Where shall I wander if I am not left insensate here? What will spill forth from me and into the world? Spreading a message wherever I go, to whoever I meet. As long as I am able. As some new thing.

I’ve been stared at my whole life. What is a little more of that?

The beating of my heart. For now. The pity of it: that I may not know what happens next. Or even recognize it. And that, perhaps, after all that has happened, I don’t deserve to.

But you might.

.. .. ..

One hundred years.

What is the world like now?

What is the world like after the end of the world?

Is there a hummingbird, a salamander?

Is there a you?

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

As ever, my absolute gratitude and thanks to Sean McDonald and everyone at MCD/FSG: Rodrigo Corral, Madeline Day, Nina Frieman, Carrie Hsieh, Abby Kagan, Olivia Kan-Sperling, and Chloe Texier-Rose. I appreciate you so much. Thanks as well to Sally Harding, my agent, and everyone at CookeMcDermid Literary Management. Thanks to Netflix and Michael Sugar.

Many thanks to Dr. Meghan Brown for creating the naiad hummingbird and road newt for this novel, including all details of their ecologies. I also appreciate the expertise of Jer Thorp and Geoff Manaugh for examples relevant to the layout of Unitopia. Huge thanks to Jeremy Zerfoss for many of the images found in this novel.

Thanks for first reads or subject-matter-expert reads from Meg Gardiner, Kelly Brenner, Damaris Brisco, Yudhanjaya Wijeratne, Matthew Cheney, Ann VanderMeer, John Platt, and Jonathan Wood. These included reads on subjects like the Pacific Northwest, wildlife trafficking, internet and phone security, and male-dominated workplaces.

Wildlife trafficking often occurs within existing criminal organizations that engage in other illegal activity as well. There is no set business model for wildlife trafficking, but any liberties taken with information on how such organizations operate are my own. Much of the detail of the Pacific Northwest is taken from a research trip in December 2019, as well as extensive trips there in the past. Elements of the Pacific Northwest that are rare but occur include robins that overwinter. Any errors are, of course, my own.

A percentage of royalties from this novel will go to environmental organizations dedicated to fighting wildlife smuggling and habitat loss.

The author and publisher have provided this e-book to you for your personal use only. You may not make this e-book publicly available in any way. Copyright infringement is against the law. If you believe the copy of this e-book you are reading infringes on the author’s copyright, please notify the publisher at: us.macmillanusa.com/piracy.

A Note About the Author

A Note About the Author