Citizen Zero
In a bitterly divided nation where security trumps civil liberty, unemployed David is on the verge of sinking into the ‘Zeroes’ – a destitute underclass numbering millions. But then JobNet’s advanced virtual reality world offers him a gateway to a worthwhile future, and a chance to rejoin society.
But David is an unwitting pawn in a deadly conspiracy to topple the Government: he’s the ideal carrier for an intelligent virus designed to shatter the system and set the Zeroes free.
When the virus activates, chaos ensues and the Zeroes rise. David is left trapped inside a corrupted reality. If it doesn’t shatter his sanity, the secret he finds there will change everything…
Sometimes even a pawn can hold the balance of power.
Mark Cantrell
My journey into the world of words took me through Liverpool University – to study political theory – and then on to the City University, London, where I undertook post-graduate training as a journalist. After graduating, it was a few years before I landed my first media job. My own silly fault, I suppose; I kind of distracted myself writing what was to become Citizen Zero.
That’s the thing about my writing; I seem to have a reputation for the dystopian. Maybe I’ve earned it, but there’s more to my work. I cover a lot of ground. Fiction, yes, but articles and essays, too, on a whole range of topics.
A quick glance at my author blog will show I like to get around, but I guess there are recurring themes. We’ve all got them. I like to write about what interests me, and sometimes I don’t know what that is until it catches my eye. Much the same might be said for my fiction. Over the years, I’ve come to be seen as a science fiction author. I’m okay with this, but I tend to write to the story first, genre second if at all.
