Thursday, August 14, 2014

Off The Shelf: The New World {+ Giveaway}


book coverI have an intriguing new book to share with you today that was just released Tuesday (Aug. 12) by Atavist Books. It’s THE NEW WORLD by acclaimed author Chris Adrian together with Eli Horowitz and Russell Quinn -- the team behind the groundbreaking The Silent History app, which is now available as a print book from Farrar, Strauss & Giroux. 

In addition, I have a copy of this book to giveaway. It has been released as a digital only, so this giveaway is for an eBook. Please see the end of the post for details.

Here is some early praise for this new novel:

        I literally couldn't be a bigger fan of Chris Adrian's uniquely compassionate and wildly inventive voice. In THE NEW WORLD, Adrian pairs with Eli Horowitz to create a cryogenically intimate meditation on life and loss, and what it might mean to live forever." -- Nathan Englander
       "THE NEW WORLD is a marvel. When I got to the end, I was so shaken that I had to pace the room. Chris Adrian's imagination is borderless, and his narrative voice is like nobody else's. Even to describe this book feels like blasphemy but I promise you'll exit agog, overjoyed, transformed." -- Karen Russell 

THE NEW WORLD is a novel about love, grief, memory and cryogenics. It is also the story of a marriage. Dr. Jane Cotton is a pediatric surgeon: her husband, Jim, is a humanist chaplain. They are about to celebrate their ninth wedding anniversary when Jim suddenly collapses and dies. 

When Jane arrives at the hospital she is horrified to find that her beloved husband's head has been removed from his body. Only then does she discover that Jim had secretly enrolled with a shadowy cryogenics company called Polaris -- spending his nights surreptitiously answering their endless application questions.

What is the purpose of life? If you could send a message to the future what would it be? In 120 characters or less please tell us why you deserve to live forever?


Furious and grieving, Jane fights to reclaim Jim from Polaris. Revived, in the future, Jim learns he must sacrifice every memory of Jane if he wants to stay alive in the new world. Separated by centuries, each of them is challenged to choose between love and fear, intimacy and solitude, life and grief, and each will find an answer to the challenge that is surprising, harrowing, and ultimately beautiful.


ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Chris Adrian was named one of the New Yorker's "20 Under 40." He is the author of three novels, The Great Night, Gob's Grief, and The Children's Hospital, and a collection of stories, A Better Angel
 
He lives in New York City where he works as a pediatric oncologist.

Eli Horowitz is the co-creator of The Silent History and one-third of Ying Horowitz & Quinn. Previously, he was managing

editor and then publisher of McSweeney's. He is the coauthor of The Clock Without a Face and Everything You Know Is Pong
 
He lives in San Francisco.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:


This giveaway is for one eBook copy (or pdf) of THE NEW WORLD. The giveaway will end Friday, Aug. 22.

To enter, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and following the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load, so please be patient. The winner from this giveaway will have 72 hours to respond after being contacted or another winner will be selected. The email will have ‘Thoughts in Progress: The New World’ in the subject line, just so you know what to watch for (in case it goes into your spam folder).

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have you ever thought about cryogenics and what life would be like using it? 

*This post contains affiliate links.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

14 comments:

  1. Head removed from his body - I didn't see that twist coming!

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    1. Alex, I didn't see that coming either. I would have thought it had to be his whole body. Definitely a new twist.

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  2. HI Mason - this seems to be a very different take on life .. and I suspect would be a fascinating read ... thanks for letting us know about it .. cheers Hilary

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    1. Hilary, it is definitely a different take on life. The mystery of it just draws you in.

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  3. Thank you for the giveaway. I find cryogenics fascinating.

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    1. Medeia, cryogenics is fascinating. I guess it's the unknown that makes us so curious. Good luck on the giveaway.

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  4. I read a short story many years ago that had a creepy cryogenic twist. I'd rather live forever in my Heavenly body than this one.

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  5. Mason - It sounds as though this book raises a lot of interesting questions and possibilities. Thanks for sharing it.

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    1. Margot, cryogenics does lead to some intriguing questions and is a fascinating area for mystery writers to explore.

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  6. I hate the cover but the plot is intriguing and the two chaps seem nice.

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    1. Dez, the cover doesn't really give you an idea of what the book is about that's for sure.

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  7. That is an amazing premise! I would like to read this book!

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I'd love to hear your thoughts on today's post. Thanks for dropping by.