Overview

When Bowie-obsessed IT guy Bob leaves his job at a bank to work in school surveillance, he is expecting an easy life. He could not be more wrong. They say the cameras keep the children safe. So no-one objects when their images are used to feed a revolutionary new teaching system that guarantees extraordinary results. But when Bob meets Lexi, a teacher shaken by the tragic suicide of a teenage pupil, he begins to question whether replacing humans with corporate machines is in the children's best interests. Through the eyes of two ordinary people who will go on to risk everything, For Those About to Rock charts the insidious rise of Yuthentic, a populist political movement, and its sinister private sector partner, The Corporation, as they prepare to set in motion a chilling series of events. Steeped in the social and political dilemmas that dominate the 2020s, the Rockstar Ending series blends glimmers of dark humor with acutely observed cultural references and include a playlist of songs that run through each story. If you love thought-provoking fiction such as Black Mirror, The Handmaid's Tale or Nineteen Eighty-Four, this book is for you.

Full Product Details

9781913417079

Table of Contents

Reviews

I'm not one for dystopian fiction normally as they all tend to be much of a muchness. This wasnt! Set very much in the very near future, the story teases us with new technology being introduced into a school by 'the corporation' and the human story of an IT guy supervising it and a maths teacher. There's no direct reference to dystopian controls in this prequel however the description of the political party Yuthentic, at the start and end of the book, make it clear that the world is getting dark very quickly and no one is noticing. Highly recommended. Amazon reviewer, Feb 2022 This is a great prequel to the Rockstar Ending trilogy. It gives all the details you need for the background of what's to come in the future books, without spoiling the story line and leaving enough to tempt you to want to read on. The acronyms are clever and the books make you think of what could be to come. Anyone who liked G. Orwell novels on what might be to come and analyse human nature, will get thoroughly hooked on these books. I don't read as much as I should but can't put these down! J. N. Reynolds on Amazon, Aug 2021 This was a scary read in these unusual times. I mean 'scary' in terms of what can happen if people do not pay enough attention to the small things before they become huge consequences. I don't want to say too much as I would spoil the enjoyment for others. Excellent prequel to 'Rockstar Ending' with a well-written storyline and full, believable characters. I will certainly be reading more by N A Rossi. Kay, Goodreads, Oct 2020

Author Information

N. A. (Nicola) Rossi is the author of the eerily prescient Rockstar Ending books, now in development for a repeatable TV series with Free@Last TV. Rockstar Ending started life as her short story, 'One Last Gift', which won a dystopian fiction award from the Orwell Society and was published in the Journal of Orwell Studies. The judges described it as 'highly original, macabre and very funny'. Adapted into the first of a series of long-form, self-published novels, it was followed by Rock On and Rockaway, in addition to the prequel novella, For Those About to Rock.The books are set in late 2020s, between London and the North West of England. Following a landslide referendum, assisted dying has been legalised. However, manipulation by social media and artificial intelligence is out of control. When Lexi, a middle-aged teacher, finds out that her best friend's mother has secretly booked herself a one-way ticket, she sets out on a rescue mission that takes her on a terrifying journey deep into the heart of the death factory.Barry Ryan, of Free@Last TV, said: 'Nicola has created a beautifully stark and brilliantly entertaining juxtaposition of the 'what ifs' about science, life, choices, euthanasia and eugenics and raises hugely important questions about who we are and where we are going'.Nicola has lived in London most of her life, moving there from the seaside town of Southport in the early '80s. After university (UCL), she flirted briefly with journalism, before a 30-year career in corporate communication for big tech companies. In 2017 she was awarded an MA in Digital Media from Goldsmiths University and changed direction. She started to write about surveillance, data ownership, consent and the potential for people to be manipulated without their knowledge. Nicola is a regular blogger on technology, society and the arts. She has lectured in universities on leadership, PR, ethics and communications management. A confident and engaging speaker, she has appeared on BBC Radio 4 Today, BBC local radio, podcasts, spoken at book groups, and is a regular performer at arts festivals including the Brockley Max. She has written for media outlets including The Independent, Time Out, Louder Than War and Influence, and lives in south east London with her family.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available