Henry Tam’s novels – Kuan's Wonderland; Whitehall through the Looking Glass; and The Hunting of the Gods – satirises how Con politics turns those with little power against those with no power at all. Each novel brings into sharp relief the threats posed by charlatans and manipulators, and explores how their domination can be overcome.
Theses thought-provoking tales have been praised in diverse quarters: “An unmissable page-turner” (President, the Independent Publishers Guild); “An important reminder of the risks of crude neoliberal ideology” (General Secretary, TUC); “Simply a tour de force” (Director for Education, WEA); “Original and very engaging” (Fantasy Book Review); “The ending is tense, unexpected and powerful” (Economics Editor, The Independent newspaper); “Beautifully, deftly written” (Dame Jane Roberts, NLGN); "It's a cautionary tale and a call to action, but also a gripping read" (Director, Speakers’ Corner Trust).
• Kuan’s Wonderland is an allegorical story about a young boy, Kuan, who is taken against his will to the mysterious realm of Shiyan, where nothing is as it appears. Held back by quite unexpected threats and diversions, he hopes his father will come to his rescue, not suspecting that they may both be the target of a dark conspiracy. In his attempt to escape from Shiyan, where the lower order routinely pledge to give more of their time to do the bidding of the ruling elite, Kuan encounters a host of enigmatic characters, from the unseen Curator to Dr Erica Lee, to whom the motherless boy develops a deep attachment. In the end he has to face up to a painful secret from his past and make the ultimate sacrifice to save his own world from annihilation.
• Whitehall through the Looking Glass is a satirical tale about how a group of corporations known as the Consortium, with George VIII as a figurehead, has come to rule over both the UK and the US. In this timid new world, civil servants jostle to be of the greatest service to their new political masters, except for Philip K. Rainsborough when he learns of the Consortium’s real agenda. Alas, the Consortium has on its side the Super Utility Network, the most advanced opinion manipulation technology in the world. Rainsborough gets a chance to bring down the government when Chief Supt Carrie Edel asks for his help in charging the Prime Minister with murder. But who can he really trust?
• The Hunting of the Gods is a saga set on an unrecognisable Earth under the control of immortal ‘gods’, whose subjects accept that all life on the planet was created by their rulers just 500 years ago. Down the centuries, all racial differences have merged into homogeneity; gender discrimination has vanished; the poor die young; and the elite prosper and live very long indeed. There is nothing beyond the grasp of the gods except how to make peace with each other. From the beginning, the two immortal rivals have divided the world into interminably warring realms. But during the latest conflict, rumours start to circulate that the reign of the gods must come to an end. Amidst the revolutionary intrigues stands a recently resurrected man whose past has long been forgotten by everyone. Rebels turn to him for help, but his second coming may soon be over.
Click on the links below and select either the Kindle edition or the paperback option:
Kuan's Wonderland: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kuans-Wonderland-ebook/dp/B008144G9I/
Whitehall through the Looking Glass: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Whitehall-through-Looking-Glass-Novel-ebook/dp/B00J3VRGEU/
The Hunting of the Gods: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hunting-Gods-Henry-Tam-ebook/dp/B01FKF212O/
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In addition to his novels, Henry Tam has had many books and articles published on social and political issues. These include Time to Save Democracy; Communitarianism, which was nominated by New York University Press for the 2000 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order; and a global history of the progressive struggle, Against Power Inequalities, which has been acclaimed on both sides of the Atlantic. He has also been a senior adviser in the UK Government; lecturer at Cambridge University; Visiting Professor at Birkbeck, University of London; and a speaker at key events on democracy and governance around the world from Washington and Warsaw to Oxford and Strasbourg.
(Learn more at: Henry Tam: Words & Politics)
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