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Time of Lies: A Political Satire Paperback – 23 Jun. 2017
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In 2020 Britain elects its own Donald Trump...
Bob Grant, former football hooligan, now the charismatic leader of the Britain s Great party (slogan: Britain s Great! End of!) has swept to power on a populist tide. With his itchy finger hovering over the nuclear trigger, Bob presides over a brave new Britain where armed drones fill the skies, ex-bankers and foreigners are vilified, and the Millwall football chant No one likes, we don t care has become an unofficial national anthem.
Meanwhile, Bob s under-achieving, Guardian-reading brother Zack gets a tap on the shoulder from a shady Whitehall mandarin. A daring plot is afoot to defy the will of the people and unseat the increasingly unstable PM. Can Zack stop his brother before he launches a nuclear strike on Belgium? And just what is ACERBIC, Britain s most closely-guarded military secret?
A darkly comic political thriller, Time of Lies is also a terrifyingly believable portrait of an alternative Britain. It couldn t happen here... could it?
- Print length304 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherLightning Books
- Publication date23 Jun. 2017
- Dimensions12.7 x 2.54 x 20.32 cm
- ISBN-101785630342
- ISBN-13978-1785630347
Product description
Review
A milestone in dystopian fiction. The first post-Truth, post-Brexit novel. We are destined to hear more of Douglas Board. --Chris Mullin, author, A Very British Coup
From the Back Cover
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Lightning Books
- Publication date : 23 Jun. 2017
- Edition : 1st
- Language : English
- Print length : 304 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1785630342
- ISBN-13 : 978-1785630347
- Item weight : 1.05 kg
- Dimensions : 12.7 x 2.54 x 20.32 cm
- Best Sellers Rank: 2,018,310 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 3,787 in Political Fiction (Books)
- 5,916 in Political Thrillers (Books)
- 31,954 in Crime, Thriller & Mystery Adventures
- Customer reviews:
About the author

Douglas Board (@BoardWryter) is a writer and thinker on leadership, and an executive and career coach. Previously he was for eighteen years a senior headhunter (executive search consultant). His 2021 book ELITES: CAN YOU RISE TO THE TOP WITHOUT LOSING YOUR SOUL? has been described by the Financial Times as 'profound ... sharp and often very funny'. ELITES lifts the lid on what happens at the top of meritocracies: why they produce glass ceilings; how senior executives can navigate them; and how we can change the system.
His earlier non-fiction work includes two applied research books, CHOOSING LEADERS AND CHOOSING TO LEAD (2012) and, with Robert Warwick, THE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF LEADERSHIP AND KNOWLEDGE (2013). His articles have appeared in the Financial Times and Times Higher Education.
Douglas also explores leadership and social circles of power through satirical fiction. His novels MBA (2015) and TIME OF LIES (2017) take apart the fantasies of business tycoons and post-truth politicians. The novelette THE RATS: A WHITE HOUSE SATIRE (2018) imagined poetic justice for the then occupant of the White House.
He is an honorary senior visiting fellow at the business school of City, University of London. In 2019 he became one of the five non-lawyer members of the Queen's Counsel Selection Panel, which awards the highest distinction for legal advocacy in England and Wales. Previously he was treasurer of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and chair of the British Refugee Council. He is a graduate of Cambridge and Harvard Universities and in 2010 received a doctorate in the selection of people for senior roles from the University of Hertfordshire.
Find more writing, interviews and talks at www.douglasboard.com. You can invite Douglas to talk to your group from there (see 'lunchbox Douglas').
'[ELITES] is as much a work of social philosophy as it is a business book — an examination of meritocracy, meaning and the “magic tricks” by which a small group sustains itself at the pinnacle of society.' Financial Times
'TIME OF LIES is my book of the moment: Douglas Board is a truly talented satirist and has our Brexit era nailed.' Matthew d'Ancona, columnist, Guardian and Evening Standard.
'MBA is a must-read for anyone who enjoyed Franzen's FREEDOM or Eggers' THE CIRCLE.' Felicity Wood, The Bookseller
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book properly funny, with one noting how it captures the current mood with wit. Moreover, they describe it as a thoroughly enjoyable read, and one customer highlights its extensive knowledge of politics. Additionally, the book receives positive feedback for its edge, with one customer describing it as cutting edge.
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Customers enjoy the book's humor, finding it properly funny, with one customer noting how it captures the current mood with wit.
