Dr. No

Percival Everett reinvents the spy thriller genre with "Dr. No," a brilliantly satirical and thought-provoking novel centered on Wala Kitu, a mathematics professor at Brown University whose esoteric specialization is 'nothing.' Kitu is perfectly content with his শূন্য pursuits until his unique expertise captures the attention of John Sill, a billionaire with a vengeful agenda reminiscent of a Bond villain. Sill, consumed by a desire to avenge his father's murder—a witness to the state-sanctioned assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.—enlists Kitu's help for an audacious plan: to steal a deposit of 'nothing' from Fort Knox. His ultimate goal is to reduce the United States to 'nothing,' believing the country has offered 'nothing' to marginalized communities. As Kitu is drawn into Sill's elaborate plot, he must navigate a world of espionage, profound philosophical questions about existence and absence, and the unsettling realities of historical injustice, all while questioning the true nature and power of 'nothing.' This novel is a clever, funny, and mercilessly satirical exploration of race, power, and the voids we create and confront.