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2028: ... and Australia has gone to hell in a handbasket
'I've found the Australian Douglas Adams!' - Tom Gleeson
'Hilarious.' - Wendy Harmer
'It's awesome.' - H.G. Nelson
'Absurdly funny.' - Sami Shah
'The revolution is coming.' - Cathy Wilcox
'Highly amusing.' - John Doyle
'Fizzing with ideas.' - Dominic Knight
2028. Prime Minister Fitzwilliams' instincts tell him it's time to call a snap election. His cabinet team is adequate (just), the howling protests of the doctors after the GP changes has finally died down and, best of all, the Australian Greens are in receivership. So what could possibly go wrong?
The PM is prepared for everything until he finds himself facing what he least expected - an actual opposition. How do you deal with a party that doesn't play by the rules, protests in the nude, sends mail by carrier pigeon and has a list of candidates all called Ned Ludd?
Welcome to the Australia of 2028 where parking meters double as poker machines, radio shock jocks have been automated, the Communist Party of China has turned itself into a multinational corporation and ASIO's glory days are so far over that it's resorting to surveillance of a Charles Dickens reading group.
Outrageous, sharp and wickedly funny, 2028 takes us into the near future where the not very good ideas around today have become ten years worse.
'Hilarious.' - Wendy Harmer
'It's awesome.' - H.G. Nelson
'Absurdly funny.' - Sami Shah
'The revolution is coming.' - Cathy Wilcox
'Highly amusing.' - John Doyle
'Fizzing with ideas.' - Dominic Knight
2028. Prime Minister Fitzwilliams' instincts tell him it's time to call a snap election. His cabinet team is adequate (just), the howling protests of the doctors after the GP changes has finally died down and, best of all, the Australian Greens are in receivership. So what could possibly go wrong?
The PM is prepared for everything until he finds himself facing what he least expected - an actual opposition. How do you deal with a party that doesn't play by the rules, protests in the nude, sends mail by carrier pigeon and has a list of candidates all called Ned Ludd?
Welcome to the Australia of 2028 where parking meters double as poker machines, radio shock jocks have been automated, the Communist Party of China has turned itself into a multinational corporation and ASIO's glory days are so far over that it's resorting to surveillance of a Charles Dickens reading group.
Outrageous, sharp and wickedly funny, 2028 takes us into the near future where the not very good ideas around today have become ten years worse.
311 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 29, 2018
10 people are currently reading
200 people want to read
About the author
Ken Saunders
2 books11 followersKen Saunders is a Sydney-based writer who has lived in Canada, New Zealand and Australia without ever once being asked to compete in the Olympics for any country. He has, however won the less athletic NSW Writers’ Centre Inner-City Life short story competition on two occasions.
His debut novel 2028, a comedy set in a plausibly absurd and dysfunctional future Australian political landscape was compared by reviewers to the works of Douglas Adams (despite there being no Vogons whatsoever in the plot).* This was followed up by his second comedy novel, Get with the Program, the purported memoirs of an interactive virtual personal trainer, part AI autobiography/part cyberspace intrigue and thriller.
A graduate of McGill University with a degree in History, Ken pursued a successful career working for places that were willing to hire him. His screen credits include performing the role of Prince Andrey in the 1982 Canadian Super-8 silent film version of War and Peace that played to packed audiences of family and friends on several occasions and was written by the famous non-Canadian, Leo Tolstoy.
With Laurie Miller, he co-authored and illustrated “A Child’s Guide to Particle Physics”, a photocopied and stapled together alphabet primer (“A is for Atom, the smallest of small, ‘til Rutherford split it proving it wasn’t at all”) that was sometimes given to new parents instead of a proper gift. He also produced the 45 record (that’s showing his age) “The Train They Call the Ocean” that went platin . . . sorry . . . that went vinyl. He still has two or three copies of it in a drawer somewhere in his apartment.
A man of many talents but limited guitar chords, his most recent music video is in the relatively obscure musical genre of contemporary sea shanty, where a traditional 18th century whaling song has been adapted to be about the Manly Ferry in Sydney instead.
His debut novel 2028, a comedy set in a plausibly absurd and dysfunctional future Australian political landscape was compared by reviewers to the works of Douglas Adams (despite there being no Vogons whatsoever in the plot).* This was followed up by his second comedy novel, Get with the Program, the purported memoirs of an interactive virtual personal trainer, part AI autobiography/part cyberspace intrigue and thriller.
A graduate of McGill University with a degree in History, Ken pursued a successful career working for places that were willing to hire him. His screen credits include performing the role of Prince Andrey in the 1982 Canadian Super-8 silent film version of War and Peace that played to packed audiences of family and friends on several occasions and was written by the famous non-Canadian, Leo Tolstoy.
With Laurie Miller, he co-authored and illustrated “A Child’s Guide to Particle Physics”, a photocopied and stapled together alphabet primer (“A is for Atom, the smallest of small, ‘til Rutherford split it proving it wasn’t at all”) that was sometimes given to new parents instead of a proper gift. He also produced the 45 record (that’s showing his age) “The Train They Call the Ocean” that went platin . . . sorry . . . that went vinyl. He still has two or three copies of it in a drawer somewhere in his apartment.
