The Testimony
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3.5 • 20 Ratings
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
A global thriller presenting an apocalyptic vision of a world on the brink of despair and destruction.
What would you do if the world was brought to a standstill? If you heard deafening static followed by the words, ‘My children. Do not be afraid’?
Would you turn to God? Subscribe to the conspiracy theories? Or put your faith in science and a rational explanation?
The lives of all twenty-six people in this account are affected by the message. Most because they heard it. Some because they didn’t.
The Testimony – a gripping story of the world brought to its knees and of its people, confused and afraid.
Reviews
‘[An] utterly gripping and highly original debut novel…a tour de force of virtuoso writing that explodes off the page’ DAILY MAIL
‘As if Philip K Dick and David Mitchell had collaborated on an episode of The West Wing … unsettling, gripping and hugely thought-provoking’ FHM
‘A fiercely-imagined dystopia of the near future. Intelligent, visionary and compulsively readable’ ALEX PRESTON, author of The Revelations
‘A literary post-apocalyptic novel built around a clever conceit’ GUARDIAN
About the author
James Smythe was born in London in 1980. Since completing a PhD at Cardiff University he has worked as a computer game writer/narrative designer and currently teaches creative writing. He lives on the grounds of a boarding school in West Sussex. He can be found on Twitter @jpsmythe
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
What begins as static that somehow broadcasts directly into people’s heads resolves into a simple but startling message of hope. Could it be the voice of a kindly divinity, a cunning manipulation or something wholly inexplicable? The globe-spanning cast of diverse characters in British author James Smythe’s captivating second novel vividly recount their mystifying experiences and wide-ranging reactions. Revealing moments of human valour and frailty, intriguing questions of faith and the stark terror of the unknown make this an exceptionally smart apocalyptic thriller.
Customer Reviews
The Testimony
Couldn't stop reading this. Loved the way the story is told. Amazing!!!!
Great idea- written irritatingly
There is a voice nearly everyone hears. Fascinating premise. I persevered for the first quarter of the book but then I quit. It is written in the first person by so many different characters that it becomes extremely tedious. There is no real narrative because the story is so fractured. Add to this the lack of dialogue, very short entries from each character and the lack of unique voice for each character and I'm afraid this book becomes very disappointing. I'll never know hat the voice was but life's too short to be this irritated.