For the host

Host Kit

Tonight’s menu

Arca-1, 2055

Synthetic coffee

Carmen swears Solomon improved it. The cheapest instant you can find makes the point.

Coffee from a dallah

Real coffee, poured the New Baghdad way, for anyone who has earned a privilege.

Mint tea with arak

What Samir serves in the speakeasy under the bookshop. Leave out the arak if you prefer.

Tully’s rum

Neat, from the bottle, if you are Tully. A dark spiced soft drink for everyone else.

Bland vegetable stew

The only dish on the menu at the Hole. Optional. Strongly optional.

Citizenship night

Penguin Random House turned its London office into Arca-1 for the launch. Guests arrived late, were processed, and left counted.

Process your citizens

Hand each member a citizenship card as they arrive. They write their own name. You read out their number.

Choose a band

Orange for those against Solomon, purple for those who back him. A ribbon or a strip of paper does it.

Count the vote

The referendum ballot comes before the book. Count it, and keep the count for the end of the night.

Running the evening

  1. Process your citizens: cards, numbers, bands.
  2. Everyone votes Upgrade or Unplug before you begin. Count it.
  3. Put the Arca-1 Dossier on the table. The “Hand out” line on each sheet tells you when.
  4. Pick five or six questions from the guide. You do not need them all.
  5. Vote again. Send your two counts to Tom at thomasrweaver.com/book-clubs.
Infinite Wisdom · Host Kit thomasrweaver.com/book-clubs

Warm-up

Six icebreakers

  1. Your neurochip can take the sting out of one emotion. Which one would you turn down, and which would you never touch?
  2. Solomon pays you in credits. What would you spend your first hundred on?
  3. You are allowed one non-digital luxury in the arcacity. What do you bring?
  4. Give a safe word only your oldest friend would know, without saying what it is.
  5. Orange band or purple band, before you have read a page? Defend your choice in one sentence.
  6. Fancast the film: who plays Tully, October, Livia, Randall, Haymaker and Elian Valente, and who voices Solomon?

For bookstagram and online clubs

Citizen selfie

Post your club’s citizenship cards, numbers showing, with the book.

Campaign poster

Design a poster for Upgrade or for Unplug. Lockwood’s slogan is taken.

Your band

Show your orange or purple band, and tell us what would make you swap it.

The count

Share your club’s first referendum count. Then post the second one when you finish.

Reading drink

Photograph the book with your perfect drink: synthetic coffee, mint tea or Tully’s rum.

Last-page reaction

Film or write your reaction to finishing the duology, with no spoilers.

Tag @tom_weaver on Instagram or @thomasr.weaver on TikTok so Tom can find them.