A man of many talents but limited guitar chords, his most recent music video is in the relatively obscure musical genre of contemporary sea shanty, where a traditional 18th century whaling song has been adapted to be about the Manly Ferry in Sydney instead.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
May 17, 2019
Well everyone said this was enormously funny and they were quite right. Unfortunately for us all it is also very close to reality!
Welcome to 2028 where Taxis Combined and Uber have been replaced with a fully automated driverless cab system, where Australia Post no longer delivers mail but uses drones to deliver parcels and do other things, and where parking meters have developed into poker machines (paying for parking has never been so much fun!)
As the Prime Minister calls a snap election he is very confident of his return. However he is caught out unawares by the sudden arrival of a new party from nowhere which seems to be bound for success. As the story progresses it soon becomes clear that this party has been planned for a very long time but by whom?
I enjoyed it all very much. The writer has a dry wit and an excellent imagination. Some of his ideas are outrageous but some of them cut very close to the bone. I will be voting in Australia's real federal election tomorrow. I wish I could vote for Ned Ludd.
Welcome to 2028 where Taxis Combined and Uber have been replaced with a fully automated driverless cab system, where Australia Post no longer delivers mail but uses drones to deliver parcels and do other things, and where parking meters have developed into poker machines (paying for parking has never been so much fun!)
As the Prime Minister calls a snap election he is very confident of his return. However he is caught out unawares by the sudden arrival of a new party from nowhere which seems to be bound for success. As the story progresses it soon becomes clear that this party has been planned for a very long time but by whom?
I enjoyed it all very much. The writer has a dry wit and an excellent imagination. Some of his ideas are outrageous but some of them cut very close to the bone. I will be voting in Australia's real federal election tomorrow. I wish I could vote for Ned Ludd.
September 28, 2018
5★
“Renard inserted his credit card into the Parkie and opted to play for two dollars. Brisbane City council had been the first local government to introduce Parkies, but now they were everywhere, even the inner-city suburb of Glebe in Sydney. The brought, in a limited way, poker machines to the streets. Motorists still had to pay for parking, but now got one play in return, a chance to hit the jackpot. . . .
He played a new round. This time the parking meter chimed a tinkly rendition of the 1812 Overture finale. . . .Fifty dollars.” [Slot machines are poker machines, 'pokies', in Australia.]
It’s a brave new world in 2028, and although the 2028 political scene in Canberra is sadly reminiscent of 2018, there is a fascinating movement I’d love to join to change the nature of politics – maybe everywhere!
The possibilities and gadgets are all believable (well, I know I’m naively hopeful), and the inventiveness of the plots are delightful.
The subversives (if I can call them that), had all changed their names to Ned Ludd and founded the Luddite Party. It had no website, no email address, no contact list, no nothing. But they do occasionally meet at Low Expectations, a sort of Dickensian bookshop that serves gruel and tea and has teenagers working on looms. No gadgets.
Looms? Here’s a staffer’s explanation to the current Prime Minister of the Luddite Party.
“‘Not our famous bushranger [Ned Kelly]. Ned Ludd is also historical. The Luddites used to send threatening letters to the stocking manufacturers telling them to dismantle their wideframe machines or else. They always signed them Ned Ludd. Ned Ludd did not exist and anyone could write a letter in his name. Having a fictitious leader caused the authorities great difficulty when they attempted to track down the actual ringleaders.’”
That explains the looms, which don’t feature highly, but I will mention the Australian national shearers’ strike in 1983 over the introduction of wide combs, not all that far a cry from wide looms. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wide_Co...
And now we use the term 'luddite' disparagingly about anyone opposed to technology of any kind. Poor Ned Ludd, if there ever was one.
Back to the novel. The political shenanigans are wonderful! Autocar (driverless car company) wants a seat on the Royal Commission into Road Safety, so they secretly start an organisation called Bicyclism Australia and establish one of their people, Aggie, as President. Voila! A seat on the Royal Commission is hers (theirs). Aggie runs the website, emails, etc. for Bicyclism so realistically that it starts to gather members.
This has ramifications down the line as we watch the Liberal Coalition and the Labor Party stuff things up as only they can. It isn’t really all that political, certainly no more than James Bond is all that political, but it helps if you have some understanding of western democracies and how tied in knots the major political parties are.
Behind the scenes in Canberra.
“When Hargreaves had first started as Minister for Health and was anxious about mastering all she had to master, her senior bureaucrats told her that if ever cornered, she could always rely on the Seven Per Cent Solution.
‘Whatever you are talking about, say it is seven per cent better than it is.’
‘You mean make it up?’ she queried.
‘No,’ they replied, ‘Say it is seven per cent better and rest assured, we can torture our statistics until we get a confession that it is—but’ she was warned, ‘don’t go above seven per cent.’”
