In the near future, bees are extinct - until one autumn when 5 unconnected people are stung in different parts of the world. They become instant celebrities, and their experience unites them when a scientist of dubious motives tries to work with them. 'He is a brilliant social commemtator and a wit of our times' "Times Literary Supplement"

DOUGLAS COUPLAND was born on a NATO base in Germany in 1961. He is the author of the international bestseller JPOD and ten other novels including THE GUM THIEF, HEY NOSTRADAMUS!, ALL FAMILIES ARE PSYCHOTIC AND GENERATION X. His books have been translated into thirty-five languages and published in most countries around the world. He is also a visual artist and sculptor, furniture designer and screenwriter. He lives and works in Vancouver.

'With this exceptional sequel to Generation X, Douglas Coupland may be one of the smartest, wittiest writers around...He is a terrifically good writer...Coupland scatters his smartly satirical observations throughout...This is a clever, brilliant book - and it's loads better than Generation X...funny and profound' Esquire 'Possibly the most gifted exegete of North American mass culture writing today' Observer 'Douglas Coupland has surely reserved his place at the top table of North American fiction' Independent on Sunday 'We should really pay attention to Coupland. His eye is so firmly on the ball he's virtually clairvoyant' Guardian Eighteen years on from Generation X, Coupland still satirises pop culture better than anyone. This globe-spanning tale, set in the near future, is masterfully told and often hilarious. GQ Highly recommended. Like Murakami in thriller-trope mode. Go for it. He is a brilliant social commentator and a wit of our times Times Literary Supplement