The year is 2066. A strange illness is gripping the planet. People Turn. In the space of a few hours, they stop interacting with the world. They become catatonic, oblivious to outside stimuli. They can be pushed to perform simple tasks such as walking around, eating, relieving themselves, things like that. But if you stop egging them on, they come to a halt.
The symptoms are incredibly vague. Headache. Spatial awareness disappearing. Speech slowing down. Movements becoming lethargic, to finally cease.
The new disease touches absolutely everyone, regardless of age, financial status, geographical location, education or gender. The Turning also triggers underlying health condition and this, allied to lack of care and accidents, sends humanity's death rate through the roof. As scientists, medical staff and researchers themselves Turn, the scramble to find a cure, or a vaccine, or any kind of means to counter it, is intense, but seems ultimately doomed.
It is left to a handful of people to map out contingency plans to avoid the total collapse of human civilisation.
The Turning is the new sci-fi novel by Christophe Dillinger. It is available for purchase in digital format for now, and potentially as a paperback in 2025. A French version is on the cards too.
352 pages
