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Random House Publishing Group

Public Access Afterworld - PREORDER

Public Access Afterworld - PREORDER

Regular price $33.00 USD
Regular price Sale price $33.00 USD
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FOC PREORDER

Public Access Afterworld

Solicitation:
A mysterious realm on the other side of our screens. A dark force that draws victims into its static. The unlikely hero called to save them and herself from this electric hell. Public Access Afterworld is the profound, binge-all-night, headrush of a novel by the celebrated filmmaker of I Saw the TV Glow and Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma“Beautiful, funny, and scathing . . . I stayed up all night binge-reading.”—SenLinYu“Gave me a vertiginous thrill I haven’t encountered since David Mitchell.”—Torrey Peters“Psychedelic horror of the first order.”—Grady Hendrix“Heart-wrenching, hilarious, visionary, and so damned smart, this novel is a major work by a major writer.”—Paul Tremblay“Utterly hypnotic.”—Lev Grossman“Dazzling and politically acute, Schoenbrun’s debut announces a major literary voice.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“A dazzling story . . . a great American novel.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)One of Publishers Weekly’s 10 Most Anticipated Books

One of the Most Anticipated Books of the Year: The Boston Globe, Lit Hub, The Chicago Review of Books, The Bookseller, Reactor, Book Riot, Crime Reads, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and Debutiful Find the receiver. Make it real. At 5:35 p.m. on September 3, 1988, Dallas weatherman Ray “Can You Say Sunshine” Davino makes passing reference to Public Access Afterworld during a rambling monologue, right before he puts a gun to his head on live television and pulls the trigger. On June 12, 2009, David Sawyer and Erin Morrison, two lonely, TV-obsessed suburban teens who might be falling in love, gather in Erin's basement to watch TV's analog-to-digital transition. But in the static that follows, Erin witnesses surreal broadcasts from a pirate TV network called Public Access Afterworld, and their lives are changed forever. Seventeen years later, Bethany Peters toils through the night shift at megacorp GlobalVill’s bleak Austin campus. A trans content moderator, she spends her evenings reviewing an endless stream of horrific videos. But then a young streamer begins to crop up in her feed calling out to Public Access Afterworld. But what is Public Access Afterworld? Spanning decades and realities, with an unforgettable ensemble of outcasts and nerds—especially the messy but wholly relatable Bethany, who must overcome paranoia and self-doubt to transform into a hero of our times—Public Access Afterworld will have you reading through the night and rooting for its characters to survive. A mesmerizing mash-up of speculative fiction, horror, and conspiracy, it marks the arrival of a major new force in contemporary fiction by a groundbreaking filmmaker who’s been compared to David Lynch and Paul Thomas Anderson.

Preorder Information

  • Cutoff: Penguin/PRH FOC closes 09/28/2026 at 9:00 PM Eastern.
  • Payment and cancellations: Payment is required upfront. Orders cannot be cancelled after FOC because quantities are locked with the distributor.
  • Condition: Books are expected to arrive new and unread. Minor manufacturing or distributor shelf wear can occur; contact us promptly with photos if your copy arrives materially damaged.
  • Release date: Release dates are estimates and may change. Your order will ship after the item arrives from the distributor.
  • Fulfillment: Books are inspected and packed securely before fulfillment. If an item is damaged, shorted, or unavailable, we will try to replace it first. If no replacement is available, that item will be refunded.

Item Details

  • Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
  • Cover price: $33.00
  • FOC date: 2026-09-28
  • Release date: 2026-10-27
  • Writer: Jane Schoenbrun
  • Cover / variant: Main Cover
  • UPC / ISBN: 978059397838253300

Final cover art, creators, and release details are subject to publisher updates.

Returns and Refunds:
See our Returns and Refunds page for full policy details.

Materials

Shipping, Returns & Refunds

Shipping
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Know before you order

Your Bandicoot preorder guide

A quick, plain-language guide to payment, timing, condition, and what happens if plans change.

Order cutoff
Sep 28, 2026
Estimated release
Oct 27, 2026

What is a preorder?

It reserves an item before its official release and before it is physically in our hands. Ordering early gives you the best chance of securing a copy when demand is high.

When do I pay?

Payment is collected at checkout. We use paid orders to reserve inventory and set our quantity with the publisher, distributor, or supplier.

What does FOC mean?

Final Order Cutoff is the deadline for comic shops to lock their quantities with the distributor. Once that cutoff passes, your copy has been ordered specifically for you and the order becomes final.

Are release dates guaranteed?

No. Dates come from publishers and suppliers and can move without notice. Your order stays active, and we will fulfill it after the item arrives.

When will my preorder ship?

We inspect and pack preorders after the distributor shipment reaches us. Tracking is provided through the checkout platform when it is available.

What if my order includes other items?

Preorder timing can delay a package that also contains in-stock items. Place separate orders when you need available items to ship sooner.

How are comics prepared?

New comics are inspected before fulfillment. Standard-size issues are bagged, boarded, and packed with protective materials appropriate for the order.

What grade is guaranteed?

Preorder comics are guaranteed to be 9.0 or better unless the listing says otherwise. We carefully inspect each copy, but we cannot guarantee a specific higher grade such as a 9.8 because minor printing and bindery variations can occur on brand-new books.

Will the final item match the preview image?

Publishers and manufacturers sometimes provide early artwork or prototype images. Final trade dress, packaging, colors, accessories, or other details may change before release.

Can I cancel or change my preorder?

Contact us as soon as possible. Comic preorders cannot be cancelled after FOC, and other preorders cannot be cancelled after quantities are locked with the supplier.

What if the item is damaged, shorted, or unavailable?

We will look for a replacement first. If we cannot secure one, we will refund the affected item to the original payment method.

What if the publisher cancels the item?

If the publisher or supplier cancels an item and no replacement is offered, we will refund that item.