A "massive work of dizzying originality" (Boston Globe), XX is an
inventive and boldly designed science-fiction epic by acclaimed graphic
designer Rian Hughes--now in paperback
The battle for your mind has already begun.
At Jodrell Bank 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 start-up 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.