When questioned by Ned Ludd (one of many Ned Ludds) about funding for a disease, she dutifully announces that under her watch they have increased the federal funding seven percent.
“‘Really?’ Ned Ludd raised her pale eyebrows. ‘I find that quite remarkable—because I made up the disease. There is no Sikorsky Syndrome.’”
Another Sikorsky successfully strikes the enemy. The author is full of chuckle-worthy references in names and nicknames, and whether or not this is a play on the Sikorsky Blackhawk helicopters, so well-known in combat or not, I don’t know, but it made me laugh thinking about it.
Also behind the scenes and heavily involved are ASIO and Compink, the rebranded, image-softened (from red to pink) Communist Party of China Incorporated. It has corporate offices all over the world – Compink Australia, Italy and Brazil are listed on the stock exchange. The federal government can’t complain if an Aussie corporation wants to buy up infrastructure.
Of course, some of the staff overlap as employees and infiltrators, but we get the picture. As for the computer whizzes who have found a way to bypass focus groups, bring it on!
And if you encourage the public to all give the same answer in those endless opinion polls, the polls will be useless (and maybe they’ll stop ringing us all at dinnertime).
Could this all be coming to a place near you? I hope so. It’s sort of cooperative anarchy. We don’t lose track of which Ned Ludd is which, and we enjoy the romances and escapades.
It is the funniest book I’ve read in a long long time, and I hope young readers will take notes and push some of our stalled politics down this path.
I’ve got so many bookmarks stuck between pages, I gave up trying to copy anything. You must read it yourself!
A thousand thanks, or rather 2028 thanks, to Allen and Unwin for a copy of this wonderful book for review. I love it! (or can you tell?)
“Renard inserted his credit card into the Parkie and opted to play for two dollars. Brisbane City council had been the first local government to introduce Parkies, but now they were everywhere, even the inner-city suburb of Glebe in Sydney. The brought, in a limited way, poker machines to the streets. Motorists still had to pay for parking, but now got one play in return, a chance to hit the jackpot. . . .
He played a new round. This time the parking meter chimed a tinkly rendition of the 1812 Overture finale. . . .Fifty dollars.” [Slot machines are poker machines, 'pokies', in Australia.]
It’s a brave new world in 2028, and although the 2028 political scene in Canberra is sadly reminiscent of 2018, there is a fascinating movement I’d love to join to change the nature of politics – maybe everywhere!
The possibilities and gadgets are all believable (well, I know I’m naively hopeful), and the inventiveness of the plots are delightful.
The subversives (if I can call them that), had all changed their names to Ned Ludd and founded the Luddite Party. It had no website, no email address, no contact list, no nothing. But they do occasionally meet at Low Expectations, a sort of Dickensian bookshop that serves gruel and tea and has teenagers working on looms. No gadgets.
Looms? Here’s a staffer’s explanation to the current Prime Minister of the Luddite Party.
“‘Not our famous bushranger [Ned Kelly]. Ned Ludd is also historical. The Luddites used to send threatening letters to the stocking manufacturers telling them to dismantle their wideframe machines or else. They always signed them Ned Ludd. Ned Ludd did not exist and anyone could write a letter in his name. Having a fictitious leader caused the authorities great difficulty when they attempted to track down the actual ringleaders.’”
That explains the looms, which don’t feature highly, but I will mention the Australian national shearers’ strike in 1983 over the introduction of wide combs, not all that far a cry from wide looms. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wide_Co...
And now we use the term 'luddite' disparagingly about anyone opposed to technology of any kind. Poor Ned Ludd, if there ever was one.
Back to the novel. The political shenanigans are wonderful! Autocar (driverless car company) wants a seat on the Royal Commission into Road Safety, so they secretly start an organisation called Bicyclism Australia and establish one of their people, Aggie, as President. Voila! A seat on the Royal Commission is hers (theirs). Aggie runs the website, emails, etc. for Bicyclism so realistically that it starts to gather members.
This has ramifications down the line as we watch the Liberal Coalition and the Labor Party stuff things up as only they can. It isn’t really all that political, certainly no more than James Bond is all that political, but it helps if you have some understanding of western democracies and how tied in knots the major political parties are.
Behind the scenes in Canberra.
“When Hargreaves had first started as Minister for Health and was anxious about mastering all she had to master, her senior bureaucrats told her that if ever cornered, she could always rely on the Seven Per Cent Solution.
‘Whatever you are talking about, say it is seven per cent better than it is.’
‘You mean make it up?’ she queried.
‘No,’ they replied, ‘Say it is seven per cent better and rest assured, we can torture our statistics until we get a confession that it is—but’ she was warned, ‘don’t go above seven per cent.’”
When questioned by Ned Ludd (one of many Ned Ludds) about funding for a disease, she dutifully announces that under her watch they have increased the federal funding seven percent.
“‘Really?’ Ned Ludd raised her pale eyebrows. ‘I find that quite remarkable—because I made up the disease. There is no Sikorsky Syndrome.’”
