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Birthday Treat
In the near future, a UK totalitarian party called The Network are voted into power following an economic and societal collapse.
The Network pass a law sanctioning "Birthday Treats", a lottery type event wherein all crime is legal. If selected on their birthday, a chosen participant has 24 hours to complete their 'Treat' or forfeit and automatically enter into the infamous gameshow Hunted TV, where they'll have five days to go on the run from the general public and Network Agents, licensed to retire them...permanently.
Alice Paige is one such contestant. Once the lead singer of punk band The VamPyrates, she'll need to use all of her skill and cunning to keep one step ahead of Kavanagh, a sadistic and ruthless Agent, obsessed with finding her.
George Bryant is a mild hypochondriac, stuck in the same routine and yearns for something to awake him from his stupor. A former psychologist, he now treats people after having completed their Birthday Treat and knows that change is just around the corner.
So begins an unbearably tense, gripping tale of sacrifice, survival and freedom that escalates to a shattering conclusion, one in which the fate of three separate individuals are all intertwined. Birthday Treat brings an unequalled depth of characterisation and verisimilitude to its unflinching account of oppression and resistance.
The Network pass a law sanctioning "Birthday Treats", a lottery type event wherein all crime is legal. If selected on their birthday, a chosen participant has 24 hours to complete their 'Treat' or forfeit and automatically enter into the infamous gameshow Hunted TV, where they'll have five days to go on the run from the general public and Network Agents, licensed to retire them...permanently.
Alice Paige is one such contestant. Once the lead singer of punk band The VamPyrates, she'll need to use all of her skill and cunning to keep one step ahead of Kavanagh, a sadistic and ruthless Agent, obsessed with finding her.
George Bryant is a mild hypochondriac, stuck in the same routine and yearns for something to awake him from his stupor. A former psychologist, he now treats people after having completed their Birthday Treat and knows that change is just around the corner.
So begins an unbearably tense, gripping tale of sacrifice, survival and freedom that escalates to a shattering conclusion, one in which the fate of three separate individuals are all intertwined. Birthday Treat brings an unequalled depth of characterisation and verisimilitude to its unflinching account of oppression and resistance.
- GenresHorror
426 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2021
57 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Self
11 books9 followersAnthony Self is a writer based in West London. He is the co-director and manager for STORGY.com, an independent online magazine and book publisher, as well as Inside Your Screen, a YouTube channel specialising in horror gaming playthroughs.
In 2021, he released his debut novel, 'Birthday Treat,' a dystopian look at a post Brexit London. It's an unflinching account of oppression and resistance.
He is currently writing his second book, an anthology of short stories called Cat Box. You can find him on twitter @Mr_Selfy
In 2021, he released his debut novel, 'Birthday Treat,' a dystopian look at a post Brexit London. It's an unflinching account of oppression and resistance.
He is currently writing his second book, an anthology of short stories called Cat Box. You can find him on twitter @Mr_Selfy
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 1, 2021
A beguiling dystopian nightmare, akin to The Purge and The Running Man in its choice of the future it chooses to shows us, but this is a wholly original concept and executed like a seasoned professional. Birthday Treat announces a new chilling voice to the literary world!
December 2, 2021
Birthday Treat by Anthony Self – Oh!.. What a treat it was!
“𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕨𝕙𝕠𝕝𝕖 𝕗𝕦𝕔𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕖𝕥 𝕚𝕤 𝕚𝕟𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕣𝕤”
I am absolutely ASHAMED on how long it has taken me to get my review up after reading this piece. Life took hold as usual but that is no excuse! However, I am here now, let’s do this!
This world is full of imagination and creativity, making it extremely hard to find something unique to write about, to come up with a different story to tell. Concepts can fit close to other pieces out there but finding your own twist to sprinkle in is the true talent.
The moment I opened the pages to Birthday Treat I knew this creation Anthony had brought to the world was going to be different.
A thrilling dystopian full of power, corruption and absolute evil!
