Imagine a First Contact without contact, and an alien arrival where no aliens show up.
Imagine the sudden appearance of exclusion zones all over the planet, into which no humans are allowed. Imagine an end to all violence, from the schoolyard bully to nations at war. Imagine an end to borders, an end to all crime. Imagine a world where hate has no outlet and the only harm one can do is to oneself.
Leaders of governments are not in the loop. Scientists have no answers. The military’s hardware has stopped working. We’re calling, but ET’s not answering.
Imagine a world transformed, but with no guidance and no hint of what’s coming next. What would you do? How would you feel? What questions can you ask – what questions dare you ask – when the only possible answers come from the all-too-human face in your mirror?
On the day of First Contact, it won’t be about them. It will be about us.
Promontory Press –
“Steven Erikson hasn’t just reinvigorated the first-contact novel, he’s reinvented it. This is a wholly original book, brilliantly conceived and flawlessly executed, with a fascinating central conceit related to curbing human violence. A masterpiece.” —ROBERT J. SAWYER
Promontory Press –
“Steven Erikson has one of the finest minds alive. Nothing less could have produced The Tales of the Malazan Book of the Fallen. Now, in Rejoice, A Knife to the Heart, Erikson shows us what he sees when he considers the future of humanity. He calls it a thought experiment. I call it an important book.” —STEPHEN R. DONALDSON
Promontory Press –
“In Rejoice, Steven Erikson takes the varied viewpoints and clever world-building showcased in the Malazan series and applies it close to home, twisting the first-contact premise to highlight our struggles and suggest possible solutions. As a study of humanity’s strengths and flaws, this latest novel stands out for its pointedness and its rich blend of the fantastic and the literary.” —BRANDON CRILLY, Black Gate Magazine