Another Sikorsky successfully strikes the enemy. The author is full of chuckle-worthy references in names and nicknames, and whether or not this is a play on the Sikorsky Blackhawk helicopters, so well-known in combat or not, I don’t know, but it made me laugh thinking about it.
Also behind the scenes and heavily involved are ASIO and Compink, the rebranded, image-softened (from red to pink) Communist Party of China Incorporated. It has corporate offices all over the world – Compink Australia, Italy and Brazil are listed on the stock exchange. The federal government can’t complain if an Aussie corporation wants to buy up infrastructure.
Of course, some of the staff overlap as employees and infiltrators, but we get the picture. As for the computer whizzes who have found a way to bypass focus groups, bring it on!
And if you encourage the public to all give the same answer in those endless opinion polls, the polls will be useless (and maybe they’ll stop ringing us all at dinnertime).
Could this all be coming to a place near you? I hope so. It’s sort of cooperative anarchy. We don’t lose track of which Ned Ludd is which, and we enjoy the romances and escapades.
It is the funniest book I’ve read in a long long time, and I hope young readers will take notes and push some of our stalled politics down this path.
I’ve got so many bookmarks stuck between pages, I gave up trying to copy anything. You must read it yourself!
A thousand thanks, or rather 2028 thanks, to Allen and Unwin for a copy of this wonderful book for review. I love it! (or can you tell?)
April 15, 2019
2028 is the first novel by Australian author, Ken Saunders. It’s early 2028 and Coalition Prime Minister Adrian Fitzsimmons feels the time is right to call an election. His main opposition, the Labour Party is in disarray and the Greens are non-players, being in receivership, so the PM feels confident of an easy win to take him into a fourth term.
But then the ASIO chief turns up with some disturbing news: two demonstrations are scheduled to happen at Parliament House exactly when the PM plans to announce the election. Members of the Luddite Party will gather nude.
Almost ten years ago, two thousand eight hundred and eighty-seven Australian citizens changed their names by deed poll to Ned Ludd, and formed a political party. Careful surveillance has revealed that, apart from an annual movie night, they have since not registered a single blip on the political radar. Until now.
Saunders takes Australia as we now know it and progresses things just a few steps further, thus keeping it wholly believable: Australia Post no longer delivers letters (they barely do now, so that’s hardly a stretch) while their parcel drones multi-task; today’s beleaguered GPs are gone, replaced by automation; political parties have gone corporate in a big way; and reality TV has conquered the final frontier, outer space.
As he lets loose his fertile imagination on things as diverse as parking meters, radio shock jocks, TV news reporting, opinion pollsters and their focus groups, driverless cars, tax reform, special days and their associated ribbons, and the naming of Government Ministries, the comparison to Douglas Adams indeed appears valid.
The plot is definitely not too far-fetched, and the humour is relentless. Saunders has the Labour leader kicking AFL goals for their campaign; the Luddites’ clever tactics see the major parties groaning in dismay at favourable polls; a gasped “We're Luddites...and we're together!” constitutes sex talk; and you may never look at your local Asian run nail salon the same way again.
This is a book best NOT read in the quiet carriage on public transport, as the chortles, guffaws and rolling-on-the-floor-laughing that is guaranteed to occur may disturb other travellers. In particular, prime numbers, celery and the PM on the bus will elicit this response.
Saunders has a politician opining on former PMs who: “cease to contribute meaningfully, content to write self-indulgent memoirs and the occasional smug know-it-all opinion pieces for Fairfax or News Corp.” He could have added “or sit on the backbench spitefully undermining the current leader and destabilising the party.”
His Luddites see “…the major flaw of our current system is that one party has the role of generating all the ideas to govern and the other party has the responsibility of barking and frothing at them like a pack of rabid dogs. We need an entirely different approach. Everyone in parliament should be there to govern. Everyone should be there to listen to each other in order to decide matters.” If Saunders’s tale is at all prescient then a Vote 1 Ned Ludd campaign would doubtless result in a landslide victory.
This is a brilliant debut novel: insightful, topical and utterly hilarious and, no matter what their political leanings, all Australians of or near voting age should read this.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Allen & Unwin.
But then the ASIO chief turns up with some disturbing news: two demonstrations are scheduled to happen at Parliament House exactly when the PM plans to announce the election. Members of the Luddite Party will gather nude.
Almost ten years ago, two thousand eight hundred and eighty-seven Australian citizens changed their names by deed poll to Ned Ludd, and formed a political party. Careful surveillance has revealed that, apart from an annual movie night, they have since not registered a single blip on the political radar. Until now.
Saunders takes Australia as we now know it and progresses things just a few steps further, thus keeping it wholly believable: Australia Post no longer delivers letters (they barely do now, so that’s hardly a stretch) while their parcel drones multi-task; today’s beleaguered GPs are gone, replaced by automation; political parties have gone corporate in a big way; and reality TV has conquered the final frontier, outer space.
