Forcing

Lured by rumours of tropical sanctuary, a disparate group of men and women escape their inhospitable exile to seek freedom, in a near future where civilization has collapsed. A cataclysmic, climate-change thriller from one of the world's leading environmental scientists... 'A compelling, moving story of survival in a dying world ... a novel that might have actually predicted our future' Ewan Morrison 'Smart, gripping, and all too plausible ... asks the big questions that we're running out of time to answer, and announces Paul E. Hardisty as the true heir to John Christopher' Tim Glister 'A bold, beautifully written and imagined novel about an all-too plausible future - Paul Hardisty is a visionary' Luke McCallin _________________________________ Civilisation is collapsing... Frustrated and angry after years of denial and inaction, in a last-ditch attempt to stave off disaster, a government of youth has taken power in North America, and a policy of institutionalised ageism has been introduced. All those older than the prescribed age are deemed responsible for the current state of the world, and are to be 'relocated', their property and assets confiscated. David Ashworth, known by his friends and students as Teacher, and his wife May, find themselves among the thousands being moved to 'new accommodation' in the abandoned southern deserts - thrown together with a wealthy industrialist and his wife, a high court lawyer, two recent immigrants to America, and a hospital worker. Together, they must come to terms with their new lives in a land rendered unrecognisable. As the terrible truth of their situation is revealed, lured by rumours of a tropical sanctuary where they can live in peace, they plan a perilous escape. But the world outside is more dangerous than they could ever have imagined. And for those who survive, nothing will ever be the same again... _________________________________ 'Fierce, thoughtful, deeply humane and always compelling. Tightly plotted, the tension builds from page one and never relents' David Whish-Wilson 'An emotional, all-too-prescient climate thriller. In turns moving and terrifying ... a book of our time' Eve Smith 'Outstanding! Thrilling and thought-provoking.If there's any justice, this book will be HUGE!!!' Michael J Malone 'The book I've been waiting and hoping for...' Paul Waters 'Hardisty is a fine writer' Lee Child 'With the biting intensity of a thriller and the majestic world-building of a classic dystopian tale ... a cataclysmic call-to-arms and a powerful warning' B S Casey 'A passionate tale of climate catastrophe ... STUNNING' Emerald Reviews 'A stark, gripping, often poignant, but undeniably thought provoking read' Jen Med's Book Reviews 'Both a reality check and completely absorbing fiction, speaking of cold harsh facts but also of love, endurance and hope' From Belgium with Booklove 'The most timely of stories ... the key thing, once we have devoured it, is how we respond' Live Many Lives Praise for Paul E. Hardisty ***Shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger*** ***The Times and Sunday Telegraph Book of the Year*** A stormer of a thriller - vividly written, utterly tropical, totally gripping' Peter James 'A fast-paced action thriller, beautifully written' Tim Marshall, author of Prisoners of Geography 'A trenchant and engaging thriller that unravels this mysterious land in cool, precise sentences' Catholic Herald 'A remarkably well-written, sophisticated novel in which the people and places all come alive on the page...' Literary Review 'Searing ... at times achieves the level of genuine poetry' Publishers Weekly 'The quality of Hardisty's writing and the underlying truth of his plots sets this above many other thrillers' West Australian