September 3, 1988: Dallas weatherman Ray “Can You Say Sunshine” Davino begins a rambling monologue, mentioning Public Access Afterworld, then puts a gun to his head and pulls the trigger on live television.
June 12, 2009: Two very lonely and TV-obsessed teens, David Sawyer and Erin Morrison, watch TV’s analog-to-digital transition. In the static that follows, Erin sees a surreal broadcast from a pirate TV network, Public Access Afterworld, and it changes their lives forever.
Now, seventeen years later, while toiling through the night shift at GlobalVill’s bleak Austin campus, Bethany Peters reviews endless streams of horrific videos. Then a streamer begins to show up in Bethany’s feed, calling out to Public Access Afterworld.
What is Public Access Afterworld?
Why we’re excited about this book:
2026 has proven to be one for the record books when it comes to horror fiction debuts, and Jane Schoenbrun’s first novel is one of the most anticipated of the year. Schoenbrun is the award winning writer and director of the films We’re All Going To The World’s Fair, I Saw The TV Glow, and most recently Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. Their film work also extends to documentaries, short-films, acting, and producing. With their debut novel, Schoenbrun digs deep into analog horror with a haunting tale spanning decades and multiple realities. Torrey Peters (Stag Dance, Detransition, Baby) says Public Access Afterworld “Gave me a vertiginous thrill I haven’t encountered since David Mitchell … the kind of epic book that doesn’t just warp reality on the page but goes on warping it when you look up—you read the novel and the world glints with secrets anew.”, and Kaliane Bradley (The Ministry of Time) says: “A riot in novel form by an author with an utterly singular, original vision … will leave you breathless and desperate for a sequel.” Paul Tremblay (Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep) calls Public Access Afterworld “Thrilling, heart-wrenching, hilarious, visionary, and so damned smart, this novel is a major work from a major talent.”
Releasing from Hogarth 27 October 2026, Public Access Afterworld by Jane Schoenbrun is available for pre-order now.
BOB PASTORELLA