"...A great story with many twists, imaginative and humorous but with a hint of menace...." Read more
"...Time of Lies and was highly impressed not only by the author’s sense of the absurd, but also by his extensive knowledge of politics and the civil..." Read more
"...Properly funny, even for a miserable git like me. Fizzling, intelligent satire without a hint of meanness (take note, Ricky Gervais)...." Read more
"...just two years ago is now a frightening reality, Board captures the current mood with wit and a cutting edge - a delight to read" Read more
Customers find the book thoroughly enjoyable to read.
"...A thoroughly enjoyable read that moves at great pace. A great story with many twists, imaginative and humorous but with a hint of menace...." Read more
"...It's a new kind of writing for me, but I enjoyed it immensely...." Read more
"...Thoughtful, and enormous fun. Will be my go to Christmas present for everyone who needs cheering up...." Read more
"...Board captures the current mood with wit and a cutting edge - a delight to read" Read more
Customers appreciate the book's knowledge level, with one customer noting its thorough research and extensive political expertise, while another finds it perfect for these unpredictable times.
"Reading this in the Summer of 2019 it is a strangely prescient book. A thoroughly enjoyable read that moves at great pace...." Read more
"...only by the author’s sense of the absurd, but also by his extensive knowledge of politics and the civil service (where he once worked)...." Read more
"...Clever, witty and hugely informative, it's very well worth a read ." Read more
"...hilarious and alarmingly plausible in equal measure - perfect for these unpredictable times....a brilliant read." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's edge, with one describing it as cutting edge, while others find it clever and imaginative.
"...A great story with many twists, imaginative and humorous but with a hint of menace...." Read more
"...frightening reality, Board captures the current mood with wit and a cutting edge - a delight to read" Read more
"...Clever, witty and hugely informative, it's very well worth a read ." Read more
Top reviews from United Kingdom
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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 August 2019Reading this in the Summer of 2019 it is a strangely prescient book. A thoroughly enjoyable read that moves at great pace. A great story with many twists, imaginative and humorous but with a hint of menace. Underlying the story is an exploration and exposition of the British class system and politics.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 October 2017The writing style isn't what I'm used to so I found it rather hard to follow. Perhaps trying to be more clever than it is.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 July 2017I have just finished reading Time of Lies and was highly impressed not only by the author’s sense of the absurd, but also by his extensive knowledge of politics and the civil service (where he once worked). I grew up thinking Britain was great and always would be – my father fought in WW2 after all. But these days I am beginning to see that it could all unravel… and rather quickly. Thanks to the author's thorough research, I found myself learning about subjects I know almost nothing about, such as nuclear weapons and the Ministry of Defence ("the Kafka Central of British bureaucracy, an eight-storey stone toaster with three pop-up slots"). In addition, by writing the book in two very distinct voices (a populist prime minister and his brother, an actor), he shows us an extreme form of sibling rivalry in action. I especially enjoyed the dialogues.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 January 2018"You couldn't write it!" is a phrase often on my lips, but honestly Douglas Board has just done it! It's a new kind of writing for me, but I enjoyed it immensely. By the end I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, the situation in the world seemed to be echoing the tone of the book as I was reading it. I hope there will be more from Douglas Board - and soon.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 October 2017PRICELESS. Baffled this book hasn't become a big deal - I laughed out loud 4 times before even reaching Chapter 1. Properly funny, even for a miserable git like me. Fizzling, intelligent satire without a hint of meanness (take note, Ricky Gervais). Thoughtful, and enormous fun. Will be my go to Christmas present for everyone who needs cheering up. Whoever wrote it should revive Spitting Image and write more. Works at every level. I just hope life stops imitating art!
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 December 2017What might have seen a fanciful political satire just two years ago is now a frightening reality, Board captures the current mood with wit and a cutting edge - a delight to read
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 January 2018Douglas Board writes with unnerving prescience and too close to the bone for comfort. Clever, witty and hugely informative, it's very well worth a read .
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 July 2017Laugh-out-loud hilarious and alarmingly plausible in equal measure - perfect for these unpredictable times....a brilliant read.
Top reviews from other countries
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rrr_hhhReviewed in Germany on 11 January 2018
2.0 out of 5 stars A bit deceiving, not really convincing
I found that novel a bit confusing and rather boring. I like political fiction, but here the plot isn't really that interesting, nor very plausible.