As he lets loose his fertile imagination on things as diverse as parking meters, radio shock jocks, TV news reporting, opinion pollsters and their focus groups, driverless cars, tax reform, special days and their associated ribbons, and the naming of Government Ministries, the comparison to Douglas Adams indeed appears valid.
The plot is definitely not too far-fetched, and the humour is relentless. Saunders has the Labour leader kicking AFL goals for their campaign; the Luddites’ clever tactics see the major parties groaning in dismay at favourable polls; a gasped “We're Luddites...and we're together!” constitutes sex talk; and you may never look at your local Asian run nail salon the same way again.
This is a book best NOT read in the quiet carriage on public transport, as the chortles, guffaws and rolling-on-the-floor-laughing that is guaranteed to occur may disturb other travellers. In particular, prime numbers, celery and the PM on the bus will elicit this response.
Saunders has a politician opining on former PMs who: “cease to contribute meaningfully, content to write self-indulgent memoirs and the occasional smug know-it-all opinion pieces for Fairfax or News Corp.” He could have added “or sit on the backbench spitefully undermining the current leader and destabilising the party.”
His Luddites see “…the major flaw of our current system is that one party has the role of generating all the ideas to govern and the other party has the responsibility of barking and frothing at them like a pack of rabid dogs. We need an entirely different approach. Everyone in parliament should be there to govern. Everyone should be there to listen to each other in order to decide matters.” If Saunders’s tale is at all prescient then a Vote 1 Ned Ludd campaign would doubtless result in a landslide victory.
This is a brilliant debut novel: insightful, topical and utterly hilarious and, no matter what their political leanings, all Australians of or near voting age should read this.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Allen & Unwin.
November 8, 2019
It's 2028 in Australia, driverless cars and buses have decreased the road toll, Australia Post drones now deliver parcels, but also spy for ASIO and record events for the news, parking ticket machines double as pokies and GPs have been replaced by an automated program accessible anytime anywhere.
The Prime Minister and leader of the Coalition, Adrian Fitzsimmons has decided to call an early election. With Labour in bad shape and the Greens in receivership he thinks it should be a walk-in. But he hadn't counted on the formation of a new party, the Luddites. Composed entirely of people who had all changed their names to Ned Ludd, it has no leader, no website and no policies but nevertheless completely manages to derail Fitzsimmons' campaign.
At times satirical and sometimes absurd, Ken Saunders has had great fun imagining an Australia of 2028. He has a dry wit and some clever thoughts of how to shake up parliament. As with all good satire, some of his scenarios are very insightful and hit close to home, particularly the politicians conversations in meetings and public appearances. In addition to the party where everyone is called Ned Ludd and the anarchy this causes, I especially loved his dead DJ still hosting a radio show and dishing out his brand of invective (Aussies will all know who he's thinking of here) and the Dickensian Bookshop, Low Expectations, serving only gruel and tea. A very funny and enjoyable read!
The Prime Minister and leader of the Coalition, Adrian Fitzsimmons has decided to call an early election. With Labour in bad shape and the Greens in receivership he thinks it should be a walk-in. But he hadn't counted on the formation of a new party, the Luddites. Composed entirely of people who had all changed their names to Ned Ludd, it has no leader, no website and no policies but nevertheless completely manages to derail Fitzsimmons' campaign.
At times satirical and sometimes absurd, Ken Saunders has had great fun imagining an Australia of 2028. He has a dry wit and some clever thoughts of how to shake up parliament. As with all good satire, some of his scenarios are very insightful and hit close to home, particularly the politicians conversations in meetings and public appearances. In addition to the party where everyone is called Ned Ludd and the anarchy this causes, I especially loved his dead DJ still hosting a radio show and dishing out his brand of invective (Aussies will all know who he's thinking of here) and the Dickensian Bookshop, Low Expectations, serving only gruel and tea. A very funny and enjoyable read!
October 24, 2018
4.5★s
For any Australian who keeps an eye on the shenanigans in Canberra, and despairs of our parliamentary democracy, this satirical novel will delight.
Set in the near future, 2028 exposes many of the behind-the-scenes goings-on, in a highly amusing but seriously thoughtful way.
It is high farce, unapologetically fanciful, but underneath the frivolity are some insightful comments and some deep understandings.
I literally laughed out loud all the way through this book. It is very entertaining, particularly as I have a keen interest in the current, woeful state of Federal politics.
The book was published in August 2018, before the dumping of Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister, but it seemed to me to be hugely relevant, due to its sharp observations of the personal and ideological tussles that go on behind closed doors in Canberra.
For any Australian who keeps an eye on the shenanigans in Canberra, and despairs of our parliamentary democracy, this satirical novel will delight.
Set in the near future, 2028 exposes many of the behind-the-scenes goings-on, in a highly amusing but seriously thoughtful way.
It is high farce, unapologetically fanciful, but underneath the frivolity are some insightful comments and some deep understandings.
I literally laughed out loud all the way through this book. It is very entertaining, particularly as I have a keen interest in the current, woeful state of Federal politics.
