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Cancelled: The Shape of Things to Come
***Shortlisted for the Prometheus Awards Best Novel of the Year 2025***
New Britannia is a wondrous land of love & inclusion.
Through progressive politics and social justice, its leaders have purged the nation of its bad apples and transformed it into a shining beacon of hope.
One of its most loyal citizens is Sienna Clay, star auditor for a market-leading cancellation company. She spends her days trawling the Network looking for problematic views. Every offender she identifies is removed from the mainstream.
Thanks to keyboard warriors like Sienna, New Britannia has become an oasis of tolerance in a world riven by hate.
However, Sienna’s own world is far from perfect. Her girlfriend has taken up with naturalists, her home OS is ghosting her and her co-workers are pressuring her into witnessing their sexual consent application. She has also been set an unsavoury assignment; auditing an ex-slaughterman with blood on his hands despite the prohibition of meat.
New Britannia is truly a wondrous land of love & inclusion. Except when it’s not.
"A gripping SF-enhanced dystopian fable" – The Libertarian Futurist Society
"[King] demonstrates mastery of at least two types of story-telling in the one novel, and one comes away impressed that he could handle both as superbly as he did" – Basso Profundo Book Blog
New Britannia is a wondrous land of love & inclusion.
Through progressive politics and social justice, its leaders have purged the nation of its bad apples and transformed it into a shining beacon of hope.
One of its most loyal citizens is Sienna Clay, star auditor for a market-leading cancellation company. She spends her days trawling the Network looking for problematic views. Every offender she identifies is removed from the mainstream.
Thanks to keyboard warriors like Sienna, New Britannia has become an oasis of tolerance in a world riven by hate.
However, Sienna’s own world is far from perfect. Her girlfriend has taken up with naturalists, her home OS is ghosting her and her co-workers are pressuring her into witnessing their sexual consent application. She has also been set an unsavoury assignment; auditing an ex-slaughterman with blood on his hands despite the prohibition of meat.
New Britannia is truly a wondrous land of love & inclusion. Except when it’s not.
"A gripping SF-enhanced dystopian fable" – The Libertarian Futurist Society
"[King] demonstrates mastery of at least two types of story-telling in the one novel, and one comes away impressed that he could handle both as superbly as he did" – Basso Profundo Book Blog
- GenresDystopiaScience Fiction
378 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 22, 2024
6 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Danny King
39 books50 followersDanny King was born in Slough, Berkshire, the second son of Michael and Dorothy King. He and his two brothers, Ralph and Robin, lived on the Britwell Estate until 1979, when they moved to Yateley, Hampshire. He attended Yateley School but failed to gain any qualifications before leaving at the age of 16. He stacked shelves for a short stint in the Yateley branch of Somerfield (then Gateway), before working on various building sites as a hod carrier.
In 1991 he took an Access course at Farnborough College of Technology, which helped him land a place at The London College of Printing studying journalism. Between 1993 and 2002 he worked on various magazine titles, eventually becoming Editor of the Paul Raymond Publications title Mayfair (magazine). He now writes full-time.
In the late 1980s, he was arrested several times and convicted of burglary at Winchester Crown Court and car theft at Camberley Magistrates Court. It is largely due to receiving these convictions that he cites as his reasons for giving education a second go.
In 1991 he took an Access course at Farnborough College of Technology, which helped him land a place at The London College of Printing studying journalism. Between 1993 and 2002 he worked on various magazine titles, eventually becoming Editor of the Paul Raymond Publications title Mayfair (magazine). He now writes full-time.
In the late 1980s, he was arrested several times and convicted of burglary at Winchester Crown Court and car theft at Camberley Magistrates Court. It is largely due to receiving these convictions that he cites as his reasons for giving education a second go.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 10, 2024
A seriously disturbing book. Read it. It's great.
I've read a few of Danny King's books before and this one, for me, stands head and shoulders above those.
It, rather disturbingly, shows us what could happen in the real world with the (worst) set of circumstances all aligning. Without giving anything away, it hints at 1930s Europe, the Cold War, Brexit, fake news etc etc.
I'm going to re-read this at some point just to make sure I didn't take a knock to the head and imagine it all.
Brilliant stuff. Quotes below will make sense when you read it.
automatic citizenship for refugees, ending the cross- examination of rape survivors, making LGBTQIA2S + based humour an offence under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, the list ran on.
