Fail State

On Zero Day of the first and last cyberwar in human history, the internet went dark, transport and power grids collapsed, and cities began to starve. Ten days later, millions have died from thirst and starvation, from violence and from the simple failure of the world's machines to keep them alive. This second instalment of John Birmingham's End of Days trilogy finds James O'Donnell and his friends Rick, Michelle and Melissa hunkered down in the wilderness, where they know a horde of starving, desperate exiles from the graveyard of the US East Coast is heading their way. On the far side of the continent, in the Pacific Northwest, Jonas Murdoch helps lead the good folk of Silverton in defending themselves from waves of starving and desperate refugees pouring out of Seattle. And slowly, cautiously navigating the inland waterways of California, Jodi Sarjanan and Ellie Jabbarah negotiate an apocalyptic landscape of burning skyscrapers and marauding gangs. All of them are seeking sanctuary. A safe place where the madness hasn't penetrated. But does such a place exist? And what if they need to sacrifice their very humanity in the struggle to reach it? Praise for John Birmingham's novels. "Birmingham displays an exuberance and virtuosity that is positively Clancyesque." Time "Plenty of grist and humour." Sunday Times "Mesmeric readability." Weekend Australian "Birmingham's status as a leading action-adventure novelist continues to grow." The Age "If there was a Booker for explosive alternative history techno-thrillers with guts and brains, it would be a cinch." Sydney Morning Herald