The Peoples Republic of Absurdia

Britain is in meltdown: energy shortages, non-existent public services, rampant inequality and millions dead at the hands of a deadly plague caused by plastics pollution - and Fred McVelly, womanising confidante to the drug-addled Premier, Terry Hair, is having the time of his life. Having masterminded an election victory sold as a rescue package but in truth an elaborate practical joke, Fred is now the quasi-leader of the People's Republic of Britannia - an eco-fascist nanny state in which each Citizen's every move is regulated and recorded, plastic surgery is prescribed as medicine, and having a drink on the wrong day can mean getting banged up. When Ockham (anonymous literary terrorist and public enemy number one) resurfaces to call for revolution, Fred hatches a plan to demonstrate the government 'winning the battle for hearts and minds.' But when he chooses heavy-drinking Pontiff for this latest ruse, things threaten to fall apart. Exasperated by the nation's collective idiocy and engaged in a spot of terrorism himself, Pontiff is in no mood to play along. As a raft of hilarious and grotesque characters discover they are connected in ways they didn't imagine, all are united in one thing: the battle to stay alive. Deadly serious and a lot of fun, fans of Orwell, Vonnegut and Phillip K. Dick will find much to enjoy here. This is the novel for our bizarre times.