The Boys Are Back In Town, Thin Lizzy– misogyny/ body shaming Baby, It’s Cold Outside, Dean Martin– rape (God Spent) A Little More Time On You, NSYNC– equality Smack My Bitch Up, The Prodigy– no explanation required
I've read a few of Danny King's books before and this one, for me, stands head and shoulders above those.
It, rather disturbingly, shows us what could happen in the real world with the (worst) set of circumstances all aligning. Without giving anything away, it hints at 1930s Europe, the Cold War, Brexit, fake news etc etc.
I'm going to re-read this at some point just to make sure I didn't take a knock to the head and imagine it all.
Brilliant stuff. Quotes below will make sense when you read it.
automatic citizenship for refugees, ending the cross- examination of rape survivors, making LGBTQIA2S + based humour an offence under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, the list ran on.
The Boys Are Back In Town, Thin Lizzy– misogyny/ body shaming Baby, It’s Cold Outside, Dean Martin– rape (God Spent) A Little More Time On You, NSYNC– equality Smack My Bitch Up, The Prodigy– no explanation required
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2024
What a truly amazing story I was gripped from the beginning. Orwellian in its way showing what the future will become with all the diversity and cancel culture we live with.
Our main character is Sienna an auditor whose job it is is to look into a person and audit them and decide if they should be cancelled and sent away in shame either from something they themselves have done or someone in their past.
Makes you question how the world works and where we’re heading and boy is it scary!
Our main character is Sienna an auditor whose job it is is to look into a person and audit them and decide if they should be cancelled and sent away in shame either from something they themselves have done or someone in their past.
Makes you question how the world works and where we’re heading and boy is it scary!
August 12, 2025
Sienna Clay has a secret: she’s an Auditor. Her job is to investigate her fellow Britons who are accused of thoughtcrime, or whose ancestors may have committed horrors like eating meat. New Britanna’s status as an island of tolerance set apart from the authoritarian nightmare of the Federated States of Europe can only be maintained by zero tolerance of those who don’t toe the line. The accused and convicted (no real difference) are “Cancelled”: their property is seized, their relationships null, their accounts emptied. Sienna is proud of the work she does, though, even if she has to hide it for fear of being beaten to death by those whose lives she or other Auditors have ruined. When she takes a few chances to find information that will help in her current investigation, though, she runs afoul of the very system she’s perpetuating. Cancelled is a darkly humorous satire of cancel culture, one that uses it and technology to create an all-too-believable dystopia.
The world of New Britannia is a strange mix of 1984 and Brave New World, with a population kept docile through both the carrot (legalized drugs, which people use constantly) and the stick – being Cancelled and reeducated. The first half of the novel lets us experience this strange mix of license and tyranny through Sienna, as she struggles with overwork, a callous boss, an increasingly distant girlfriend, and a home operating system that’s peevish and histrionic. Unlike the aforementioned dystopian novels, Cancelled is overt in attacking contemporary ‘progressive’ culture: characters’ influence in society is partially dependent on their Diversity Rating, for instance, with higher scores being given based on skin color, sexual orientation, etc. Straight white men would presumably be the lowest of the low, but claiming different statuses appears common: one person is suspected of “changing” their gender purely to earn a higher DR and thus a better job, but if anyone dares to voice their suspicions they’ll risk being Cancelled. Hyperbole is also mocked: “worse than Hitler” is a common expression, and one man hurls it against Sienna after she refuses to sign a consent form allowing him to consummate his relationship with his girlfriend. (All sexual encounters are strictly governed by contracts: a woman cannot “give consent” unless three of her female friends sign off on the contract.) There’s also a significant degree of outright ignorance: no one knows who Hitler really was, for instance, only that “he knew Churchhill”.
The story that develops from this is interesting, as we witness Sienna fall from a fairly privileged place in life to become the lowest of the low. She should be utterly unlikable at the start, considering she’s a high-tech inquisitor, destroying lives for absurd crimes, but King manages to make her sympathetic. He accomplishes this by having her in two frustrating relationships – one with her girlfriend, who sponges off of her – and one with her house. It has an integrated AI, designed by the girlfriend, that is incredibly peevish. When Sienna is late getting home, for instance, the AI is so annoyed that its prepared dinner for her has grown cold that it locks her out. The fact that it’s been programmed by Sienna’s girlfriend also sees it partially weaponized against her later on. When Sienna’s risks at work don’t pay out and Sienna finds herself cancelled, she’s put through a lot of physical and emotional angst that largely redeem her character as she realized what a monster she had been — and what greater monster she served.