The book was published in August 2018, before the dumping of Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister, but it seemed to me to be hugely relevant, due to its sharp observations of the personal and ideological tussles that go on behind closed doors in Canberra.
November 8, 2018
If you recognise the name Eden-Monaro, know what a democracy sausage is, and enjoy a good laugh, this book is for you.
Read
August 23, 2018‘This is not quite how Peter Dutton imagines our dystopian future: crap technology, paranoid spies, cycling activists and even dumber politicians. Set phasers to stupid. Hilarious.’ –Wendy Harmer
‘Ken Saunders waddled about the 2028 National Tally Room as the results came in. He has seen the future! Relax! It’s awesome!’ – H.G.Nelson
‘If Douglas Adams wrote The Killing Season, it would be as absurdly funny and worryingly prescient as this!’ – Sami Shah
‘It’s a state of peak technology, peak focus group, peak surveillance. But the revolution is coming—and it’s off-line, naked and riding a bicycle.’ – Cathy Wilcox
‘A highly amusing, if grim, forefeel on how politics will be plagued in the near future.’ – John Doyle
‘A hilarious and horrifying vision of a future where parking meters are pokies and nothing’s scarier than Australia Post. Saunders’ novel is fizzing with ideas that are troublingly plausible.’ – Dominic Knight
‘I’ve found the Australian Douglas Adams! Imaginative and very funny stuff.’ – Tom Gleeson
‘Ken Saunders waddled about the 2028 National Tally Room as the results came in. He has seen the future! Relax! It’s awesome!’ – H.G.Nelson
‘If Douglas Adams wrote The Killing Season, it would be as absurdly funny and worryingly prescient as this!’ – Sami Shah
‘It’s a state of peak technology, peak focus group, peak surveillance. But the revolution is coming—and it’s off-line, naked and riding a bicycle.’ – Cathy Wilcox
‘A highly amusing, if grim, forefeel on how politics will be plagued in the near future.’ – John Doyle
‘A hilarious and horrifying vision of a future where parking meters are pokies and nothing’s scarier than Australia Post. Saunders’ novel is fizzing with ideas that are troublingly plausible.’ – Dominic Knight
‘I’ve found the Australian Douglas Adams! Imaginative and very funny stuff.’ – Tom Gleeson
July 6, 2018
I’m tempted to declare this book “best fiction of the year”.
It’s funny, it’s clever, it’s topical and - surprisingly - gives me hope.
Anyone with a sense of humour and interest in Australian politics or society should read this book.
It’s funny, it’s clever, it’s topical and - surprisingly - gives me hope.
Anyone with a sense of humour and interest in Australian politics or society should read this book.
July 2, 2018
This is laugh out loud funny. I read the whole thing thinking it was a movie version of Working Dogs "Utopia". The Australian political system in the lead up to election, in 2028, as the Ned Luddite party challenges the traditional Labor vs Liberal/National rivalry.
So much fun!
So much fun!
June 29, 2018
One of my favourite books this year.
I vote for Ned!
I hope I can go back and re read this in 2028.
I vote for Ned!
I hope I can go back and re read this in 2028.
September 8, 2021
2.5★
There was some humour throughout, and some home-truths about politics and the current state of society in Australia, but overall, I remembered why I don't really enjoy reading satire!
There was some humour throughout, and some home-truths about politics and the current state of society in Australia, but overall, I remembered why I don't really enjoy reading satire!
August 13, 2018
A dystopian novel, this is a very humorous political satire.
We're 10 years in the future, where parking meters are combined with poker machines ("parkies") so people are not only happy to pay for parking, but will park for longer than they need to in order to increase their chances of a win. We also get ingenious ideas like the introduction of a lottery win for paying your taxes, in order to encourage people to declare all their income for a chance to win a million.
A new party is formed to challenge the major parties, and their approach is very different to anything seen before. Whilst some left field ideas are tabled in the story, some make you wonder whether they could in fact work.
Good fun!
We're 10 years in the future, where parking meters are combined with poker machines ("parkies") so people are not only happy to pay for parking, but will park for longer than they need to in order to increase their chances of a win. We also get ingenious ideas like the introduction of a lottery win for paying your taxes, in order to encourage people to declare all their income for a chance to win a million.
A new party is formed to challenge the major parties, and their approach is very different to anything seen before. Whilst some left field ideas are tabled in the story, some make you wonder whether they could in fact work.
Good fun!
September 11, 2018
Have you ever wondered what would happen if you took the craziness of today's Australian politics and let it fester for ten years? In 2028 Ken Saunders provides a hilarious depiction of an election campaign that's complete with cyclists, nudists, prime numbers, reality shows set in space, Australia Post drones, The Clash, a Dickensian cafe and, of course, Ned Ludd.
A book that will have you grinning on every page, laughing out loud at every turn and leaves you wanting more than anything to #VoteNedLudd.
