The debut dystopian novel of a new Galway writer – painting an uncomfortably credible picture of a civilisation in freefall – will be launched on Friday week in Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop.

Tom O’Connell is the author of Lichtenberg, an engaging and thought-provoking work of dystopian fiction, exploring the dangers of nationalist ideology, state propaganda, revisionist history, and the othering of the marginalised outsider – all issues that continue to plague contemporary society.

Published by Temple Dark Books, Lichtenberg is told from the perspective of his main protagonist Riven – an elite soldier in the city of Raidon, the last bastion of civilisation, ostensibly beset by nomadic people considered no better than animals.

Riven dares to question the status quo and alters the trajectory of a life spent sleepwalking through injustice and atrocity.

Drawing on classics like Geroge Orwell’s 1984, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, the native of Newcastle in Galway city writes to unnerve the reader by positioning them within this fictious city, amongst men and women immersed in its propaganda, hedonism, and brutality.

Tom O’Connell has a Master’s in Dystopian Literature and he is currently pursuing a PhD in the topic in the University of Galway. He is a past pupil of St Joseph’s College ‘the Bish’ and St Pat’s National School in the city.

Lichtenberg is Temple Dark Books’ fourteenth release and is testament to the label’s vision of becoming Ireland’s premier publisher of Speculative Fiction.

The launch in Charlie Byrne’s takes place on Friday week, November 14, from 6pm to 8pm – and all are welcome.

Pictured: Debut novel…Tom O’Connell.