The Swarm: A Novel

by Frank Schätzing

What do you think the world would do without America? There’s only one enduring model of national and international order that works for every individual in every single society, and that’s the American one. We can’t allow the world to solve this problem. We can’t allow the UN to solve it. The yrr have inflicted untold damage on humanity, but their stock of knowledge and understanding could be even more deadly. Who would you like to see inherit that knowledge, Sigur?’ ‘Those most competent to deal with it.’ ‘Exactly.’ ‘But that’s what we were working towards, Jude. Don’t we want the same things? We could reach an agreement with the yrr. We could—’ ‘Don’t you get it? We don’t have that option. It’s against the interests of my country. That knowledge belongs to the United States of America, and we’re obliged to do everything in our power to prevent others attaining it. It leaves us with no choice: we have to liberate the planet from the yrr. Even agreeing to coexist would be an admission of failure - a sign of our defeat, the defeat of humanity, of our faith in God and the world’s faith in American supremacy.