A book that will have you grinning on every page, laughing out loud at every turn and leaves you wanting more than anything to #VoteNedLudd.
November 20, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this light hearted spoof on Australian politics, although it was rather close to reality despite being set in 2028. That says a lot about the dire state of politics here! It starts with the Prime Minister calling a snap election, with the announcement being hijacked by the Luddite party. The source of the leak is eventually revealed and is surprising. You will not necessarily understand some of the references if you do not live in Australia, but it is fun for the locals.
January 2, 2019
What a surprise this book was, I picked it up at random in the returns room at the library before I went on annual leave. Again I picked it up at random in my giant to read pile and once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. I finished it in two days and loved it, such a clever and funny book about Australian politics in 2028. Best book I've read this year!
March 24, 2019
I really enjoyed it, and it was fun to read what this author thought Australia and the government would look like at this point. However, I didn't think it was overly hilarious as the quotes on the front of the book promised. Maybe it's a nod to the themes referenced within the book? I don't know... Regardless, a good read.
December 31, 2024
A rollicking good Aussie political farce. Even more hilarious now that we are closer to 2028. Like a good passionfruit pav - fluffy, sweet, sharp and quite possibly of kiwi origin.
April 1, 2019
4.5 stars.
A breath of hope onto to the corpse of our political system might be over-hyping this enjoyable romp through the chaos of an Australian Election. nevertheless, Ken Saunders reminds us that, despite the depredations of political careerists, apparatchiks and the seeming dead weight of the party political system, with all of its lobbyists and special interest groups and focus group pollsters, our political system is after all, made up of people who may be able to reform the system from within.
All it will require is an intelligent and discerning electorate! One which is willing and able to see past the 3 word slogans, the brainless attack advertisements and the endless depressing pettiness of the campaign process to actually critically examine policies for their usefulness and chance of success. A bridge too far you say? Well, this is a novel with science fictional (or should I say science fantasy elements).
Saunders is willing to consider that there is the potential for good works and good intentions on all sides of the political contest. And that such considerations will allow a better results than the mindless demonisation of different views, which seems to be the modus operandi of politics in our present benighted age.
And so it is that few of the characters in this gentle satire are beyond redemption. Whether is is PM Fitzwilliams, ASIO analyst Renard Prendergast, or one of the multitude of Ned Ludds who so mysteriously and surprisingly come to stand for parliament, each learns and grows through the experiences of the tumultuous election season of 2028.
We could do worse than to think about making our political discourse more cooperative, and less destructive and adversarial. From each according to their ability, and to each according to their needs.
A breath of hope onto to the corpse of our political system might be over-hyping this enjoyable romp through the chaos of an Australian Election. nevertheless, Ken Saunders reminds us that, despite the depredations of political careerists, apparatchiks and the seeming dead weight of the party political system, with all of its lobbyists and special interest groups and focus group pollsters, our political system is after all, made up of people who may be able to reform the system from within.
All it will require is an intelligent and discerning electorate! One which is willing and able to see past the 3 word slogans, the brainless attack advertisements and the endless depressing pettiness of the campaign process to actually critically examine policies for their usefulness and chance of success. A bridge too far you say? Well, this is a novel with science fictional (or should I say science fantasy elements).
Saunders is willing to consider that there is the potential for good works and good intentions on all sides of the political contest. And that such considerations will allow a better results than the mindless demonisation of different views, which seems to be the modus operandi of politics in our present benighted age.
And so it is that few of the characters in this gentle satire are beyond redemption. Whether is is PM Fitzwilliams, ASIO analyst Renard Prendergast, or one of the multitude of Ned Ludds who so mysteriously and surprisingly come to stand for parliament, each learns and grows through the experiences of the tumultuous election season of 2028.
We could do worse than to think about making our political discourse more cooperative, and less destructive and adversarial. From each according to their ability, and to each according to their needs.
December 13, 2019
This book seemed to skip the whole scene setting thing and just jumped straight in with something sublime and then built up on that. While I admit the idea of a three term LNP government fills me with existential dread, the story and the vague subplots around the place picked up very quickly, and just as quickly got me hooked. The climax was rather delicious, and while I had guessed on who was pulling the strings, their reasoning for doing so left me pleasantly surprised. I would have liked to have seen more of a resolution.
May 21, 2019
I read this just before the federal election. It made me laugh so much but also made me want to cry with frustration and sadness at the current political situation in Australia. All I can say is READ THIS BOOK! With 9 years before 2028, there’s time to effect change.
May 3, 2019
This was funny and very clever. LOTS of big ideas and probably a few too many characters but overall an original (and potentially prescient) concept. Made for fun reading in the lead up to the current federal election!
January 30, 2021
‘Well, Prime Minister … it’s the Luddites.’
Fast forward to Australia, 2028. It’s not far away … Picture parking meters as poker machines, virtual (instead of actual) radio shock-jocks … ASIO surveillance of a Charles Dickens Reading Group at Low Expectations, and the Communist Party of China as a multinational corporation.
