The Beach Beneath The Pavement
A satirical novel of conspiracy and paranoia in London’s dark corners
Media Mentions
Praise and Reviews
“This is utterly intriguing, well paced and beautifully written. It is also wonderfully louche.”
“I would pick this up in the store in a second...This is a just slightly over-the-top satire/thriller that succeeds on both fronts... Bernard and Danny are two former True Believers who've had their wings clipped by life. They could be deeply depressing characters. That makes them ripe for comedy, whee!, and you make them very, very funny, with an obvious deep understanding of the social/intellectual landscape that they're coming from”
“I love this; it's sharp, witty satire, perfect for the modern world. In fact, since I first read this I do believe that the gap between the satire and the real world has narrowed a little. I'm not sure if I should be amused or worried about this. Great stuff, anyway. I'd love to read the whole thing.”
“Why on earth haven't i read this before? It's so good. I've just finished the third chapter and apart from the immediate response of just gulping down the words because the story is pulling me along so swiftly I am also hugely impressed by what you are doing with the words. There is such assurance in your great figurative language... what I like even more, is your sense of restraint. The linguistic pyrotechnics are so carefully embedded in strong accomplished, flowing prose that the narration is fast and uncluttered. Your skill here is like a master class.”
“Tight prose, smart, and flawless -- a great read with a fabulous sense of humor. Wonderful.”
“.. smart, funny, caustic... A sardonic, subversive take on all things New Age and the futility of belief. Excellent. Nuff said.”
“I can sum this book up in one word. Mindblowing! “
“It's a wonderful mixture of absurdism, politics, philosophy and hipness... a style that is wonderfully slick, and a playfulness with and enjoyment of language so lacking in much fiction.”
“It joins the strands of narrative, characterisation and plot in a way which is superbly professional and richly deserving of publication, fame, fortune and a thin little government file on the author somewhere... captured the zeitgeist absolutely perfectly. Post-credibility is a fantastic concept - we know they're lying, but they've given us credit cards so we don't give a shit. And now that we're all fed up with dinner party conversations about house values and Tuscany, there is a growing popularity in all things alternative, which corporate powers will doubtless pounce upon and exploit before society can catch up with it.”
“It feels like you put The Matrix, Iain Banks and a healthy slosh of Amis into this Bloody Mary, but the spirit is all your own. The disaffected heroes, Cynicism and Pessimism, have substance and interest. The philosophy behind it is what really makes this exciting, but I have to say, detailed settings, colourful (if not entirely trustworthy) characters and a plot so tightly tied to your concept shakes something special from the mix.”
“A master story-teller at the top of his game.”
“This is a historical novel about now: 'The Era of Post-Credibility.'
Post-everything philosophy, perfectionist costume detail, the minutiae of middle-class drug uptake, urban bombs, mechanised newspapers, the whiff of arrant sexism flip-siding male failure - it's all so well done.
If this book ever makes it into mainstream publication the author will doubtless be sued, with good reason. The rest of us will be too busy laughing as the doom-laden Bernard makes his phantasmagoric journey though 21st-century liggerland. Shamefully funny. Bloody funny. Very, very funny.”
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