I devoured Cancelled, which should come as no surprise given my scorn for much of what it mocks – identity politics, oikophobia, etc. I also enjoyed the aspects of the dystopia that were not political, like the role of technology: Sienna and company are always plugged in, using smart classes to keep them online, and surveillance is a given, leading to a society where expression is chilled to the point of frigid. (Tellingly, the arts appear to have vanished: all Sienna listens to is AI-generated music.) King tells a good story, and he appears to have numerous titles on KU. Definitely planning on reading more of him, and soon.
Related:
The Choice, Claire Ward. A dystopian novel where Britain is run by a literal health Nazi. Probably the only SF novel with an award from Good Housekeeping.
The world of New Britannia is a strange mix of 1984 and Brave New World, with a population kept docile through both the carrot (legalized drugs, which people use constantly) and the stick – being Cancelled and reeducated. The first half of the novel lets us experience this strange mix of license and tyranny through Sienna, as she struggles with overwork, a callous boss, an increasingly distant girlfriend, and a home operating system that’s peevish and histrionic. Unlike the aforementioned dystopian novels, Cancelled is overt in attacking contemporary ‘progressive’ culture: characters’ influence in society is partially dependent on their Diversity Rating, for instance, with higher scores being given based on skin color, sexual orientation, etc. Straight white men would presumably be the lowest of the low, but claiming different statuses appears common: one person is suspected of “changing” their gender purely to earn a higher DR and thus a better job, but if anyone dares to voice their suspicions they’ll risk being Cancelled. Hyperbole is also mocked: “worse than Hitler” is a common expression, and one man hurls it against Sienna after she refuses to sign a consent form allowing him to consummate his relationship with his girlfriend. (All sexual encounters are strictly governed by contracts: a woman cannot “give consent” unless three of her female friends sign off on the contract.) There’s also a significant degree of outright ignorance: no one knows who Hitler really was, for instance, only that “he knew Churchhill”.
The story that develops from this is interesting, as we witness Sienna fall from a fairly privileged place in life to become the lowest of the low. She should be utterly unlikable at the start, considering she’s a high-tech inquisitor, destroying lives for absurd crimes, but King manages to make her sympathetic. He accomplishes this by having her in two frustrating relationships – one with her girlfriend, who sponges off of her – and one with her house. It has an integrated AI, designed by the girlfriend, that is incredibly peevish. When Sienna is late getting home, for instance, the AI is so annoyed that its prepared dinner for her has grown cold that it locks her out. The fact that it’s been programmed by Sienna’s girlfriend also sees it partially weaponized against her later on. When Sienna’s risks at work don’t pay out and Sienna finds herself cancelled, she’s put through a lot of physical and emotional angst that largely redeem her character as she realized what a monster she had been — and what greater monster she served.
I devoured Cancelled, which should come as no surprise given my scorn for much of what it mocks – identity politics, oikophobia, etc. I also enjoyed the aspects of the dystopia that were not political, like the role of technology: Sienna and company are always plugged in, using smart classes to keep them online, and surveillance is a given, leading to a society where expression is chilled to the point of frigid. (Tellingly, the arts appear to have vanished: all Sienna listens to is AI-generated music.) King tells a good story, and he appears to have numerous titles on KU. Definitely planning on reading more of him, and soon.
Related:
The Choice, Claire Ward. A dystopian novel where Britain is run by a literal health Nazi. Probably the only SF novel with an award from Good Housekeeping.
February 17, 2025
I am going to preface this review with the thought that most of my readers know what “cancel culture” is. If you’re fortunate enough to be fuzzy on the concept, it involves the willful defamation and ostracization of a person who may or may not have made a statement offensive to self-righteous observers who lurk on the internet. These observer/judgers bloviate from their self-assigned “high ground.” By and large, these cowards operate in the toxic space of a fully public forum, while maintaining full anonymity. [End of preface.]
Danny King lambasts today’s cancel culture by envisioning its evolution into a strong-arm authoritarian regime in a future dystopian Britain — called “New Britannia.” Told from the viewpoint of Sienna, a 30-ish apparatchik of the New Britannic repressive regime, Cancelled contains such details as these: “A6” sexual consent applications, which must be reviewed by three “womyn” (plural of “womxn” (women)) before the applicant may pursue the object of his desires; all adult non-incarcerated people wear Smart Glasses, giving them access to the Network, which they can access and manipulate by blinking their eyes, and which ground them in the grid. The devices also allow the user to adjust their Vulnerability Condition, or VunCon, which limits what others can say to her or how they behave around her. These represent a bare sampling of the absurdities King includes in his compendium.
