Michael Crichton meets Marvel?s Venom in award-winning author Seth Dickinson?s science fiction debut, named one of The New York Times'' Best SFF Books of 2024."Agonizing and mesmerizing, a devastating and extraordinary achievement."?The New York Times?Magnificent. . . . A science fiction action juggernaut.??Tamsyn Muir?Anna, I came to Earth tracking a very old story, a story that goes back to the dawn of time. It?s very unlikely that you?ll die right now. It wouldn?t be narratively complete.?Anna Sinjari?refugee, survivor of genocide, disaffected office worker?has a close encounter that reveals universe-threatening stakes. Enter Ssrin, a many-headed serpent alien who is on the run from her own past. Ssrin and Anna are inexorably, dangerously drawn to each other, and their contact reveals universe-threatening stakes. While humanity reels from disaster, Anna must join a small team of civilians, soldiers, and scientists to investigate a mysterious broadcast and unknowable horror. If they can manage to face their own demons, they just might save the world.