Imagine a world where no one knows who is next or when it will come. Around their birthdays of course, random people are chosen to receive their “birthday treat”. A treat that allows them to commit a crime, no matter how awful but that’s not all, this treat has a time limit. If you do not take the treat and act on it within this allotted time, you will be hunted down while being watched by the entire world. FIVE days.. if you choose not to partake you have to survive the hunting for 5 days to be free… and even then, are you really free?
Anthony’s writing style and storytelling will grip you. When I wasn’t reading Birthday treat, I was thinking about it, staring at it, wanting to dive back in.
All I am saying is pick this one up!
Thanks for reading
-Dark
“𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕨𝕙𝕠𝕝𝕖 𝕗𝕦𝕔𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕖𝕥 𝕚𝕤 𝕚𝕟𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕣𝕤”
I am absolutely ASHAMED on how long it has taken me to get my review up after reading this piece. Life took hold as usual but that is no excuse! However, I am here now, let’s do this!
This world is full of imagination and creativity, making it extremely hard to find something unique to write about, to come up with a different story to tell. Concepts can fit close to other pieces out there but finding your own twist to sprinkle in is the true talent.
The moment I opened the pages to Birthday Treat I knew this creation Anthony had brought to the world was going to be different.
A thrilling dystopian full of power, corruption and absolute evil!
Imagine a world where no one knows who is next or when it will come. Around their birthdays of course, random people are chosen to receive their “birthday treat”. A treat that allows them to commit a crime, no matter how awful but that’s not all, this treat has a time limit. If you do not take the treat and act on it within this allotted time, you will be hunted down while being watched by the entire world. FIVE days.. if you choose not to partake you have to survive the hunting for 5 days to be free… and even then, are you really free?
Anthony’s writing style and storytelling will grip you. When I wasn’t reading Birthday treat, I was thinking about it, staring at it, wanting to dive back in.
All I am saying is pick this one up!
Thanks for reading
-Dark
September 30, 2021
‘Birthday Treat’ is a gripping dystopian thriller that presents a bleak but very believable near future for the UK. Through the eyes of a runaway punk rocker being hunted by the entire population, a cruel government agent, and a mildly depressed office worker who gets caught up in the chase, we witness a post-Covid, post-Brexit Britain that reeks of inequality, corruption, and toxic masculinity.
Anthony Self pulls no punches in his debut novel. This is a relentless ride through the underbelly of future London, a sometimes disturbing journey that explores the darker aspects of the human mind. Beneath all the action and plot twists, Self really digs deep into the way modern-day society and governments shape our thoughts and behaviours. At times this novel seems like a very timely rumination on male violence and especially violence towards women, and how it’s facilitated by power-hungry governments, a brainwashing media, and an ignorant population who know nothing else.
‘Birthday Treat’ hits all the notes for a dystopian thriller – twists, action, and a scarily believable portrait of the near future – but it’s also far more than that. It’s a chilling dig at today’s society, and it will stay with you long after the final page.
Anthony Self pulls no punches in his debut novel. This is a relentless ride through the underbelly of future London, a sometimes disturbing journey that explores the darker aspects of the human mind. Beneath all the action and plot twists, Self really digs deep into the way modern-day society and governments shape our thoughts and behaviours. At times this novel seems like a very timely rumination on male violence and especially violence towards women, and how it’s facilitated by power-hungry governments, a brainwashing media, and an ignorant population who know nothing else.
‘Birthday Treat’ hits all the notes for a dystopian thriller – twists, action, and a scarily believable portrait of the near future – but it’s also far more than that. It’s a chilling dig at today’s society, and it will stay with you long after the final page.
February 10, 2022
A believable dystopia
Anthony Self has created a soul disturbing world that stems logically from today's news. Part satire, part thriller it will stick with you long after you read it.
Anthony Self has created a soul disturbing world that stems logically from today's news. Part satire, part thriller it will stick with you long after you read it.
October 28, 2021
There’s a plausibility to this dystopian story that makes this book mildly unsettling. The recent political upheavals and shifting towards the right make this tale, set in a future London, England, not quite as fantastical as it seems. Add in a dash of violence, some great characters, and a well thought out plot, and it’s a recipe for a great book!
