Neal Stephenson presents 'D: Heavy Water'

Third Place Books welcomes speculative fiction legend Neal Stephenson to our Lake Forest Park store to celebrate the launch of his new book D: Heavy Water, the second volume of the Bomb Light series. Beginning on the eve of the Second World War, D: Heavy Water follows the British and Soviet governments' mad dash to acquire earth's only supply of a material vital to atomic weapons development before it falls into Nazi hands. Tickets are required in advance.

What you need to know:

• All tickets come with a pre-signed copy of D: Heavy Water.
• Neal will personalize as many copies of D: Heavy Water as guests wish to purchase. He will also sign and personalize backlist, but guests with more than five books to sign will be asked to wait until the end of the line. No photos, please!
• Signing lines for ticketed events can run for several hours—please plan accordingly! Signing line priority will be given in the order in which guests check in night-of. Check-in will open at 6:00pm. Please contact us with any accessibility inquiries.
• Tickets must be purchased through Eventbrite. Pre-ordering the featured book will not grant you access to the event.
• If you are unable to attend the event, your book will be placed on hold at our Lake Forest Park store. You may request to have your book transferred to our Ravenna or Seward Park neighborhood stores.

Copies of D: Heavy Water and other books by Neal Stephenson will be available for purchase at the store.

Having trouble registering? See Eventbrite's troubleshooting FAQ here.

About D: Heavy Water. . .

From Neal Stephenson, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Polostan and Cryptonomicon, comes the second installment in his monumental Bomb Light series—a gripping tale set on the eve of World War II, as nations race to find and control an elusive substance critical to building atomic weapons.

Europe, 1934. British journalist Owen Crisp-Upjohn is dispatched to Moscow, where his assignments quickly escalate from cultural reporting to international espionage. Before long, Owen finds himself pulled into the orbit of the enigmatic Earl of Suffolk, a maverick aristocrat, and Aurora, a curiously compelling woman with a shadowy past rooted in Soviet intelligence.

Their mission soon becomes clear: secure the earth’s only supply of deuterium—"heavy water"—before it falls into Nazi hands. The high-stakes pursuit takes them from London’s plush drawing rooms to Barcelona, ravaged by the Spanish Civil War; from far-flung Soviet aerodromes to the perilous, icy landscapes of occupied Norway. Over time, Owen evolves from a detached observer into a man forced to confront profound questions of honor, love, and moral responsibility as loyalties are tested and allegiances shift in an ever-tightening web of science, intrigue, and deceit.

Rich with historical insight, emotionally complex characters, and a relentless sense of urgency with a world on the edge of cataclysm, D: Heavy Water is a suspenseful and wildly entertaining tale of courage and consequence in which humankind’s future is shaped by decisions made in the shadows.

Neal Stephenson is the bestselling author of the novels Polostan,Termination Shock, Fall; or, Dodge in Hell, The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. (with Nicole Galland), Seveneves, Reamde, Anathem, The System of the World, The Confusion, Quicksilver, Cryptonomicon, The Diamond Age, Snow Crash, Zodiac, and the groundbreaking nonfiction work In the Beginning . . .Was the Command Line. (Photo credit: Mercatus Center at George Mason University)

About Third Place Books

Founded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, Third Place Books is dedicated to the creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. With locations in Lake Forest Park and Seattle's Ravenna and Seward Park neighborhoods, Third Place Books is proud to serve the entire Seattle metro area. Learn more about their event series at thirdplacebooks.com/events.