#1 New York Times bestselling author of Termination Shock Neal Stephenson joins us to unveil a new tale: Polostan, an epic of intrigue and espionage, presaging the dawn of the Atomic Age.

Few writers of speculative fiction write worlds that shape generations of today’s leading entrepreneurs and scientists. But legendary author and thinker Neal Stephenson has done just that.

With fans including Bill Gates, Sergey Brin, and Peter Thiel, no living fiction author has more influence among the elite technologists shaping our world. His ideas inspired Google Earth, Second Life and the Xbox, and Mark Zuckerberg renamed Facebook after Stephenson’s concept of the Metaverse, dedicating his company to the mission of creating a future inspired by Stephenson’s speculative vision.

Now Neal Stephenson returns with a new tale: Polostan, a vividly imagined historical epic that traces the enigmatic life of protagonist Dawn Rae Bjornberg. Her life criss-crosses some of the 20^th century’s pivotal scenes, from Leningrad to the Great Depression. When a surprising revelation about her past puts her in the crosshairs of U.S. authorities, Dawn returns to Russia, where she is groomed as a spy by the organisation that later becomes the KGB.

Now in conversation with Edie Lush, Neal Stephenson joins us for an evening of twisting intrigue, as he draws back the curtains of his new epic foretelling the dawn of the Atomic Age and marking the beginning of his new thrilling series.

Tickets to this livestream event are free for members of How To +.

Praise for the works of Neal Stephenson:

‘He makes reading so much fun it feels like a deadly sin’ – New York Times

‘Stephenson’s reputation as a sci-fi titan is deserved’ – Sunday Times

‘Ingenious and sometimes prophetic’ – Telegraph