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How do you start over after the end of the world?
"A Beginning at the End is both a thrilling chronicle of the end of the world and a timely reminder of what is most important in life-family, love, and hope." -Peng Shepherd, author of The Book of M
Six years after a global pandemic wiped out most of the planet’s population, the survivors are rebuilding the country, split between self-governing cities, hippie communes and wasteland gangs.
In postapocalyptic San Francisco, former pop star Moira has created a new identity to finally escape her past—until her domineering father launches a sweeping public search to track her down. Desperate for a fresh start herself, jaded event planner Krista navigates the world on behalf of those too traumatized to go outside, determined to help everyone move on—even if they don’t want to. Rob survived the catastrophe with his daughter, Sunny, but lost his wife. When strict government rules threaten to separate parent and child, Rob needs to prove himself worthy in the city’s eyes by connecting with people again.
Krista, Moira, Rob and Sunny are brought together by circumstance, and their lives begin to twine together. But when reports of another outbreak throw the fragile society into panic, the friends are forced to finally face everything that came before—and everything they still stand to lose. Because sometimes having one person is enough to keep the world going.
A suggested title for PopSugar's 2020 Reading Challenge
Part of SheReads' Most Anticipated Books of 2020
Part of Fully Booked's Top 20 for 2020
Part of Woman's Day Best Fiction of 2020
Part of Working Mother's Most Anticipated Fiction of 2020
Part of The Nerd Daily's Most Anticipated Books of 2020
Part of SheKnows / Yahoo's Most Anticipated Books Coming in 2020
Part of Tor's Books of January 2020
Part of io9's January Books To Jump-Start New Year's Reading
Part of BookRiot's January 2020 Horoscope Reading Recommendations
Part of Polygon's 15 new science fiction and fantasy books to check out in January
One of BookRiot's Most Anticipated Books of 2020
“This postapocalyptic slice-of-life novel…delivers big emotions by keeping the focus small…. By foregrounding family, Chen manages to imbue his apocalypse with heart, hope, and humanity. Sci-fi fans will delight in this lovingly rendered tale.” –Publisher’s Weekly, starred review
“A Beginning at the End is the best kind of dystopian novel: one rooted deeply in the hearts of his characters and emphasizing hope and connection over fear. Chen has a true gift for making the biggest of worlds center around the most complex workings of hearts, and his newest is compelling, realistic, and impossible to put down.” –Booklist, starred review
“An imaginative premise, likable characters, and an uplifting ending…. A refreshingly nondystopian end-of-the-world story.” –Kirkus on A Beginning at the End
"Chen’s fast-paced tale is an optimistic look at how our humanity can bring out the best in us, even in the darkest times." - BookPage
"If you're tired of grim, grueling apocalypses with high body counts and bleak horizons, A Beginning at the End offers an intimate, surprisingly gentle vision of post-disaster humanity, less concerned with how we might survive than with why-and for whom." -Alix E. Harrow, Nebula and Hugo finalist and author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January
"A Beginning at the End is both a thrilling chronicle of the end of the world and a timely reminder of what is most important in life-family, love, and hope."-Peng Shepherd, author of The Book of M
"[The characters] all grapple with questions of identity and morality, of what it means to be part of a family, of what we're willing to sacrifice and for whom. This is a story that's as fun as it is moving.... Mike Chen has richly imagined every detail... A Beginning at the End is truly a special addition to the post-apocalyptic genre, and it stands up right alongside heavy hitters like Station Eleven and The Last." –Megan Collins, author of The Winter Sister
