The Swarm

Name: The Swarm
ISBN: 9787220106491

弗兰克·施茨廷 / 朱刘华 / 颜徽玲Post Wave Publishing · ChinaJan 2019

4.2

Word count: 572K words
Chapters: 41
ISBN: 9787220106491

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Summary

In the world of the sea, there seem to be alliances, strategies, plans and intelligence. But what exactly is the plan? And who—or what—is directing it all? Scientists are forced to admit that humanity knows little more about this planet it believes it has ruled for millions of years than it does about outer space. In Peru, a fisherman disappears at sea. In the kitchen of France's top restaurant "The Three Fat Men," a succulent lobster fixes its black eyes on the chef—and then explodes. Messages from the deep sea seep and spread through city sewers... Off the coast of Canada, pods of whales arrive weeks late, and when delighted whale-watchers welcome them, the whales turn on them in an uncharacteristic, coordinated attack. Mussels begin to possess navigational abilities—and even strike cooperative strategies with the whales? Warship jellyfish trigger poisoning panics; swarms of highly venomous jellyfish gather along the shores, threatening Australia and Indonesia. Cables woven across the deep sea are severed, cutting off both sides of the Atlantic entirely; telephones and the internet are instantly rendered useless. The Strait of Gibraltar, the Strait of Malacca and the English Channel—the world's most vital trade arteries—are paralyzed one by one. And as humanity faces this terrifying apocalyptic extinction, it does not even know what the enemy is—or whether there is an enemy at all. And so oil executives and fanatical environmentalists, radical patriotic soldiers join forces; biologists, geologists and astronomers pool their knowledge to face a completely unknown enemy—staging a grand drama of the age in which ignorance, greed, awe, humility, compassion and plunder, all the sacred and the base in human nature, are interwoven.

Editor's review

Frank Schätzing's The Swarm is a grand narrative blending hardcore marine science, ecological thriller and philosophical speculation. Far more than simple science fiction, it builds on solid oceanographic, biological and geological knowledge to construct a convincing and chilling hypothesis: that the ocean, covering 70 percent of Earth's surface, is itself a superorganism possessing collective intelligence far beyond human understanding. When this ancient entity, named "Yrr," begins a systematic counterattack against human pollution, the world plunges into an unprecedented crisis of survival. Schätzing's narrative ambition is immense, with multiple threads running in parallel—from deep-sea research and military operations to political maneuvering—tightly paced and densely packed with information. Its core value lies in forcing readers out of an anthropocentric perspective and reexamining our relationship with nature—we are not the masters of Earth, but perhaps only a brief and destructive component of some larger system. The reading experience is immersive and oppressive, at once an intellectual adventure and a profound ecological warning.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with a strong interest in hard science fiction and scientific detail
Fans of stories like Jurassic Park that push scientific hypotheses to thrilling extremes
Those concerned with ecological crisis, the Anthropocene and the ethics of technology
Patient readers who enjoy complex multi-threaded narratives and vast amounts of information

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking light entertainment or a single-protagonist adventure story
Readers impatient with large amounts of scientific terminology and technical description

Reading tips

Keep a world map at hand while reading to follow the global unfolding of disaster events
Don't feel obliged to memorize every scientific concept; the story's own momentum is powerful enough
After reading, consider: to what extent are the Yrr's actions a metaphor for real human behavior?

About the publisher

Post Wave Publishing China · Founded in 2006

Post Wave Publishing focuses on the humanities and social sciences, foreign literature, history, and popular science. Its "Han Qing Tang" series features works on modern Chinese and world history by scholars such as Chow Tse-tsung, Jian Youwen, Robert Bickers, and Richard J. Smith. In literature, it offers foreign classics including the collected works of Herta Müller, the novels of Alice Walker, and the Romanian Trilogy. Its popular science and applied psychology titles also emphasize readability, such as the "World Popular Science Series" and "Don't Let Prejudice and Labels Define Who You Are." With 90 titles currently in the collection and limited public information available, the publisher shows a character that balances scholarly depth with accessible reading.

