Title: No Pain, No Game
Author: Lucie Ataya
Genre: Dystopian Thriller
Book Blurb:
What would it take for you to endorse human torture?
What if it were for the greater good?
...Are you sure?
In this alternate version of modern-day Britain, sky-high crime rates and a state of economic crisis mean people live in a climate of fear – while yearning for change, hope, and justice.
To tackle the nation’s prison overcrowding issue, Sean Cravanaugh, a fearsome television magnate, has devised a radical and controversial solution: a live televised show, pitching selected convicted criminals against one another in a series of dangerous and painful challenges, a fight for their lives and a rare chance at freedom.
In the world of ‘No Pain, No Game’, Sean Cravanaugh decides who lives or dies. With his razor-sharp instincts for deciphering and manipulating people, he takes us on a journey bound to make us question our own sense of morality.
No Pain, No Game follows the intertwined paths and struggles of those who find themselves, willingly or forcefully, entangled in the show. They lead us into a world of pain and trickery, where nothing and no one truly is the way they seem. Can they cope with the nation’s anger and hatred, standing as they do in the eye of the storm?
Who will lose everything, and who will come out unscathed?
My Review:
This book rips the reader deep into an intense thriller almost as soon as you read the first page. There is a feeling of America's Got The Purge with this work. The author puts together a society unlike any ever seen. If you want a book where someone like he whose name is not spoken wins, this is the one for you. Dark, grisly-detailed, and raw. A book that will challenge a reader to eat and read at the same time.
Within this darkness, there is the overarching lampooning of the fixation on vote your fave tv shows. It isn't impossible to see how sheep who spend hours picking singers, dancers, sing dancers, could end up enjoying voting in this show.
Not a book for the squeamish but a book that will appeal to everyone who has a streaming service. A dark look at what society could be written in a style that will appeal to the masses.
My Rating: 5 stars
Buy it Now:
Author Biography:
Lucie Ataya grew up in Tours, France where her passion for writing and her love for the English language were born. She studied modern languages, took a random detour through Radford, Virginia in the US and moved to England to complete a Masters' Degree in Sociology at the University of Bristol. She now lives in London with her husband, their Cocker Spaniel Veer and their Burmese cat Leela.
A yogi at heart, Lucie practices yoga as a qualified Vinyasa Flow Yoga Teacher. For her day job, she works as a Product Manager in an Ad tech company.
When she's not writing, working or practising her Sun Salutations, she can be spotted walking with Veer, trialing independent coffee shops, or indulging in crafty projects.
Her first novel, 'No Pain, No Game', was published in 2020.
Her second novel, 'The Dhawan Brothers' is due to release in 2021.
Lucie is the co-founder of The Indie Writers Collective, an initiative dedicated to promoting Indie Authors and their work (Instagram: @the.indie.writers.collective).
You can learn more about Lucie on her website
And on Instagram: @lucieataya
Social Media Links:
Author Instagram: @lucieataya
Co-founder of @the.indie.writers.collective
Reviewed by: Mr. N