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'She belongs to me – property rights will prevail.'
Evie is a near-perfect bioengineered human. In a broken-down future England where her kind has been outlawed, her ‘husband’ Matthew keeps her safe but hidden. When her existence is revealed, she must take her chances on the dark and hostile streets where more than one predator is on the hunt.
THE ACTUALITY is a powerful, atmospheric journey into a dark future in which the brilliant Evie - curious, soulful and aware of her limitations - forces us to question the essence of what it is to be human.
THE ACTUALITY - Paul's debut novel, is published by Sandstone Press. .
cover design: Heike Schüssler
available to order from all bookshops and online sites ...
Exquisite... Not since Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep have I felt so strongly about where artificial intelligence might lead us.
Highly recommended.
Christina Dalcher (author of Vox & Q)
Engaging, fast-moving and surprising ... The novel gives familiar science fiction themes a fresh and compassionate look, and makes of them something new.
Ken Macleod (author of Corporation Wars)
Written with flair and humanity, The Actuality catches the tenor of a mind similar to but nonetheless very different from our own ... mesmerising
Simon Ings The Times
The Actuality offers a rich contemplation of ethical and philosophical questions about artificial life and intelligence.
John Self BBC Culture
The Actuality is a brilliantly written and well-paced read that quickly grabs hold of you and won’t let go.
Smart, literary science fiction ... those who like to savour every last sentence will find much to enjoy here.
Wow, what a book! Brilliant scifi focusing on artificial intelligence and it's a fantastic read! Bravo! (Twitter) ...
The Actuality is a great novel, it's a speculative sci-fi story of Evie's search for a home and a sense of belonging, but it also grapples with some big ideas, and ones which have a real urgency.
James Pierson crimenovelreader
The Actuality is a stimulating and thrilling read, the technology and science, AI and the nature of sentience, are cleverly and insightfully woven into a story of what it is to be human.
Braddon has written a fast-paced science fiction thriller with a fully believable plot ... his dystopian future, 100 years on from now, is utterly different to our own and feels both plausible and utterly terrifying at the same time.
The Actuality ... will trigger thought processes and send shivers down the spine
A propulsive, engaging and flowing read, also for readers looking for a page-turner even if they are not particularly into sci-fi.
I don’t often read sci fi novels. In fact, I don’t think I have read any sci fi novels in the last 10 years actually! The premise of this novel really appealed to me so I was willing to try a genre I don’t usually read! Boy, I am glad I did because I really enjoyed this debut book.