版权信息
推荐序无国界小说
序章
1 月 14 日
第一章异常
3 月 4 日
3 月 12 日
3 月 13 日
3 月 18 日
3 月 23 日
4 月 5 日
4 月 6 日
4 月 11 日
4 月 12 日
4 月 18 日
4 月 20 日
4 月 22 日
4 月 24 日
4 月 26 日
4 月 29 日
4 月 30 日
5 月 1 日
5 月 2 日
5 月 3 日
第二章灾难城堡
5 月 10 日
5 月 11 日
5 月 12 日
5 月 14 日
5 月 24 日
6 月 8 日
第三章独立号
8 月 12 日
8 月 13 日
8 月 14 日
8 月 15 日
第四章下潜
第五章接触
终章
8 月 15 日
致谢

FAQ

How is this book different from ordinary disaster science fiction?

The biggest difference is its solid scientific foundation and philosophical depth. It does not rely on alien invasion or accidental catastrophe, but builds on real marine ecology to construct a story of "Earth itself striking back" with internal logic, closer to an "ecological thriller," and it prompts deep reflection on the foundations of civilization.

Is the scientific content too difficult to understand?

Frank Schätzing did extensive research, and the scientific descriptions are indeed detailed. But the clever part is that this knowledge is organically woven into the tense plot, becoming the key to solving mysteries and surviving. Even if you skip some details, you can still follow the thriller pacing of the main story, but understanding these details greatly enhances the impact of the reading experience.

The book is very long—is its structure complex?

Yes, the book is vast in scope, employing a narrative structure of multiple characters, locations and perspectives; it takes some patience at first to get used to the characters and threads. But once the threads begin to converge, they form a powerful narrative force, creating the sweeping momentum and suffocating atmosphere of a global crisis.

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About the author

弗兰克·施茨廷 Author

Frank Schätzing is an author known chiefly for science fiction. Publicly available information about him is limited, and his nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background are not clearly recorded. Two of his works are held in the collection: The Swarm and The Sea: Another Unknown Universe, both commonly classified as science fiction. Judging from the titles and subject matter of these two books, Schätzing's writing tends to revolve around the ocean, unknown forces of nature, and humanity's place in the face of an immense natural world, combining strong scientific imagination with a sense of suspense and weaving ecological themes into genre narrative. Although verifiable biographical details are scarce, these two works alone suggest a preference for examining the relationship between humans and nature on a grand scale, giving him a recognizable presence among Chinese-language science fiction readers.

朱刘华 Author

Zhu Liuhua is an author about whom limited public information is available. The only work currently confirmed under this Chinese byline is Qun (The Swarm), commonly classified as science fiction. The existing information leaves the author's profile incomplete: no reliable records of birth and death dates, nationality, or educational background have been found, making it difficult to outline a full biography or creative trajectory. As for Qun, its classification as science fiction suggests that the author works within this genre, possibly exploring themes such as technological imagination, the human condition, or unknown worlds. Because only one work is held in the collection, it is impossible to judge whether the writing style is consistent or to assess any lasting influence in the field of science fiction. Readers wishing to learn more about Zhu Liuhua can only rely on the text of Qun itself, observing its narrative approach and expressive features. Overall, Zhu Liuhua remains an author with scarce information, awaiting further public details; both the number of works and the writing career require verification.

颜徽玲 Author

Yan Huiling is a Chinese compiler and translator about whom relatively little public information is available; her nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background cannot be confirmed. Two works are held in the collection under her name: All Quiet on the Western Front and The Swarm, commonly classified under foreign literature and science fiction. Judging from these two titles, her translating interests span war literature and maritime science fiction: the former is a classic German anti-war novel, while the latter centers on deep-sea ecology and human crisis. This suggests that she has engaged with foreign literary works of different languages and genres. Limited by the available material, it is difficult to describe her translation style or personal history in further detail, but it is clear that she attends to works with social reflection and narrative tension, introducing contemporary foreign literature and science fiction to Chinese readers.