The future is coming…for some sooner than others
Ellis Rogers is an ordinary man who is about to embark on an extraordinary journey. All his life he has played it safe and done the right thing, but faced with a terminal illness he’s willing to take an insane gamble. He’s built a time machine in his garage, and if it works, he’ll face a world that challenges his understanding of what it means to be human, what it takes to love, and the cost of paradise. Ellis could find more than a cure for his illness; he might find what everyone has been searching for since time began…but only if he can survive Hollow World.
Welcome to the future and a new science fiction thriller from the bestselling author of The Riyria Revelations.
We are honored that Hollow Worldhas made a number of “Best of” and “Most Anticipated” lists including:
• Ranting Dragon’s 30 Most Anticipated Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels for 2014
• The Book Probe’s 2014 Most Anticipated Sci-Fi Novels
• BiblioSanctum’s Top 10 Reads of 2013
• Fantasy Review Barn’s Barney Award for 12 outstanding reads of 2013
Hollow World
Copyright © 2014 by Michael J. Sullivan
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the copying, scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without permission is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this edition or portions thereof without the express permission of the author and publisher. If you would like to use material from this book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission can be obtained by contacting the author at Michael.Sullivan.DC@gmail.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
Cover Illustrations: Marc Simonetti & Michael J. Sullivan
Cover Design: Michael J. Sullivan
Tachyon Publications
1459 18th Street #139
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 285-5615
tachyon@tachyonpublications.com
smart science fiction & fantasy
www.tachyonpublications.com
Series editor: Jacob Weisman
Project Editor: Jill Roberts
ISBN 13: 978-1-61696-183-1
Printed in the United States by Worzalla
General Release First Edition: 2014
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Learn more about Michael’s writings at www.riyria.com.
To contact Michael, email him at Michael.Sullivan.DC@gmail.com.
Praise For Hollow World
“This is a clever and thought-provoking story, with loads of interesting ideas, some adrenalin-pumping action and plenty of humour…overall an entertaining read with Pax being one of my favourite characters of the year.” — Pauline M. Ross, Fantasy Review Barn
“This is social science fiction that H.G. Wells or Isaac Asimov could have written, with the cultural touchstones of today. A modernized classic, Hollow Worldis the perfect novel for both new and nostalgic science fiction readers.” — Justin Landon, Stafer’s Book Reviews
“This book made me laugh. It also made me cry. And in the end, it made me think. I highly recommend Hollow Worldfor anyone looking for a book that brushes on and plays out some political and social issues we face today.” — N. E. White, SFFWorld.com
“I fully expected this to be a good speculative read, I had not expected it to be one of those rare literary gems that exceed the speculative genre to become worthy of any English literature class.” — Stephan van Velzen, The Ranting Dragon
“I’m happy to report that not only does Hollow Worldestablish Sullivan as a force to be reckoned with in any genre he chooses to ply his talent to, it also is a prime example of one of the reasons speculative fiction is so important…Sullivan questions our assumptions about our society as a whole that makes this one of the best novels, I’ve read this year.” — Matt Gilliard, 52 Reviews
“ Hollow Worldis a character-driven story packed with intensity and emotion… Hollow Worldwas easily one of my top reads of 2013.” — Stephenie Sheung, Bibliosanctum
This book is dedicated to the people at Tachyon Publications who are leading the way in publishing done right. I hope more organizations follow in their footsteps.
Michael Sullivan’s Works
The Riyria Revelations
Theft of Swords(contains The Crown Conspiracyand Avempartha)
Rise of Empire(contains Nyphron Risingand The Emerald Storm)
Heir of Novron(contains Wintertideand Percepliquis)
The Riyria Chronicles
The Crown Tower
The Rose and the Thorn
Standalone Novels
Hollow World
Antithesis(forthcoming)
A Burden to the Earth(forthcoming)
Anthologies
The End—Visions of Apocalypse
Triumph Over Tragedy
Unfettered
Help Fund My Robot Army
Author’s Note