HEARERS OF THE CONSTANT HUM

Hearers of the Constant Hum is a surreal sci-fi/horror novel that uses a bizarre physiological infection to explore the horrifying cost of forbidden knowledge.

Bill Krang is plagued by a unique affliction, he can near insects speaking. They incessantly repeat a single, maddening 12-word phrase at a frequency no one else can perceive: "Ashok burn right hand of men. To Neptune, rebirth in blue fire."

Believing he's entirely alone in his abilities, Krang's world shifts when he discovers the same cryptic phrase graffitied on a wall. His search for answers leads him to Urik, an underground cabal of sinister scientists who are tracking "hearers" and running dark experiments to figure out how to access this "constant hum."

After escaping Urik, Krang hides out in a squalid, insect-infested high rise apartment. Meanwhile, a young woman named Della Comb (known as "Bee") runs an underground drug empire across the city. Alongside two bumbling fake exterminators (the Crunk brothers), she harvests poisoned insect carcasses to manufacture a lethal, painless suicide pill called Jubilecide.

Seeking more insect inventory, Della enters Krang's apartment, throwing her straight into her worst nightmare. When Krang catches her, their interaction accidentally triggers the condition in Della, unlocking her ability to hear the hum. As they gain this forbidden knowledge, parts of their bodies literally begin to physically collapse and deteriorate, proving that the bug frequency isn't just a mental hallucination, but a highly contagious and destructive biological anomaly.