Book Review: Broadcast by Liam Brown

Happy publication day to Liam Brown, Broadcast is published today. After reading the synopsis, I just had to see what this novel had to offer…

Book Description:

Inception meets Black Mirror for the YouTube generation.

The idea behind MindCast is simple. We insert a small chip into your skull and then every thought, every feeling, every memory is streamed live, twenty-four hours a day. Trust me – within a few months you’ll be the most talked about person on the planet.

When David Callow is offered the lead role in a revolutionary new online show, he snatches at the opportunity.

Rapidly becoming a viral sensation, David is propelled to stratospheric levels of celebrity. However, he soon realises the downside of sharing every secret with the world.

A prisoner to both his fame and his own thoughts, David seeks to have the chip removed, only to discover the chilling secret lurking at the heart of MindCast, and the terrifying ambition the show’s creator has for him.

My Thoughts:

Broadcast moves at an incredibly fast-pace and takes the reader on a whirlwind of ride! As a sci-fi novel, Brown chose the perfect writing style for this novel, it’s simple and to the point, just like social media, you use the least words to say what you have to say – Broadcast does just that, it’s to the point, both exciting and chilling at the same time.

David isn’t a particularly likeable character, not a first anyway, caught up in his YouTube fame, he’s young and full of himself. As the plot progresses, and MindCast becomes his life, the realisation of what he’s signed up for hits him, and as he struggles to handle his new-found levels of fame, you grow to feel sympathetic towards him. And see how what he is facing must be truly terrifying.

Brown did a great job using technological advances in this novel, yes, they are far-fetched at the moment but in fifteen, twenty years’ time, will novels like this still be classed as science-fiction? And that’s where the chill factor enters this novel, it opens your mind to the possibilities advances in technology can and will bring. At first, it’s great, you just think about wanting a cup of tea and the kettle begins to boil, but when people begin to advance this technology to take away your control, it’s suddenly not so great anymore.

I don’t want any spoilers so I’ll be vague in this next sentence. Brown creates some amazing scenes in this novel, they are so clever and display an ability to manipulate reality and, dare I say it, manipulate the readers mind! There were also some characters in this novel that really surprised me in their actions, some in a good way, some in a bad way. But there’s no denying, Broadcast, takes ‘Big Brother’ to a whole new and frightening level!

I’m so glad I discovered this novel, because it was truly enjoyable from cover to cover, it can be devoured in one-sitting and I have no reservations recommending it.

This novel is available to buy from: Amazon UK / Book Depository

*My thanks to the publisher (Legend Press) for granting me access to a digital copy of this book via Netgalley*