DECEIVED KINGDOM

Boris Johnson baffled everybody by pulling out of the Tory leadership contest in 2016. Why when he seemed a dead cert to win? The answer – revealed here for the first time – lies in the dystopian dream he had the night before — allegedly.

Now known as Marmaduke, he rules what’s left of England. Digital referendums decide everything, with the issues thrashed out on EastEnders. The Caliphate threatens from north and west. An invasion force embarks in Europe. The Queen is in exile in Germany; Harry beachcombing in the South Pacific; Charles a crofter on Skye; William about to assume the mantle of King Arthur and attack at the head of the pagans of the West. Most menacing of all, however, is David, Spirit of Britain, released from the mirror of Doctor Dee in Buckingham Palace, shapeshifting from Ziggy Stardust to Major Tom as he pursues Marmaduke into space.

 
“It’s a hoot! Many jokes: fantastical twists and turns.”— Tony Peake, author of North Facing.

“Brilliantly written post-Brexit satire in the tradition of Swift, Voltaire and Vonnegut.”— S.Allman

“Imaginative plot, greatly humorous, this vividly written satire would make a great television series.”— Andy Merriman, author of Hattie: The Authorised Biography of Hattie Jacques.

“It is – all at once – biting satire, science fiction fantasy, contemporary lampoon, surreal romp and stand-up comedy. It’ll have you cursing at the turn of history it so skilfully derides while chuckling into your post-Brexit porridge.” — Robert Nurden, author of I Always Wanted to Be a Dad.

“The plot is a marvel of invention, timely suspension of narrative detail, delicious historical placement, and nonchalant surrealism. The humour, a relentless stream of gags, puns, and riffs on language, digs deeper and deeper into the absurdity of myth. The set pieces are sublime. A true satire, at once erudite and vicious, and, in the deeply pleasurable skewering of the offenders, solace for the offence.” — Eamonn Shanahan