a journey across a changed, hostile country, towards a freedom they may never reach. And when Cole's sister tracks them down, they'll need to decide who to trust - and what loyalty really means in this unimaginable new world.

________

The powerful and intelligent new thriller from the author of Richard and Judy bestseller The Shining Girls and the prize-winning Zoo City

Included in 'Best Books of Summer 2020' in Elle, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly and Oprah Magazine.

'Bowstring-taut, visceral, and incredibly timely: Beukes's plague-tale is a parable about the glory and terror of Americanism in times of calamity' Cory Doctorow

'A fast-moving thriller [that] splices gut-punching action sequences and feminist gender politics with an impressively light touch. Bubbles with big ideas. This intelligent speculative novel about a pandemic feels alarmingly close to home' Metro

'Afterland is that rare creature, a ripping tale that neither shies away from big questions nor interesting answers' New Scientist

'Lauren Beukes is a writer with a startling imagination, and a masterful ability to rewrite the rules of whatever genre she turns to' Ben Winters, author of Underground Airlines and Golden State

The compulsive and timely new thriller from the author of Richard and Judy bestseller The Shining Girls and the prize-winning Zoo City about survival in the new world following a pandemic.

About the Author
Lauren Beukes is the award-winning and internationally best-selling South African author of The Shining Girls, Zoo City and Broken Monsters, among other works. Her novels have been published in 24 countries and are being adapted for film and TV. She's also a screenwriter, comics writer journalist and award-winning documentary maker. She lives in Cape Town, South Africa with her daughter and two troublesome cats.

Reviews
A smartly written thriller that opens with a satisfying bang . . . splendid -- Stephen King * New York Times *
Powerful and intelligent, with some unexpectedly trenchant humour, this welcome addition to the no-longer-so-speculative pandemic subgenre has plenty to say about grief, love, family ties and gender roles * Guardian *
Bowstring-taut, visceral, and incredibly timely: Beukes's plague-tale is a parable about the glory and terror of Americanism in times of calamity -- Cory Doctorow, author of Walkaway and Little Brother
Lauren Beukes is a writer with a startling imagination, and a masterful ability to rewrite the rules of whatever genre she turns to; and now, right on time, she has turned to dystopian plague -- Ben Winters, author of Underground Airlines and Golden State
Five years in writing, this intelligent speculative novel about a pandemic feels alarmingly close to home * Metro *
You can't imagine how quickly the world can change in six months - there probably isn't a more resonant sentence to be found in any other novel published this year. A fast-moving thriller [that] splices gut-punching action sequences and feminist gender politics with an impressively light touch. Bubbles with big ideas. This intelligent speculative novel about a pandemic feels alarmingly close to home * Metro *
Afterland is that rare creature, a ripping tale that neither shies away from big questions nor interesting answers * New Scientist *
Teases out the deep familial currents that run through its relationships, explores gender and reminds us that dystopian fiction can be seriously grown-up entertainment * SFX *
Afterland could not be more timely or terrifying . . . An excellent example of the prophetic nature of speculative fiction. Lauren Beukes is one of the most innovative and provocative writers on the contemporary scene * Scotland on Sunday *
(A) timely thriller * i paper *
Perfect lockdown reading * Herald *
Praise for Lauren Beukes * - *
Unreservedly recommended * Joe Hill *
Brilliant ... engrossing ... I will be looking forward to whatever Lauren Beukes does next. She's a major, major talent -- George RR Martin, internationally bestselling author of * A Song of Ice and Fire *
Scary as hell and hypnotic. I couldn't put it down * Stephen King *
I'm all over it -- Gillian Flynn, number one bestselling author of * Gone Girl *
Utterly original, beautifully written, and I must say, it creeped the holy bejasus out of me. This is something special -- Tana French
Masterful. Lauren Beukes is very *very* good -- William Gibson
A new kind of thriller. A dark, relentless, time-twisting, page-turning. It shines -- Matt Haig



Book Information
ISBN 9780718182809
Author Lauren Beukes
Format Hardback
Page Count 464
Imprint Michael Joseph Ltd
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 704g
Dimensions(mm) 240mm * 162mm * 41mm