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Octogen
Thirty-five years have passed since the global attacks of eleven/eleven reduced the supply of fossil fuels to a trickle and curtailed economic activity for a century. As civilisation totters on the brink of disaster, an international coalition emerges out of the chaos and confusion. Hard lessons must be learned; personal liberties curtailed and national governance ceded to the new, collective authority known as INCOL.
For Deputy Jack Tirrand, a rising star in the London Assembly, the future of his family appears secure. But appearances are deceptive. As his wife. Rebecca and twin daughters, Harriet and Alison, wrestle with personal crises. Jack finds himself forced to confront his demons from the past and present alike. His life is under threat and time is running out for him to avert the terrifying consequences of the project – codename – OCTOGEN.
For Deputy Jack Tirrand, a rising star in the London Assembly, the future of his family appears secure. But appearances are deceptive. As his wife. Rebecca and twin daughters, Harriet and Alison, wrestle with personal crises. Jack finds himself forced to confront his demons from the past and present alike. His life is under threat and time is running out for him to avert the terrifying consequences of the project – codename – OCTOGEN.
454 pages, Paperback
Published May 3, 2024
About the author
Geoff Cook
6 books22 followersBorn and educated in London, I trained as an accountant and spent a large part of my working life outside the UK. mainly in Brazil, Spain and Portugal. A vivid imagination, coupled with experience in a wide variety of industrial and commercial ventures in contrasting environments has proved a rich vein in stimulating my lifelong passion to write.
At the turn of the millennium, I made the time to start writing seriously, producing my first novel, Pieces for the Wicked and two three-act plays, Painful Truths and The Last Chapter, as my introduction to the literary world.
Although I do not feel committed to any specific fiction genre, I consider my subsequent novels through 2010 to date broadly fit into the suspense and thriller category.
Inspired by a Latin palindrome, The Sator Square deals with a terrorist plot to kill a member of the Royal family and was published by NGP in both hardback and paperback. It was followed by Deaf Wish, a tale of adultery, deceit, betrayal and murder set, unsurprisingly, in Wales, Portugal and Spain's Costa de la Luz.
My most taxing work to date is The Last Rights, the story of a Holocaust survivor who witnesses the greatest robbery of all time. Moulding the plot around the historical detail of Germany in 1945 and the Nazi escape route to South America required extensive research and I sincerely thank the historians who made my task and the novel possible.
It was perhaps a reflex that the release which followed, Irreconcilable Differences, is a black comedy, dealing with deadly inter-family rivalries.
As I write this bio, my latest novel, Octogen, is about to be released. A dystopian plot, set in 2065, a family in crisis is faced with the terrifying consequences of a project - codename Octogen.
Working in Eastbourne, I travel frequently to the Algarve where I live with my wife, Fatima. Between us, we have four sons and six grandchildren.
For a more detailed look, go to www.geoff-cook.com
At the turn of the millennium, I made the time to start writing seriously, producing my first novel, Pieces for the Wicked and two three-act plays, Painful Truths and The Last Chapter, as my introduction to the literary world.
Although I do not feel committed to any specific fiction genre, I consider my subsequent novels through 2010 to date broadly fit into the suspense and thriller category.
Inspired by a Latin palindrome, The Sator Square deals with a terrorist plot to kill a member of the Royal family and was published by NGP in both hardback and paperback. It was followed by Deaf Wish, a tale of adultery, deceit, betrayal and murder set, unsurprisingly, in Wales, Portugal and Spain's Costa de la Luz.
My most taxing work to date is The Last Rights, the story of a Holocaust survivor who witnesses the greatest robbery of all time. Moulding the plot around the historical detail of Germany in 1945 and the Nazi escape route to South America required extensive research and I sincerely thank the historians who made my task and the novel possible.
It was perhaps a reflex that the release which followed, Irreconcilable Differences, is a black comedy, dealing with deadly inter-family rivalries.
As I write this bio, my latest novel, Octogen, is about to be released. A dystopian plot, set in 2065, a family in crisis is faced with the terrifying consequences of a project - codename Octogen.
Working in Eastbourne, I travel frequently to the Algarve where I live with my wife, Fatima. Between us, we have four sons and six grandchildren.
For a more detailed look, go to www.geoff-cook.com
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 28, 2024
Octogen is set in 2065, 35 years after global attacks wiping out use of fossil fuels and leading to a significant reduction in economic activity. The events of eleven / eleven led to the creation of an international coalition in order to ensure that resources don’t run out, and personal liberties are restricted. Deputy Jack Tirrand is a part of this collective authority INCOL, a rising star of the London Assembly, but all that is about to change as he realises the future and safety of his family is not as secure as he thought. There’s hidden agendas, secrets, betrayals and twists in this dystopian thriller.
I liked the way that the setting was established, particularly in the description of Golf becoming an archaic and now virtual game as the land of golf courses are now used for growing crops for food. By including details like this in the storyline it shows a lot of the change that was needed following the eleven / eleven attacks and creates a clear picture for the readers of the different world we’re visiting. I liked how the storyline unfolded and we gradually learned how the prologue is connected to the main narrative, interlaced with the twists and turns of different character’s secrets. The change in character perspective kept me on my toes, and meant that there the story was multifaceted, the government quashing dissenters, the plans for codename Octogen and the media working to discredit those in power for their own gains. This is a many layered thriller with twists that I didn’t see coming and would be enjoyed by other dystopian fiction fans.
I liked the way that the setting was established, particularly in the description of Golf becoming an archaic and now virtual game as the land of golf courses are now used for growing crops for food. By including details like this in the storyline it shows a lot of the change that was needed following the eleven / eleven attacks and creates a clear picture for the readers of the different world we’re visiting. I liked how the storyline unfolded and we gradually learned how the prologue is connected to the main narrative, interlaced with the twists and turns of different character’s secrets. The change in character perspective kept me on my toes, and meant that there the story was multifaceted, the government quashing dissenters, the plans for codename Octogen and the media working to discredit those in power for their own gains. This is a many layered thriller with twists that I didn’t see coming and would be enjoyed by other dystopian fiction fans.
Displaying 1 of 1 review