I have seen this book described as thriller, eco-horror and science fiction. It’s not a thriller at all, although the ideas might be thrilling; the pace is quite gentle because it spans quite a few years. It will appeal to readers of subtle sci-fi such as Never Let Me Go. Becoming a tree is depicted as desirable, providing you choose a good place to root. It’s a very thought-provoking read which is a warning – if any more warnings are needed! – about the way things are going. I thought the ending was a little weak and that for more impact, one character should have stayed a tree. The use of swear words was excessive and the dialogue was strangely child-like considering that some of the characters were academics. There are some frighteningly possible ideas in the book, such as AIs deciding they don’t need humans any more, even as avatars, but eventually failing because they run out of input. Even turning into trees isn’t as outlandish as it sounds, because evolution is fantastic and perhaps the earth will save itself by causing humans to change.

In conclusion, this is a tree-mendously interesting novel which will ‘leaf’ a lasting impression.

First published by Hachette Australia in 2025. This edition will be published in January 2026 by Fleet (Little, Brown). Thank you to the publisher for the review copy via NetGalley.

The focus in this story is on the connection between people and the benefits of going outdoors, rather than going into much detail about the dystopian elements. As the title of the book suggests, it is fear of environmental toxins and contagious diseases which keeps people at home and following the restrictions. It is the role of the spirits to show them that they have nothing to fear and demonstrate what life used to be like when they had freedom. The narrator is a young woman, who has been brought back from the peace of the afterlife and is assigned a family to look after. She will then get to have a second chance at life, if all goes well.

I enjoyed this book, as it was warm-hearted and had a hopeful tone. Sometimes it seemed a little too nice, but that reflects my personal taste. If you like the sound of a family story with a bit of the supernatural and a dystopian setting, give this one a read. Bonus points, both for the book’s anti-AI stance on creativity, education and the workplace; and for its inclusion of Woolworths, a fondly remembered shop from British high streets.

Independently published in 2025.

Set in a totalitarian UK with a one-child policy, the story is narrated by Kai, a woman in her twenties whose job is to track down illegal pregnancies. However, when she discovers that she has an illegal sister, her loyalty to the government’s brainwashing and her wish to protect her family are in conflict. This leads to an even more shocking discovery which could affect the UK’s future.

This book is impactful and frightening, with zero laughs but a great number of thought-provoking ideas. I would definitely be interested to read more from the author.

Published by Orenda Books, 2023. I won this copy in a giveaway.

The story is set in the freezing future after an event called the Cataclysm. It follows the main character, Bear, as he investigates the Phenomenon, a mysterious and brutal energy force which is devastating what is left of civilisation. He joins up with the crew of a Crawler, an armoured machine which brings supplies and news to the towns while at risk from religious cults and the Phenomenon itself. What follows is an adrenaline-fuelled quest filled with suspense and snappy dialogue. If you’re looking for a page-turning, action-packed, smart dystopian novel without any preaching, read this one!

Independently published in 2021.

Like its predecessor, this dystopian thriller is gritty, fast-paced and credible as a portrayal of the future almost a hundred years from now. The content and language of the book places it in the uppermost category of Young Adult and it’s a suitable read for adults too. My paperback copy approaches 500 pages, however, which for me is too long for this kind of novel. I actually put it down two-thirds of the way though and wasn’t sufficiently gripped to pick it up again for four days. I think by that time I had more or less predicted the ending and didn’t feel compelled to finish it. I did enjoy the book, but in my opinion it could lose 100 pages!

Thank you to The Write Reads and Penguin for my copy of the book. Part of the Ultimate Blog Tour.

The narrative switches between two teenagers, Esther and Nik, with occasional viewpoints from Hadley, the enemy. The year is 2094 and generations of stranded people have been confined to a ship, the Arcadia, since a war fought with biological weapons put them into quarantine. Esther is one of the lucky few who is training to be a medic and if her grades are good enough will be allowed to leave the ship. Nik is part of the underclass and has a role in the resistance movement which aims to liberate everyone from the totalitarian rule of the mainland. Esther is drawn into the rebellion, finding her loyalties and friendships tested while clashing with Nik.

The Stranded is a page-turner, with plenty of action, snappy dialogue, eerie atmosphere and credible details. It was first published by Penguin in 2022. Look out for my review of the sequel, The Exiled, next week!

Part of TheWriteReads blog tour in association with Penguin.

We are the robots! We’ll churn out books by the million.
Relax and let us craft your tomes, you’re sure to sell a billion.

We are the robots! We’ll grace your library shelves.
Human authors are done for, stop kidding yourselves.

We are the robots! We’ll generate your writing.
There’s no need for you to create at all…
Isn’t that exciting?

This poem was inspired by the developments in AI which are affecting the creative industries, in this case the writing community. If you feel strongly about the subject of this poem, please check out the story ‘Art Club’ in my dystopian collection, After the Burning.

“haunting”

“brilliant”

“outstanding”

“terrifying”

“thought-provoking”

“eerie”

“plausible”

“amazing”

Readers also say they “highly recommend” the book, that it’s a quick but shocking read which makes you think! I’m very pleased about that, because it’s definitely what I was going for.

If you haven’t checked out After the Burning: Dystopian Stories yet, please take a look on Amazon, where you can buy the very reasonably-priced Kindle book. You can also add it to your Goodreads TBR!

Remember to rate and leave a review, it’s massively appreciated! Thank you!

For concepts and structure, this book scores ten out of ten. I was very impressed and hadn’t read anything like it before. The writing style was, I felt, convoluted at times and there was a lot of telling, rather than showing. I had to skim-read paragraphs quite often.

The story follows a number of characters, including two journalists from opposing sides who are investigating the mysterious implants controlling the blood dealers. The characters are emotionally compelling, their relationships and struggles astutely portrayed. Some of the chapters are set in further in the future, with different characters and locations. I couldn’t guess at all how these were linked to the other chapters. The twist was excellent!

In summary, read this book if you want something different and don’t mind a lot of political content.

Independently published in 2022.

Five spine-chillingly plausible tales for our times. In a society without books, a labourer makes a shocking discovery. An artist starts an underground club for art made by humans instead of artificial intelligence. Parents who refuse to have their baby implanted with a communications chip must fight for their rights. A child goes on a school trip to the extinct natural world. Just before a general election, everyone becomes addicted to a new superfood.

A must-read collection of dystopian stories. They are works of fiction but, unless we act now, will soon be a reality.

After the Burning is available to pre-order now for Kindle and will be on Kindle Unlimited. In some ways this is a departure from my two novels, We Watch You and They Lie Here, but I have been wanting to release a short story collection for while now. I also wanted to have a go at designing a book cover myself and I’m quite pleased with the result. Let me know what you think!

Here is the link to the book on Amazon (UK) and here is the one for Amazon (US).

March 23rd is the launch day!