Public Access Afterworld
Public Access Afterworld
Public Access Afterworld
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Description
Description
A mysterious realm on the other side of our screens. A dark force that draws victims into its static. The unlikely hero called to save them and herself from this electric hell. Public Access Afterworld is the profound, binge-all-night, headrush of a novel by the celebrated filmmaker of I Saw the TV Glow "Beautiful, funny, and scathing . . . I stayed up all night binge-reading."--SenLinYu
"Gave me a vertiginous thrill I haven't encountered since David Mitchell."--Torrey Peters
"Heart-wrenching, hilarious, visionary, and so damned smart, this novel is a major work by a major writer."--Paul Tremblay
"Utterly hypnotic."--Lev Grossman Find the receiver. Make it real. At 5:35pm on September 3rd, 1988, Dallas weatherman Ray "Can You Say Sunshine" Davino makes passing reference to Public Access Afterworld during a rambling monologue, right before he puts a gun to his head on live television and pulls the trigger. On June 12th, 2009, David Sawyer and Erin Morrison, two lonely, TV-obsessed suburban teens who might be falling in love, gather in Erin's basement to watch TV's analog-to-digital transition. But in the static that follows, Erin witnesses surreal broadcasts from a pirate TV network called Public Access Afterworld and their lives are changed forever. Seventeen years later, Bethany Peters toils through the night shift at megacorp GlobalVill's bleak Austin campus. A trans content moderator, she spends her evenings reviewing an endless stream of horrific videos. But then a young streamer begins to crop up in her feed calling out to Public Access Afterworld. But what is Public Access Afterworld? Spanning decades and realities, with an unforgettable ensemble of outcasts and nerds, especially the messy but wholly relatable Bethany who must overcome paranoia and self-doubt to transform into a hero of our times, Public Access Afterworld will have you reading through the night and rooting for its characters to survive. A mesmerizing mashup of speculative fiction, horror, and conspiracy, it marks the arrival of a major new force in contemporary fiction by a groundbreaking filmmaker who's been compared to David Lynch and Paul Thomas Anderson.
"Gave me a vertiginous thrill I haven't encountered since David Mitchell."--Torrey Peters
"Heart-wrenching, hilarious, visionary, and so damned smart, this novel is a major work by a major writer."--Paul Tremblay
"Utterly hypnotic."--Lev Grossman Find the receiver. Make it real. At 5:35pm on September 3rd, 1988, Dallas weatherman Ray "Can You Say Sunshine" Davino makes passing reference to Public Access Afterworld during a rambling monologue, right before he puts a gun to his head on live television and pulls the trigger. On June 12th, 2009, David Sawyer and Erin Morrison, two lonely, TV-obsessed suburban teens who might be falling in love, gather in Erin's basement to watch TV's analog-to-digital transition. But in the static that follows, Erin witnesses surreal broadcasts from a pirate TV network called Public Access Afterworld and their lives are changed forever. Seventeen years later, Bethany Peters toils through the night shift at megacorp GlobalVill's bleak Austin campus. A trans content moderator, she spends her evenings reviewing an endless stream of horrific videos. But then a young streamer begins to crop up in her feed calling out to Public Access Afterworld. But what is Public Access Afterworld? Spanning decades and realities, with an unforgettable ensemble of outcasts and nerds, especially the messy but wholly relatable Bethany who must overcome paranoia and self-doubt to transform into a hero of our times, Public Access Afterworld will have you reading through the night and rooting for its characters to survive. A mesmerizing mashup of speculative fiction, horror, and conspiracy, it marks the arrival of a major new force in contemporary fiction by a groundbreaking filmmaker who's been compared to David Lynch and Paul Thomas Anderson.
About the Author
About the Author
Jane Schoenbrun is an award-winning filmmaker and writer. Their films include I Saw the TV Glow and We're All Going to the World's Fair. Their newest film, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma starring Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder, releases in 2026. Public Access Afterworld is their first novel.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
"Adroitly beautiful, funny, and scathing, Public Access Afterworld is a book from a talented storyteller with much to say, who's not afraid to say it."--SenLinYu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Alchemised "A reality-warping epic about friendship, transformation, and the internet that stretches across decades and dimensions."--New York "Captivating."--Library Journal "A fever dream-esque love letter to television, the internet, science fiction, and nerds."--Reactor "Few artists are able to capture the disconnection, longing, and eeriness of the early internet age and the holes it created in our society [like Schoenbrun], and Public Access Afterworld continues that trend. It's like a creepypasta come to life, and I'm here for it."--Chicago Review of Books "The mastermind behind I Saw the TV Glow is releasing their debut novel, and I couldn't be more excited. This is one to pre-order without even reading the publicity copy to hype you up."--Debutiful "Psychedelic horror of the first order."--Grady Hendrix, New York Times bestselling author of Witchcraft for Wayward Girls "Gave me a vertiginous thrill I haven't encountered since David Mitchell . . . the kind of epic book that doesn't just warp reality on the page but goes on warping it when you look up--you read the novel and the world glints with secrets anew."--Torrey Peters, author of Stag Dance and Detransition, Baby
"A thriller unlike any other . . . strange, urgent, utterly . . . hypnotic--once you start reading Public Access Afterworld, you won't stop."--Lev Grossman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Magicians "A riot in novel form by an author with an utterly singular, original vision . . . will leave you breathless and desperate for a sequel."--Kaliane Bradley, New York Times bestselling author of The Ministry of Time "Thrilling, heart-wrenching, hilarious, visionary, and so damned smart, this novel is a major work from a major talent."--Paul Tremblay, New York Times bestselling author of Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep "Schoenbrun, whose films We're All Going to the World's Fair and I Saw the TV Glow mark them as among the most original voices in independent cinema, brings their signature preoccupations to fiction with stunning ambition."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Such a compulsive read. Dark and glittering and full of static. Huzzah. Neon sign: So, so much fun."--Helen Macdonald, bestselling author of H Is for Hawk "Following two basement teens who experience an extra-strange analog-to-digital transition--care of the pirate TV network that gives the novel its name--this one looks thrillingly original."--Literary Hub
"A thriller unlike any other . . . strange, urgent, utterly . . . hypnotic--once you start reading Public Access Afterworld, you won't stop."--Lev Grossman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Magicians "A riot in novel form by an author with an utterly singular, original vision . . . will leave you breathless and desperate for a sequel."--Kaliane Bradley, New York Times bestselling author of The Ministry of Time "Thrilling, heart-wrenching, hilarious, visionary, and so damned smart, this novel is a major work from a major talent."--Paul Tremblay, New York Times bestselling author of Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep "Schoenbrun, whose films We're All Going to the World's Fair and I Saw the TV Glow mark them as among the most original voices in independent cinema, brings their signature preoccupations to fiction with stunning ambition."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Such a compulsive read. Dark and glittering and full of static. Huzzah. Neon sign: So, so much fun."--Helen Macdonald, bestselling author of H Is for Hawk "Following two basement teens who experience an extra-strange analog-to-digital transition--care of the pirate TV network that gives the novel its name--this one looks thrillingly original."--Literary Hub
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Hogarth Press
Pub date:
2026-10-27
Length:
608 pages
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