March 21, 2025
I kinda came into this book with little to no prior knowledge. Seriously, I was aware of the book, obviously. But I had read the synopsis a while ago, grabbed a copy of the ebook, and said “I’m gonna try to read this soonish”. So, by the time I finally did read it, I really only remembered the most basic bits of the premise.
In a dystopian future there’s a lottery in which people can be selected on their birthday and they can commit any crime. ‘Kinda like the Purge’, I recall hearing. Well, I’ve never watched those movies, but yeah, I guess on premise that checks out.
But that’s what I knew going in. There’s more to it than just that, obviously, much more. For example, the consequences if one doesn’t use their Birthday Treat. That’s a pretty important part.
So, picking this book up with that minimal knowledge, little did I realize the whirlwind I was in for.
Birthday Treat mostly focuses on a few characters in a near future dystopia in which The Network has taken control. Honestly, I’m not sure if it’s all that far-fetched, but here we are. If a person is selected for the Birthday Treat, they have 24 hours to make use of it, but failure to do so results in them being entered into The Hunted gameshow, where they will then have five days to survive. There’s still more to it than that, but you gotta read the book to get that information.
Throughout the novel, there’s bits of epistolary sort of stuff, such as social media posts, talk show transcripts, conversation logs, and so on. And bits outside of the main POVs as well. And the way it all just ties in together, sometimes in ways that could be easy to miss, it just meshes perfectly.
Right from the beginning, the reader’s kinda slapped in the face. You get an idea of what you’re in for, and it’s gonna be dark and at times brutal. But the way the whole thing works out is excellent.
Honestly, now-a-days, this is a bit out of my wheelhouse. I mostly stick to fantasy. Back when I was in my twenties, this was the sort of stuff I was constantly looking for. And it was such a delight (really not the best word there, cause like I said, this book is pretty fucking bleak) to read. So, what can I say? I’d hate to make what I think is the most obvious comparison, but I’m going to. If you enjoyed Black Mirror, or if you’re a fan of technological dystopian stuff, you’d be a fool to miss out on this book. I’d say Anthony Self really nailed it with this!
In a dystopian future there’s a lottery in which people can be selected on their birthday and they can commit any crime. ‘Kinda like the Purge’, I recall hearing. Well, I’ve never watched those movies, but yeah, I guess on premise that checks out.
But that’s what I knew going in. There’s more to it than just that, obviously, much more. For example, the consequences if one doesn’t use their Birthday Treat. That’s a pretty important part.
So, picking this book up with that minimal knowledge, little did I realize the whirlwind I was in for.
Birthday Treat mostly focuses on a few characters in a near future dystopia in which The Network has taken control. Honestly, I’m not sure if it’s all that far-fetched, but here we are. If a person is selected for the Birthday Treat, they have 24 hours to make use of it, but failure to do so results in them being entered into The Hunted gameshow, where they will then have five days to survive. There’s still more to it than that, but you gotta read the book to get that information.
Throughout the novel, there’s bits of epistolary sort of stuff, such as social media posts, talk show transcripts, conversation logs, and so on. And bits outside of the main POVs as well. And the way it all just ties in together, sometimes in ways that could be easy to miss, it just meshes perfectly.
Right from the beginning, the reader’s kinda slapped in the face. You get an idea of what you’re in for, and it’s gonna be dark and at times brutal. But the way the whole thing works out is excellent.
Honestly, now-a-days, this is a bit out of my wheelhouse. I mostly stick to fantasy. Back when I was in my twenties, this was the sort of stuff I was constantly looking for. And it was such a delight (really not the best word there, cause like I said, this book is pretty fucking bleak) to read. So, what can I say? I’d hate to make what I think is the most obvious comparison, but I’m going to. If you enjoyed Black Mirror, or if you’re a fan of technological dystopian stuff, you’d be a fool to miss out on this book. I’d say Anthony Self really nailed it with this!
Want to read
August 22, 2023I could not get into this book and decided to shelf it. I might read it in the future.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews