Archive for 06/21/2011

Launch day: The Boy at the End of the World

Hello, there! I have a new book out today, don’tcha know? It’s called The Boy at the End of the World. Here’s what it’s about, from the publisher’s marketing copy:

This is the story of the last boy on Earth, born from a survival pod long after humankind has ceased to exist. With only a broken robot named Click for a friend, Fisher sets out to discover if he is truly alone. But first, he must learn to survive.

If only surviving weren’t so hard! Finding food and staying out of the way of ravenous beasts hasn’t gotten any easier since people disappeared from the Earth − especially since some of the animals have evolved in alarming ways. And if electric eels and giant parrot attacks don’t get Fisher, there’s something much more sinister that will − something the human race has left behind …

With lively humor and a thrilling sense of adventure, Greg van Eekhout takes readers along on Fisher’s wild ride − a journey that might just save the world.

Luckily, Fisher is not totally alone. He meets a broken robot he names Click, whose programmed purpose-to help Fisher “continue existing”-makes it act an awful lot like an overprotective parent. Together, Fisher and Click uncover evidence that there may be a second survival bunker far to the west. In prose that skips from hilarious to touching and back in a heartbeat, Greg van Eekhout brings us a thrilling story of survival that becomes a journey to a new hope-if Fisher can continue existing long enough to get there.

Here’s a preview of the first two chapters, if you’re the sort of person who likes to pinch the bread loaf before you buy it. You loaf pincher, you. READ chapters 1 & 2.

Where can you buy the book? Well, maybe your local shop has it on the shelves. But what if they don’t??!!!? Times are tough in the book trade, and the big chains are ordering fewer titles and keeping fewer copies in stock. So, if your local bookstore, either chain or indie, doesn’t have it, you could ask your bookseller to order it for you. And you can order it online from the places where people buy books online. Right now it’s available in hardcover and for Kindle and Nook. C’mon, you know how to shop.

Here’s what’s been said about The Boy at the End of the World by people who are not paid to be nice to me:

“Fisher’s survivalist journey through the ruins of our future is both funny and affecting, full of transformed creatures, broken cities, and mad robots. Amid desperate escapes, explosive battles and piles of mammoth dung, The Boy at the End of the World, also manages to ask interesting questions about our place in the world, and where we’re headed as a species.” —Paolo Bacigalupi, Printz Award winning author of Ship Breaker

“Greg van Eekhout’s The Boy at the End of the World is both moving and full of adventure. This remarkable survival story will change the way readers think about themselves and the world they live in.” —Sarah Prineas, author of The Magic Thief

“Greg van Eekhout’s The Boy at the End of the World is wholly engaging and action packed. It is a compelling journey story filled with unusual friendships and a vision of the future that doesn’t shy away from eco-heavy messages and themes as it plunges the reader ever forward toward a riveting, cinematic end.” —Ingrid Law, Newbery Honor author of Savvy

“The characters are well developed and the moral dilemmas are sound. This is an excellent beginning for science fiction readers and the study of dystopian society. Recommended.” — Library Media Connection

“The author of Kid vs. Squid (2010) repeats with another quirky, high-stakes adventure hung about with oddball ideas and life-threatening hazards… Van Eekhout moves his tale along briskly to a violent, suspenseful climax… A pleaser for readers who prefer their sf livened up with unpredictable elements and emotional complexity.” —Booklist

“Part speculative fiction, part cinematic survival adventure, the novel features a brisk pace and clever and snappy dialogue. The real, scary possibility of human destruction of our own environment is tempered by this diverting tale of the possibilities of continued existence and the meaning of hope, friendship and community.” —Kirkus Reviews

I hope you’ll consider buying my book, and if you do, I hope you enjoy it.