Title: Public Access Afterworld
Author: Jane Schoenbrun
Pages: 608
Release: October 27, 2026

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A bold, high-concept premise, confidently executed with impressive focus. Schoenbrun brings the idea to life with engrossing prose and assured pacing, keeping the story moving while fully embracing its stranger impulses.

The novel is at its strongest when it leans into its more surreal elements, exploring the off-the-wall interdimensional oddities that emerge through the static. The meta-framing of the story as a series of television episodes felt novel, but ultimately a bit too cute and not entirely necessary in service of the larger narrative.

While I still need some time to sit with the ending, the journey to get there made the experience worthwhile. If you’re a fan of conspiracy theories, enigmatic cult leaders, love-to-hate-them tech bros, and, of course, hallucinatory interdimensional phenomena, Public Access Afterworld should be right up your alley.

★★★★

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.