In a broken world, lighting a match is an act of rebellion...
This is the story of Flicker, a pyromaniac whose only escape from the emptiness and oppression of life in a post-apocalyptic world is to set fire to luxury automobiles. Armed with a hammer and jerry can, he wages a one-man war against the Overclass, partisans of the failing regime struggling to hold the reins since The Breakdown decades earlier. He can't remember his family, and his friends have disappeared without a trace. His only companion is fire, that mesmerising force of glorious destruction. It alone gives meaning to his existence...but one night, he goes too far and unwittingly chooses a target best left alone. As tracker drones swarm, he finds himself running for his life, and a chance encounter with a kindred spirit changes his fate. Together, they flee the city, venturing beyond the ring road for the first time, and hope to find safety and the chance to build a life for themselves in the country. New challenges will arise, and new questions will beg to be answered. Where did everyone go? Who has left messages written on the walls of abandoned buildings? And the most terrible question of all: What is happening at the regime's dreaded seaside resort, The Esplanade?
In a world without hope, can deliverance from tyranny be found in the head of a matchstick? Flicker is a tale of survival against the odds in a brutal world, of loss and self-discovery, and of love and solidarity, but most of all, it's a story about fire, that double-edged sword that both cleanses and destroys.
Praise for FLICKER: "A great read if you like your dystopia with a touch of romance and the promise of a better future. I especially enjoyed the pacing and evocative world-building."
- Karen Bayly, five-star Goodreads review "Cameron Trost has crafted an effortless and engaging read right through to the shocking end. I loved the descriptive prose throughout and how he could say so much in so few words. I also liked how he trusted the reader to pick up cues without needing to elaborate. The sensitive consideration given to his characters and their struggles as they navigate the tyranny in their dystopian world is to be admired. Highly recommend."
- Pauline Yates, five-star Goodreads review
