From the ingenious author of JENNIFER GOVERNMENT and LEXICON: a brilliant work of science fiction that tells the intimate tale of four people facing their most desperate hour - alone, together, at the edge of the universe.
The video changed everything. Before that, we could believe that we were safe. Special. Chosen. We thought the universe was a twinkling ocean of opportunity, waiting to be explored.
Afterward, we knew better.
Seven years after first contact, Providence Five launches. It is an enormous and deadly warship, built to protect humanity from its greatest ever threat. On board is a crew of just four-tasked with monitoring the ship and reporting the war's progress to a mesmerized global audience by way of social media.
But while pursuing the enemy across space, Gilly, Talia, Anders, and Jackson confront the unthinkable: their communications are cut, their ship decreasingly trustworthy and effective. To survive, they must win a fight that is suddenly and terrifyingly real.
PRAISE FOR LEXICON
'A spellbinding, intelligent read... a freewheeling plot intermeshed with linguistic theory and some genuinely creepy horror set-pieces.' Guardian
'Truly original... a crack-paced thriller... smart and tons of fun.' The Australian
'Gripping... a pitch-perfect thriller, a jetpack of a plot that rocketed me from page one to page 400 in a single afternoon.' Cory Doctorow
Untitled
This has been one of my favourite sci-fi novels of the last few years, and a book I would highly recommend for newcomers to the genre. By turns funny, thrilling and heartbreaking, Providence is an action packed space mystery set in the age of social media, where looking good on camera is almost as important as the war that they're fighting. Max Barry takes us into the minds and hearts of his characters, through the intricate twists and turns of the plot, until they feel like close friends - which makes the thrilling finale even more heart-wrenching. The combination of classic space adventure and beautifully crafted character work is what makes this novel truly stand out in its field. - Rebecca (QBD)
Guest, 22/03/2021
Untitled
If you like your sci-fi whip smart, thrilling, thoughtful and heart wrenching, Providence by Australian Max Barry is the novel for you. I had to make myself stop reading some time after midnight, or I would have binged the entire book in one sitting, and after I finished I was tempted to go back to the start and read it all again. You'll fall in love with the characters, despite - or maybe because of - their flaws, and find yourself cheering for them right up to the last pages. With commentary on social media, artificial intelligence, xenophobia and the business of war, this novel is both relevent to our times, and just an amazing story. Highly recommended! - Rebecca (QBD)
Guest, 16/07/2020