Prime Minister Adrian Fitzwilliams’s finely honed political instincts tell him that now is the time to call a snap election. Will he ever have another opportunity like this? His cabinet team is barely adequate, which is as good as it gets, the doctors have finally stopped protesting about the GP changes and (perhaps best of all) the Australian Greens are in receivership. Winning the election should be a lay down misère. In the absence of any organised credible opposition, what could possibly go wrong?
Meet the Luddites. The Luddites have their own rules. They have no virtual presence (no website, no social media) they use carrier pigeons to communicate, and all their candidates are called Ned Ludd. Yes, they have changed their names by deed poll, and they intend to run a candidate in every seat.
And somehow, they are a step ahead of the government at every turn. Policy announcements, nude protests, clever use of media.
I laughed my way through this novel, enjoying the fictional chaos and trying hard not to see any real parallels in current politics. Great satire, and just what I needed.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Fast forward to Australia, 2028. It’s not far away … Picture parking meters as poker machines, virtual (instead of actual) radio shock-jocks … ASIO surveillance of a Charles Dickens Reading Group at Low Expectations, and the Communist Party of China as a multinational corporation.
Prime Minister Adrian Fitzwilliams’s finely honed political instincts tell him that now is the time to call a snap election. Will he ever have another opportunity like this? His cabinet team is barely adequate, which is as good as it gets, the doctors have finally stopped protesting about the GP changes and (perhaps best of all) the Australian Greens are in receivership. Winning the election should be a lay down misère. In the absence of any organised credible opposition, what could possibly go wrong?
Meet the Luddites. The Luddites have their own rules. They have no virtual presence (no website, no social media) they use carrier pigeons to communicate, and all their candidates are called Ned Ludd. Yes, they have changed their names by deed poll, and they intend to run a candidate in every seat.
And somehow, they are a step ahead of the government at every turn. Policy announcements, nude protests, clever use of media.
I laughed my way through this novel, enjoying the fictional chaos and trying hard not to see any real parallels in current politics. Great satire, and just what I needed.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
January 2, 2020
Amusing enough. Decent political satire.
December 16, 2018
Political satire novel starts out well but then just stupider and more unrealistic the further it goes, until it just becomes a farce and a dribbling mess by the conclusion. Satire needs to have at least a foot in reality, this ended up being in a different planet to reality and was as a result very disappointing.
March 16, 2019
Ken Saunders has either worked in politics, or knows someone who does because 2028 is written with a searing insight into the often ridiculous process that is political election campaigning. This is a funny, satirical look at Australian politics that is potentially only a slight exaggeration on what actually happens in the lead up to an election. Well done!
March 13, 2019
This book is an interesting take about the instability of the Australian Government
Featuring interesting policies, this book shows the lengths people will go to speak in the crowd of representative democracy, and how crazy the Australian and other governments could become, as a dystopian reminder about the negative sides of the world.
Featuring interesting policies, this book shows the lengths people will go to speak in the crowd of representative democracy, and how crazy the Australian and other governments could become, as a dystopian reminder about the negative sides of the world.
September 1, 2018
After what has gone on recently in Australian politics (Prime Minister out/new Prime Minister in) this seemed to be the perfect read. What will Australia look like in 2028? The Australian Greens are in receivership, protests in the nude and parking meters doubling as poker machines all seem almost believable.
2028 is a very clever, funny book which seems a little to close to what might happen in the very near future. It will having you shaking your head in disbelief as well as laughing aloud. Read it because it is fun, as well as being a warning of what might be around the corner in Australian politics.
I received a copy of 2028 from Allen & Unwin, thank you.
2028 is a very clever, funny book which seems a little to close to what might happen in the very near future. It will having you shaking your head in disbelief as well as laughing aloud. Read it because it is fun, as well as being a warning of what might be around the corner in Australian politics.
I received a copy of 2028 from Allen & Unwin, thank you.
October 2, 2018
Set around a fictional election in the future, 2028 is an easy, funny read that will have you wondering if this is the real future for Australia. It’s the future but it seems nothing has changed. There’s hapless major parties, outrageous minor parties, ASIO and Australia Post have everyone under surveillance, China may be interfering in both politics and the media, the focus group studies are untrustworthy, radio shock jocks are on the airwaves and the NBN has still not been rolled out nationwide. The only questions that remain are who is Ned Lud and will they win the election?
September 12, 2018
This was fantastic. A worthy addition to anyone's collection of political satire. Sure it wasn't as funny as I thought it would be. But I guess its one of those books that depends on the person. If you are interested in this type of book. I definitely recommend it and hope that Australian politics never end up being this bad. #2028
January 31, 2019
If you like Ben Elton, you'll love this book.
Set in a very near future, follow the Australian Prime Minister's haphazard election campaign where almost every plan is thwarted by the Luddites-a political party of candidates all called Ned Ludd.
Set in a very near future, follow the Australian Prime Minister's haphazard election campaign where almost every plan is thwarted by the Luddites-a political party of candidates all called Ned Ludd.
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