Paperback: 304pp

Publisher: Lightning Books (23 June 2017)

ISBN-13: 978-1-78563-034-7

Product Dimensions: 198 x 129 cm

Time of Lies

Douglas Board

£8.99

“A milestone in dystopian fictionChris Mullin

In 2020 the United Kingdom elects its own Donald Trump.

Bob Grant, former football hooligan, now the charismatic leader of the Britain’s Great party, has swept to power on a populist tide. With his itchy finger hovering over the nuclear trigger, Bob presides over a brave new Britain where armed drones fill the skies, ex-bankers and foreigners are vilified, and the Millwall football chant ‘No one likes us, we don’t care’ has become an unofficial national anthem.

Meanwhile, Bob’s under-achieving, Guardian-reading brother Zack gets a tap on the shoulder from a shady Whitehall mandarin. A daring plot is afoot to defy the will of the people and unseat the increasingly unstable PM. Can Zack stop his brother before he launches a nuclear strike on Belgium? And just what is ACERBIC, Britain’s most closely-guarded military secret?

A darkly comic political thriller, Time of Lies is also a terrifyingly believable portrait of an alternative Britain. It couldn’t happen here… could it?

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quotes

‘A milestone in dystopian fiction. The first post-Truth, post-Brexit novel. We are destined to hear more of Douglas Board’

Chris Mullin

‘My book of the moment: Douglas Board is a truly talented satirist and has our Brexit era nailed’

Matthew d'Ancona

‘This post-Brexit satire has you laughing out loud whilst ruthlessly dissecting our troubled times. A funny, exciting and provocative summer read for anyone wanting to reflect on recent political upheavals’

Wendy Alexander, former leader of the Scottish Labour Party

reviews

‘A spirited novel’

Financial Times

‘There couldn’t be a more appropriate time to read this riveting satire that's so insightful it's scary. It's both funny and startling to see how close to the bone Board’s writing strikes’

Buzz magazine, Book of the Month

‘A sharply-focused tale of the worst-case scenario – what would happen if the UK were to elect its own Donald Trump? A satire like this only works if it's plausible – and this one is. Time of Lies is a thoughtful, at times slightly zany, look at a future we hope won't come to pass – but has every chance of doing so’

The Bookbag, ****

‘This no-holds-barred satire is a wonderfully comic read that has you roaring with laughter throughout’

Baby Dolls and Razorblades

‘If you’ve taken any interest in the current political upheaval, this book will either make you laugh or cry’

Just 4 My Books

‘A fast-paced, highly entertaining work of fiction (unless it comes closer to reality than I care to admit) with a plot that is part James Bond, part dark comedy, part social satire, part political thriller’

The HyperTexts

‘Board appears ahead of his time: he sails very close to reality and truth’

Cheryl M-M’s Book Blog

‘A scathing satire on British and world politics. Board perfectly captures a country in crisis with humour and scary prescience’

Bookshine and Readbows

‘A very timely read as the Brexit insanity endures – Time of Lies is clever political satire and seems all too worryingly possible’

Books Are Cool

‘Board works in a way that isn’t necessarily funny ‘haha’ but funny ‘oh shit’...He injects humour into a scary world. What’s not to love?’

Radzy Writes and Reviews

‘This was out of my comfort zone and well worth a read’

Booklover Worm

extras

Douglas Board tells Southwark News why he thinks Millwall and Eton are two sides of a yawning class divide in modern Britain.

ABOUT

Douglas Board

Born in Hong Kong, Douglas Board has degrees from Cambridge and Harvard and worked for the UK Treasury and then as a headhunter. He has also had a distinguished career in public life, serving as treasurer of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and chairing the British Refugee Council. He is currently an honorary senior visiting fellow at the business school of City, University of London.

He is the author of two applied research books on leadership, which was the subject of his doctorate. Elites, published by Eye Books in 2021, is the product of his years of experience as a headhunter. In addition he is the author of two novels: the campus satire MBA, which asked why so much of the business world is Managed By Arseholes, and Time of Lies, an exploration of the collapse of democracy. He also wrote the free-to-download novelette, The Rats: A White House Satire.

Follow him on Twitter @BoardWryter.