In fact, Sienna, or “Sinny,” works under cover as an Auditor, an investigator who brings cases for cancellation before the Auditing Oversight Congress. The author’s range of cancellable infractions is hilarious: a sea-going pirate DJ under investigation for broadcasting songs like "Born a Womxn" by Sandy Posey, for citing gender identity theory; Bruce Springsteen’s "Born to Run" for its disability discrimination; "King Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas for racism; and, among others, "Baby, It’s Cold Outside" by Dean Martin for its suggestion of rape. And I have to add one other example because it’s just so outlandish: since consuming animal flesh of any kind is strictly forbidden, a former butcher is investigated because a private communique between the (supposedly unrepentant) onetime meat cutter and his son concerned “bringing home the bacon”; at a private family barbecue held four years ago, he’d shaped various tofu, soya, and mycoprotein patties into shapes of outlawed meat cuts; etc, etc.
King devotes the early part of his novel establishing this too-fucked-up-to-be-amusing world, and paradoxically, the effect is hysterically funny. The satire is razor-sharp, damning, and aimed way too well to be anything less than devastating. However, dystopias being what they are, Sienna runs afoul of the highers-up, and the novel veers off into a brand new vivid and chilling direction, with Sienna at the receiving end of state persecution. I won’t deal very closely with this section, except to exhort the reader to pick this novel up, and experience the derring-do of its nail-biting plot. It’s as though King has yanked the blinkers off and we witness the logical end of his chosen theme: the real-life grinding of the state’s terrible machinery as it deals with its cancelled—and defenseless—undesirables.
King wields his observations of the cancel culture with devastating effect. He truly has mastered its absurdity while also warning of its Stalin-era tactics of state control. He demonstrates mastery of at least two types of story-telling in the one novel, and one comes away impressed that he could handle both as superbly as he did.
Take it up!
https://bassoprofundo1.blogspot.com/2...
Danny King lambasts today’s cancel culture by envisioning its evolution into a strong-arm authoritarian regime in a future dystopian Britain — called “New Britannia.” Told from the viewpoint of Sienna, a 30-ish apparatchik of the New Britannic repressive regime, Cancelled contains such details as these: “A6” sexual consent applications, which must be reviewed by three “womyn” (plural of “womxn” (women)) before the applicant may pursue the object of his desires; all adult non-incarcerated people wear Smart Glasses, giving them access to the Network, which they can access and manipulate by blinking their eyes, and which ground them in the grid. The devices also allow the user to adjust their Vulnerability Condition, or VunCon, which limits what others can say to her or how they behave around her. These represent a bare sampling of the absurdities King includes in his compendium.
In fact, Sienna, or “Sinny,” works under cover as an Auditor, an investigator who brings cases for cancellation before the Auditing Oversight Congress. The author’s range of cancellable infractions is hilarious: a sea-going pirate DJ under investigation for broadcasting songs like "Born a Womxn" by Sandy Posey, for citing gender identity theory; Bruce Springsteen’s "Born to Run" for its disability discrimination; "King Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas for racism; and, among others, "Baby, It’s Cold Outside" by Dean Martin for its suggestion of rape. And I have to add one other example because it’s just so outlandish: since consuming animal flesh of any kind is strictly forbidden, a former butcher is investigated because a private communique between the (supposedly unrepentant) onetime meat cutter and his son concerned “bringing home the bacon”; at a private family barbecue held four years ago, he’d shaped various tofu, soya, and mycoprotein patties into shapes of outlawed meat cuts; etc, etc.
King devotes the early part of his novel establishing this too-fucked-up-to-be-amusing world, and paradoxically, the effect is hysterically funny. The satire is razor-sharp, damning, and aimed way too well to be anything less than devastating. However, dystopias being what they are, Sienna runs afoul of the highers-up, and the novel veers off into a brand new vivid and chilling direction, with Sienna at the receiving end of state persecution. I won’t deal very closely with this section, except to exhort the reader to pick this novel up, and experience the derring-do of its nail-biting plot. It’s as though King has yanked the blinkers off and we witness the logical end of his chosen theme: the real-life grinding of the state’s terrible machinery as it deals with its cancelled—and defenseless—undesirables.
King wields his observations of the cancel culture with devastating effect. He truly has mastered its absurdity while also warning of its Stalin-era tactics of state control. He demonstrates mastery of at least two types of story-telling in the one novel, and one comes away impressed that he could handle both as superbly as he did.
Take it up!
https://bassoprofundo1.blogspot.com/2...
November 30, 2025
Empowered February was one of my favourites :-D
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews