2054

13:57 May 07, 2054 (-5 GMT)
São Paulo

Chowdhury awoke gradually. He d taken a journey of weeks, in which he d been dead or as close to death as a person can come. The cocktail prescribed by his doctors at Neutronics had slowed his body function to undetectable levels, and now they were bringing him back.

It took a while before he once again became cognizant of where he was and what he was doing there. A clock hung on the wall of the dimly lit recovery room. Vague silhouettes flitted in and out of the room, but Chowdhury had no capacity to focus on anything except the clock. Its stubby hour hand. Its long minute hand. Chowdhury tried to concentrate on its movement, but it appeared frozen. He had to look away and look back to gauge the passage of time.

Minutes . . . hours . . . days . . . Chowdhury couldn t say necessarily how long he stared at the clock as his faculties returned to him.

He heard a voice calling his name.

Dr. Chowdhury . . . A light flashed in his eyes, painful, startling. As he flinched, a muscle in the back of his neck spasmed. . . . it s Dr. Bakari, said the voice, which sounded like it was underwater. You re in the recovery room. Can you hear me?

Yes, he thought he said. But no sound came.

She repeated the question.

Yes, he said. It came out as a dry whisper.

Gently, she propped up his head and placed a plastic cup of water to his lips. When she tilted the cup forward, he began to choke and sputter. Then his body remembered itself and he swallowed a mouthful of the water. Well done, said Dr. Bakari as she wiped up what had dribbled down his chin and onto his chest. With great effort, he could feel himself smile at her. Spent, he shut his eyes.

When he opened them again some time had passed, and the room appeared different. It was no longer dim; it was illuminated under harsh, bright lights. The clock still hung on the wall. He felt refreshed, as if he d simply woken from a decent night s sleep. Sitting

Elliot Ackerman is the author of the novels Halcyon, Red Dress in Black and White, Waiting for Eden, Dark at the Crossing, and Green on Blue, and the memoirs The Fifth Act and Places and Names. His books have been nominated for the National Book Award and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. He is both a former White House Fellow and Marine, and served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he received the Silver Star, the Bronze Star for Valor, and the Purple Heart. He is currently a contributing writer at The Atlantic.

Admiral Jim Stavridis, USN (Ret.), spent more than thirty years in the US Navy, rising to the rank of four-star admiral. He was Supreme Allied Commander at NATO and previously commanded US Southern Command, overseeing military operations through Latin America. He holds a PhD from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, where he recently served five years as dean. He received fifty medals in the course of his military career, including twenty-eight from foreign nations. He has published twelve other books, including 2034, with Elliot Ackerman, and is chief international analyst for NBC News and a weekly columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. He is currently vice chair, global affairs, and managing director of the Carlyle and the chair of the board of The Rockefeller Foundation.

Stavridis is not just a novelist, but also Admiral James Stavridis, formerly supreme allied commander at NATO. He and Ackerman are the authors of the bestseller 2034. In this follow-up, it is 20 years after the nuclear war between the US and China when the US president collapses and dies during an address to the nation. Conspiracy theories spread, and civil war ensues. Meanwhile, computer scientists and intelligence experts believe they know what lies behind the assassination: a profound breakthrough in AI. This sounds thrilling and provocative, and one to devote a good chunk of time to reading. New Scientist

A captivating thriller . . . At its core, 2054 is part who-dun-it, part House of Cards political thriller, part sci-fi, and part-klaxon warning. The SCIF

[A] propulsive thriller. . . The authors have created an enjoyable, intelligent and ultimately frighteningly plausible vision of a future replete with new technological threats. Financial Times

This taut, chilling, provocative page-turner is one part Crichton, one part Clancy, and might just make you think these truly are the good old days. Michael Hainey, AirMail

Gripping and imaginative . . . an enjoyable techno-thriller that explores the chaotic, self-destructive potential of human ingenuity. Booklist

2054 is a compelling, terrifying and totally plausible thriller of future world history and calamity not so far away crafted into a sophisticated geopolitical narrative superbly handled by this unique partnership of retired admiral/NATO supremo, and a prize-winning literary writer of beautiful novels who also happens to be a decorated Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Excellent and a worthy sequel of their thriller 2034. Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of The World: A Family History