THE HOSPITAL AT THE END OF THE WORLD
Out Now!
A medical thriller. A family mystery. A warning about the future we’re already building.
In a future not far from our own, medicine has been handed over to a powerful AI system controlled by a single corporation. The Shepherd Organization promises efficiency. It promises safety. It promises perfection.
But what happens when the algorithm is wrong?
When Pok, an ambitious young medical student from New York, arrives at the last human-run medical school in America—a renegade institution in New Orleans—he’s chasing answers about his father’s mysterious death. What he finds instead is something far more dangerous: a deadly illness quietly spreading among newcomers to the city who grew up under AI rule… and a system determined to bury the truth.
“Justin C. Key has my full attention. His stunning debut deserves yours.”
—LeVar Burton“The cyberpunk, anti-AI, anti-tech-fascism medical thriller you need in your life right now.”
—Paul Tremblay, New York Times bestselling author of Horror Movie“Smart and brims with imagination… Key is a rising star in Afrofuturism, artfully tending the path laid by Octavia E. Butler.”
⎯ Tananarive Due, award-winning author of The Reformatory
More Praise
"Smart, exciting, and full of heart. Highly recommended."
—Karen Joy Fowler
"Visionary, chilling, and pulse-pounding—like John Grisham meets Cory Doctorow—The Hospital at the End of the World is the medical thriller for the age of AI."
—Maurice Broaddus, author of Sweep of Stars, Breath of Oblivion, and A City Dreaming
“Justin C. Key puts human faces on the technological revolution we all are about to experience. This is why science fiction was invented!"
—James Patrick Kelly, winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards
"A stunning, pulse-pounding, heart-hurting journey through an all-too-plausible nightmare future."
—Sam J. Miller, Nebula award-winning author of Blackfish City
"This gripping and heartfelt coming-of-age tale from debut novelist Key takes place in a near-future America dominated by an AI system . . . . The worldbuilding fascinates and Pok is a wonderfully believable protagonist acting from both good intentions and naive suppositions. Key should win plenty of new fans with this.”
"In theory, AI has the potential to revolutionize health care by minimizing the potential for human error. Key’s debut novel shows a concerningly realistic future if this path is chosen, solidifying his place as a strong voice of contemporary sf . . . . Pok’s ethical and moral struggles with AI will resonate with those concerned with society’s trajectory. For fans of Michael Crichton, Elizabeth Bear, and Annalee Newitz."
"A medical-minded dystopia with mystery elements that emphasizes the importance of human connection and equity for everyone in a world of artificial intelligence. For readers of Laila Lalami."
"The writing shows the author’s rich imagination . . . . An enjoyable tale about AI’s dark underbelly."