London, 2054. After a devastating global pandemic and a bloody revolution, Britain's new government imposes peace by stringently dictating the nation's cultural intake. In the quest to create better citizens, everything from the television we watch to the clothes we wear is strictly policed. As part of the unit tasked with upholding these so-called 'Bad Taste Laws', H. and his partner, Bagby, have their work cut out. When former reality TV star Caleb Jennings is found murdered, some suspect it could be a simple vigilante slaying. But, as H. digs deeper into the killing, Bagby's association with old revolutionary figureheads is called into question. With the help of Caleb's estranged sister, the museum curator Kate Faron, H. must navigate a Britain in which paranoia and suspicion of the unknown are rife, all the while dealing with the mysterious tech behemoth Vangelis, new revolutionary murmurings, and the legacy of Kate's biologist parents. Compelled by what he uncovers, H. begins to question his loyalty to the state at a time when national stability couldn't be more precarious.

Enter a near-future Britain where bad taste is illegal...

About the Author

Tom Ward is an author and features writer, writing for publications including Wired, Esquire and National Geographic.

He has won the GQ Norman Mailer Award, the PPA New Consumer Magazine Journalist of the Year Award, and has been shortlisted for The People's Book Prize. He is also a graduate of the Faber Academy.

Reviews

'An inventive, vivid and assured debut' Alison Moore, author of The Retreat

'A brilliantly inventive spin on the police procedural which shines an uneasy spotlight onto an all too imaginable near-future. Five stars' Lucie McKnight Hardy, author of Water Shall Refuse Them

'A gruelling tale of dodgy cops, invasive tech and dictatorship sold as freedom. This Britain feels just over the horizon if not already forming in the threads of Westminster WhatsApp groups, or the fine print of legalese that regular people don't get to see. The Lion and the Unicorn is gritty, violent and meticulously realised; a vision of British dystopia that feels far too close for comfort.' Harry Gallon, author of Small Rivers

Book Information
ISBN 9781789651539
Author Tom Ward
Format Paperback
Imprint Unbound Digital
Publisher Unbound