A dystopian look into the future where Australia has divided, nationalism has taken over from common sense, and the new designer drug, F, allows you to glimpse into the future. Julian is part of a once successful band trying to follow up their hit debut album. What follows is a mish mash of music, characters going nowhere, and random tangents that don't really connect Time becomes confused, or characters are hunted down as they try to leave the eastern states and most of them come to grief in some way. At the end of the day it really sums up that sitting looking at the future is not the same as actually living. The narrator was very good, and made for entertaining listening.

This was a wild ride. From the outset, Big Time sweeps you up on a trippy journey, whisking you through a wild, drug and alcohol-fuelled road trip as we follow Julian Ferryman’s life story, from the moment he tries out a new drug on a flight, to… well, that would be telling.
If you’re after a whacky, eco, sharp-as-a-tack, hilarious yet uncomfortable dystopian set in the not too distant future, this is for you.
I’d like to thank Netgalley and Wavesound at WF Howes for the chance to listen to the audio of Jordan Prosser ‘s newest release, expertly narrated by Amos Phillips.
I’m christening this genre: ‘Antipodean eco-punk dystopia’. It’s completely off-the-wall and very entertaining.
Five stars from me.

'Big Time' is a mish-mash of themes and genres - a time travel novel of sorts, a political satire, a tale of oppression and revolution, a story about the fickle music industry and the people in it. It's mainly set in a near-future eastern Australia, which has split from the west of the country and is ruled by an oppressive, authoritarian regime. The central character is Julian, a bass player with a popular band, who returns from South America to record a second album, and is introduced to a new drug known as 'F'. The drug enables the user to see into the future, and it transpires Julian can see a lot further and more reliably than most people. This ability draws the attention of rebels who want to use him to assist in a revolution. Meanwhile, in the world, a series of bizarre coincidences suggest that the drug may have affected the behaviour of time itself...

Julian is not a likeable character, and I found it hard to relate to him or any of his band mates and their lifestyle. I did enjoy the style though, which is dry and funny, and it is one of those novels that doesn't follow a set 'formula' so you never know quite how it will turn out. There are a few quite long apparent segues into seemingly unrelated characters in other parts of the world. They do turn out to be relevant, but break the flow of the novel a bit. It really picks up momentum in the second half, when the narrative is more cohesive.

I found the beginning a bit hard to follow on an audiobook due to the jumps between narrative and time travelling stuff, but it was fine once the story settled down. The narrator does a brilliant job, in a reading that requires him to perform multiple accents and to sing (which he does very nicely).

Overall I enjoyed the book - it's original and quirky, often funny but with it's share of really moving moments as well. If you're looking for a piece of literary fiction that fits that bill, I would recommend it. If the characters had been more sympathetic and the start a bit more pacey I'd have given five stars.

A fascinating concept that is brilliantly executed into an original novel.

A new street drug, "F" has hit Australia, enabling users a glimpse into their future. Is it their certain future, or the current path and that which can change, depending on the actions taken by themselves or others?

This isn't my go-to genre, but the moral questions surrounding F made this a must-read. Would you, or wouldn't you? I certainly would, but the well written and developed characters in this story reveal there is a lot more than that simple question at stake.

My personal favourite was Yumi and Ren's story; that one really tugged at the heart strings and gave a solid example of how this type of drug could be used to help someone in a difficult and heartbreaking situation.

I listened to the audiobook, which was well narrated by Amos Phillips

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Jordan Prosser and W. F. Howes for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I have no idea how to even begin to review this!
You should definitely read this one for yourself I think.
The writing is fresh and razor sharp.
The concept is so out there it’s terrifyingly believable. Especially with the way the world is right now, it’s easy to expect this kind of unimaginable story becoming a reality.
F should be the talking point in rooms across the world, there’s so much scope for discussion. Would you take a drug that allowed you to see the future?

Political satire wouldn’t be my go to genre, but something reeled me into this one, and I’m so glad it did.

Gobsmacked! An easy 4 star ⭐️ both the writing and narration were excellent.

My thanks to Wavesound from W F Howes LTD and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

Where to begin a review for a title that’s almost impossible to review! Big Time is an amazing debut; inventive, thoughtful, funny, thought provoking…it’s so from just about anything I’ve ever read.

It’s set in a not too distant dystopian future in Eastern Australia which is a Big Brother type state. Pop music is used to brainwash with messages. Julian is in a band and about to record an album and go on tour. On his way back to Australia for that purpose, he’s offered a mind bending drug, F, which allows a like glimpse into the future. But for Julian, it allows greater vision. That’s the framework of the tale and built within that are the relationships between the group members, a slightly weird narrative from Wesley, the band photographer who allows the listener access to what’s going on. Within this there are some small almost stand alone vignettes about other things. For example, coincidence is considered when an event, decades apart is repeated exactly. This takes the story to a different level of both surrealism and existentialism, but it’s so cleverly done.

The writing is fresh, vibrant and very original as is the narrative approach. . Jordan Prosser is an exciting new talent on the literary stage and I’m delighted I’ve had the opportunity to listen to this title just after release. Narration throughout is perfect.

Slaughterhouse 5 is one of my fave audios so when I saw that this book:audio was similar I grabbed it super quick. I wasn’t disappointed. Really enjoyed the premise of the story. The characters were well written and easy to follow. I liked the dialogue in the text and thought the plot was interesting, interesting enough to have me smash through the audio in 2 days (on fast speed lol). On a side note I loved the cover and because I’m fickle it’s what drew me to the book in the first place. Narrator was a great match

Review of audiobook


I very much enjoyed this, though don't ask me to describe/explain it to you.
The narrator was perfect!
The story manages to be dystopian AND funny, not a combination you come across often.
Going to be a great talking piece , would you take the drug?
An excellent debut