Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Thomas Sweterlitsch

Thomas Sweterlitsch has created a downbeat, dystopian vision of the near future dressed up as a whodunit. Dark from the outset, this tale follows John Dominic Blaxton, who works as a researcher in what is known as the archive. This is a virtual record of the city of Pittsburgh, which has been destroyed by a terrorist with a nuclear bomb.
John is obsessed with the archive as his pregnant wife died in the blast and he is unable to let go of the past.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow  isn't an easy read, as the prose is often detailed and this hampers the flow of the story somewhat. However, you feel more immersed in the story for the same reason. Imagine a world where there is no escape from augmented tech hard wired into your head and as you walk along adware and commercials vie for your attention.  The thought of a world like this horrifies me and I'm a self-confessed gadget geek. This   society is obsessed with fashion, images, art and sex. These are the overriding factors that come out of the page. A chilling and melancholic read at times where you know a happy ending is unlikely. An absorbing and interesting read that could well prove to be prophetic.

The Bailout by Charlie Wade

A political thriller taking the current worldwide financial problems and asking the awful question: What if things got worse? The Bailout gets off to a running start with an excellent and intriguing opening scene. The feel of intrigue continues into the first few chapters and slowly, inevitably a sinister shadow becomes clearer. I'd say this is one of the best beginnings to a novel I've read in a long time. The novel soon settles down from the breakneck start and from there on in it's all about details. Charlie Wade uses subtle humour in his character development. This works well as we soon find ourselves empathising with them. It's quite a slow going novel but not without it's action points. The author drip feeds info to the reader slowly but effectively and you soon find yourself hungry for more revelations.

A very competently structured novel with thoughtfully crafted and credible characters. Despite the dark political subject matter a dry, very British, humour not dissimilar to that of Douglas Adams runs throughout the novel. It’s not overdone though, never silly.

The Isle of Wight is referred to as essentially a large open prison for dissidents. This way it is described reminded me of the village from the TV series The Prisoner, although the inmates bear little resemblance to Patrick McGoohan's dynamic number six. The Bailout is a very downbeat kind of novel and more realistic for it. You can only rebel if you have the energy too and in this society very few folk get an easy ride. Hard work is the order of the day and we discover there are a few interesting surprises within the country’s new regime.

The Bailout is one of those novels you want to keep reading. Your thirst for more of the plot is never quite quenched and Charlie Wade shows a number of the storyteller’s tricks of the trade in his creation of a Britain none of us will ever want to see. The conclusion when it arrives seems to jump out at the reader and comes from an interesting and unexpected idea by one of our ragtag band of rebels. All in all a very enjoyable read that will appeal to a broad cross section of readers. Charlie Wade’s talents are in the shop window for all to see and I hope you take the time to read this excellent novel.

Genre:  Dystopian Society
Publisher:  Indie
Format:  E-Book Novel
Price:  £1.53
Rating: 5/5