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Book Summary and Reviews of The Endless Vessel by Charles Soule

The Endless Vessel by Charles Soule

The Endless Vessel

A Novel

by Charles Soule

  • Critics' Consensus (9):
  • Readers' Rating (1):
  • Published:
  • Jun 2023, 464 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

Combining the wonder of The Midnight Library, the inventiveness of Ready Player One, and the artistry of Cloud Atlas, this novel by the bestselling author of The Oracle Year and Anyone explores the way we're all connected - and what can happen when we lose our capacity for joy.

A few years from now, in a world similar to ours, there exists a sort of "depression plague" that people refer to simply as "The Grey." No one can predict whom it will afflict, or how, but once infected, there's no coming back.

A young Hong Kong based scientist, Lily Barnes, is trying to maintain her inner light in an increasingly dark world. The human race is dwindling, and people fighting to push forward are increasingly rare. One day, Lily comes across something that seems to be addressing her directly, calling to her, asking her to follow a path to whatever lies at its end. Is this the Endless Vessel to happiness? She leaves her life behind and sets out through time and space to find out.

From its opening heart-stopping scene in the present day at the Louvre in Paris, through the earthly meetings between Lily and her loved ones past and present, to a shocking and satisfying conclusion in a truly enchanted forest, Charles Soule has channeled history, science and drama to create a story for the ages—a story of hope and love and possibility. This is a novel you will not soon forget.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"[A] hugely entertaining near-future dystopian thriller from comic book writer Soule ... Rich characters and a full-throttle plot, plus a solid finale, elevate this page-turner. It's a winner." —Publishers Weekly

"Exploring the necessity of human connection with incredible depth, Soule serves up a delightful cocktail of dystopian and science fiction, with elements of historical fiction as a cherry on top." — Library Journal

"Soule captures the despair and loneliness of people struggling to survive in a damaged world, stringing eager readers along until the very end." —Booklist

"Anyone will enjoy this comically fast-paced tale about Will Dando, who wakes up one day with 108 wacky and world-shattering predictions." —Washington Post

"This volatile and unpredictable novel will entertain and keep you guessing until the very end." —New York Journal of Books

"The Endless Vessel is a thrilling hunt, haunting mystery, and ominous prediction all in one, but most of all, it's a poignant reminder of what it means to be human—to despair, to love, and to refuse to give up hope, even in the final hour." —Peng Shepherd, bestselling author of The Cartographers

This information about The Endless Vessel was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Charles Soule

Charles Soule is a New York Times-bestselling, Brooklyn-based comic book writer, musician, and attorney. He is best known for writing Daredevil, She-Hulk, Death of Wolverine and various Star Wars comics from Marvel Comics, as well as his creator-owned series Curse Words from Image Comics and the award-winning political sci-fi epic Letter 44 from Oni Press.

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