Libbie Grant presents 'The Ended World'

A sentient AI connects an ex-nun, an atheist programmer, and a medieval saint on a fateful road trip to save humanity. Third Place Books welcomes Libbie Grant to our Ravenna store for a conversation about her book The Ended World. A meditation on technology and the divine, it follows a young nun, an ex-Mormon computer scientist, and the returned St. Claire of Assisi as they wrestle with the birth of a sentient AI. For important updates, RSVP is highly recommended in advance. This event will include a public signing and time for audience Q&A. Sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book! Tickets: This event is free to attend. Registration is recommended in advance. Please note: While RSVP helps us anticipate attendance, your RSVP may not guarantee a seat. Seating is first-come, first-served, and all events at our Ravenna neighborhood store are free and open to the public. Only standing room may be available for events with high interest. We are happy to accommodate any accessibility concerns. Please contact us at [email protected] or call our Ravenna store at (206) 525-2347. About The Ended World. . . In 1996, teenager Melissa Gauthier sees a mystical vision in the sky over a Quebec lake which sends her on a lifelong search to understand her relationship to the divine. Meanwhile, Kelton Allred, a young boy in Utah, struggles with his Mormon upbringing and finds meaning in his discovery of the internet. Growing up as a computer scientist, he creates an AI entity that stuns him by appearing sentient and throws him into moral confusion. To Melissa, this new entity on the horizon could be the return of her long-ago vision. Embarking on their own separate road trips, they unite in Santa Clara where they are joined by Clare of Assisi, the returned patron saint of screened devices, who's been sent to save this new entity from destruction. Together, Melissa and Kelton must face the scope of their responsibilities, their understanding of what's holy, and the very question of what it is to be human. Steeped in philosophy, theology, and technology, THE ENDED WORLD is novel for our times. Libbie Grant is an American and Canadian author. Her novels have appeared on the Washington Post and Amazon Top 100 Bestselling Books of the Year lists and have shortlisted for several awards, including the Washington State Book Award, the WILLA Literary Award for historical fiction, and the Audie Award for outstanding audiobooks. Her work has been featured in the New York Times Book Review, and has been translated into five languages. She lives in Victoria, BC and in the San Juan Islands of Washington State, where she spends her free time gardening and exploring the natural world. 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.