The Word: 1

One idea can jinx a whole country in less than a lifetime.... Rhydian is one of five teenagers born into his generation with the Word - a preternatural power that enables them to compel other people to obey. Along with his best friend Jonno, almost-grown-up Rachel, and Cadi, he is studied and experimented on in a facility called the Centre. When they learn that the Centre’s purpose is to turn them into weapons of war, the teens go on the run. How did this brutal fortress Britain emerge? Here, babies are stolen from mothers whose identities are stripped away at will. Protesting crowds are mesmerised, and children who disobey are killed in cold blood.

'A pacey novella which balances big concepts such as ethics, language, propaganda and control with a human story of flight and finding love and trust where you can.' Gwen Davies, editor of New Welsh Review

'For readers of Margaret Atwood and Kazuo Ishiguro' - The Bookeller

'Has the vibe of a cult late 70s British sci-fi TV show – one of those clever, bleak, violent ones where you wonder how they slipped it past the higher ups. It explores its fantastical premise thoughtfully – ruminating on the ways in which language can be both a force for liberation and for oppression. Plus there is a charming will-they-won’t-they gay teen love triangle at the centre of it all anchoring its weighty themes.' Lloyd Markham, author of Bad IdeasChemicals