XX A Novel
XX A Novel by Rian Hughes is a science fiction epic published by Abrams on November 22, 2022. This 992-page work presents a narrative centered around a mysterious extraterrestrial signal detected by the Jodrell Bank Observatory in England, raising questions about humanity’s first contact with an interstellar civilization and the implications of such a discovery.
Readers will encounter Jack Fenwick, an artificial intelligence expert at a tech startup, who believes he can decode the message and access the alien network it encodes. The book creatively incorporates elements from Dada, punk, and modernist movements, utilizing redacted NASA reports, artwork, and magazine articles to explore how ideas propagate. XX offers a unique perspective on humanity’s place in the universe and the potential consequences of the most significant scientific discovery in history.
Official synopsis Publisher
A “massive work of dizzying originality” (Boston Globe), XX is an inventive and boldly designed science-fiction epic by acclaimed graphic designer Rian Hughes.
At Jodrell Band Observatory in England, a radio telescope has detected a mysterious signal of extraterrestrial origin–a message that may be the first communication from an interstellar civilization. Has humanity made first contact? Is the signal itself a form of alien life? Could it be a threat? If so, how will the people of Earth respond?
Jack Fenwick, artificial intelligence expert, believes that he and his associates at tech startup Intelligencia can interpret the message and find a way to step into the realm the signal encodes. What they find is a complex alien network beyond anything mankind has imagined.
Drawing on Dada, punk, and the modernist movements of the 20th century, XX is assembled from redacted NASA reports, artwork, magazine articles, secret transcripts, and a novel within a novel. Deconstructing layout and language in order to explore how ideas propagate, acclaimed designer and artist Rian Hughes’s debut novel presents a compelling vision of humanity’s unique place in the universe, and a realistic depiction of what might happen in the wake of the biggest scientific discovery in human history.
Propulsive and boldly designed, XX is a gripping, wildly imaginative, utterly original work.
“Compulsively readable. Its ideas are grand, and it moves like a thriller. Come for the lush design, stay for the Clarkeian ideas and sly sense of humour.” —SFX
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