The Normalization
(2026)(The fourth book in the Nest Below Cycle series)
A novel by Clive Carter and Stephen White
BOOK 4 — THE NORMALIZATION
The war is over.
Humanity survived.
And something far worse has begun.
In the aftermath of global infestation, the world rebuilds itself with unsettling speed. Cities reopen. Governments stabilize. Violence plummets. Trauma fades. People sleep better. Smile more. Argue less.
Too less.
Beneath the streets, the brood still exists—contained, restrained, patient. Their influence no longer announces itself with terror and transformation, but with calm. With balance. With quiet emotional regulation that governments are all too willing to accept.
Marcus Kane sees the price of this peace written in missing names, rewritten laws, and a world slowly forgetting what freedom felt like. Carla Kane stands at the center of the hive’s cognitive network, holding the swarm in check while knowing she may be helping humanity trade chaos for control.
Genre: Science Fiction
The war is over.
Humanity survived.
And something far worse has begun.
In the aftermath of global infestation, the world rebuilds itself with unsettling speed. Cities reopen. Governments stabilize. Violence plummets. Trauma fades. People sleep better. Smile more. Argue less.
Too less.
Beneath the streets, the brood still exists—contained, restrained, patient. Their influence no longer announces itself with terror and transformation, but with calm. With balance. With quiet emotional regulation that governments are all too willing to accept.
Marcus Kane sees the price of this peace written in missing names, rewritten laws, and a world slowly forgetting what freedom felt like. Carla Kane stands at the center of the hive’s cognitive network, holding the swarm in check while knowing she may be helping humanity trade chaos for control.
Genre: Science Fiction