Writing the Nightmare: A Ship Called Sickness and One Unforgettable Space Crew with Daniel Kraus

About this event

This author talk will be held online via our Authors and Speakers site, in partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium. By registering via the Event Link (see below), you'll receive an email with the watch link and reminders as the event approaches. After the talk ends, you'll receive an email with a link to the recording. Prepare to launch into the darkest depths of deep space! Join us online as we sit down with master storyteller Daniel Kraus, winner of the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, to celebrate the release of his breathtaking new novel, The Sixth Nik. Deep into space, far past the triworld outposts, beyond the range of the lethal trollbot internet, soars The Sickness: a ship woven from biomatter and capable of reacting to every need of its human crew. Sisilla, a nine-year-old cultist with a brain enhanced by arcane tech known as “niks,” has boarded to investigate the enigma of Fém—a plague-riddled planet that has abruptly gone rogue. The mysterious crew includes a faceless assassin, a beautiful engineer jigsawed by plastic surgery, a peyote-addicted medic, and—most lethal of all—a rugged, NonModded captain with a score to settle with Sisilla. Other dangers abound. A hacked robot begins to believe Sisilla is its daughter. The Sickness itself is mutating, possibly even pregnant. And the secret of Fém is more horrific than anyone could have imagined. To survive, Sisilla will need to forsake her predetermined fate and embrace the unknown. Register now to gain exclusive insight from one of the most visionary voices in modern fiction. About the Author: Daniel Kraus is a Pulitzer Prize-winning, New York Times bestselling writer of novels, TV, and film. His novel Angel Down was the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner, a New York Times Top 10 Book of 2025, and a national bestseller. His novel Whalefall received a front-cover review in the New York Times Book Review, won the Alex Award, was an L.A. Times Book Prize Finalist, and was a Best Book of…