Trade

by Lochlan Bloom

The nihilistic employee of a Berlin social network, chronicles the early days of a new sexual economy. What happens when the world of tech start-ups collides with the global sex industry?


"Go in bold they said, throw in some sex, that will catch their attention. Great advice that was! It’s that sort of thinking that led to all this shit, that led to all this relentless hustling…"

94 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Lochlan Bloom is a British novelist, screenwriter and short story writer.

He is the author of the novel The Wave, published by Dead Ink Books as part of their New Voices series, The Open Cage from Australian publisher InShort and the novella Trade.

The Wave was one of three novels selected for the Publishing The Underground initiative funded by Arts Council England.

He has written for Slant Magazine, BBC Radio, Litro Magazine, Porcelain Film, IronBox Films, The Metropolist, EIU, H+ Magazine, Palladium Magazine and Calliope, the official publication of the Writers’ Special Interest Group (SIG) of American Mensa, amongst others.

Reviews

[Paul Samael · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Trade” is narrated from a point in the not too distant future when an internet platform (a sort of cross between Facebook and Ebay) has radically changed the way that people approach sex. Sometimes you have a feeling from the first page that something is going to be worth reading - and for me, “Trade” delivered on that initial promise. The premise was sufficiently intriguing and enough happened in terms of plot to justify the label “novelette,” with its implication that the story – though only about 15,000 words - will deliver at least some of the things you would normally expect from a longer work.

For a longer review, see http://www.paulsamael.com/blog/trade-...

[Jeroen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too short for five stars, not enough there to really judge.

A nice read, delivering critique on Houellebecq while doing more or less the same, showing an empty society, where people are eaten from the inside out while being succesfull. All written from the perspective of a rather bored, emotionally flat person. Consistently written, maybe a bit too much internal dialogue for my taste, but for a starting writer, not bad... I'm interested to see where mr. Bloom will be heading, and how he will develop his style. Certainly worth the half hour to read it.

[Jenna Scribbles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the concept intriguing - social media meets sex trade. I even enjoyed the app development side of the story. But... The story ventured into too many tangents. There seemed to be many side thoughts and details provided that had little effect on the plot. It lacked a building of tension or caring for the characters. The reader also doesn't get into the sex meets social media theme until after 67% of the ebook.

It was a fun idea that failed to be revealed.

[Purcell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice novella on apps and dating