Lie of the Land

Investigative journalist Carl Shewan lives in a world controlled by terror. Part of a dying breed, trapped under the heel of the oppressive CivCon regime, he and his colleagues are slowly being pushed to the margins as they struggle against a government that will tolerate no challenge to its absolute authority. When an informant summons him to the Highland town of Inverlair with information on the mysterious new communications system, S.C.O.P.E, Carl thinks he might finally be onto something. Not long after he arrives, however, the system is activated …with catastrophic results. Imprisoned in this remote refuge by a technological catastrophe for which he feels partly responsible, Carl struggles to adapt to impending fatherhoodand to a harsh new existence in an ancient landscape, until a childless gamekeeper offers him an alternative to guilt and alienation. Set in the near future, Lie of the Land examines the claustrophobia of small-town life and questions how far the state will go to preserve an orderly society, one in which ubiquitous surveillance has reduced human life to a virtual experience.

Reviews of Lie of the Land

'Despite the horrors that slowly, slyly emerge, there are also passages of genuine beauty … announces a talent to be followed closely' – Stuart Kelly; 'Lie of the Land is greater than the sum of its possible parts, and those parts might be 1984, Lord of the Flies, and Under the Dome' – Shoreline of Infinity; 'Michael F Russell has delivered an intriguing, thought-provoking and immensely readable book' – Roger Hutchinson; 'This thrilling book will grab and hold onto you as it unfolds its story – a gripping tale that must be read' – Lovereading