Bedlam

Cult legend Christopher Brookmyre's first novel for Orbit - an explosive, thought-provoking trip (literally) through the worlds of virtual reality and retro video games HEAVEN IS A PRISON.HELL IS A PLAYGROUND.Ross Baker is an overworked scientist developing medical technology for corporate giant Neurosphere, but he'd rather be playing computer games than dealing with his nightmare boss or slacker co-workers.He volunteers as a test candidate for the new tech - anything to get out of the office for a few hours. But when he gets out of the scanner he discovers he's not only escaped the office, but possibly escaped real life for good. He's trapped in Starfire - a video game he played as a child - with no explanation, no backup and, most terrifyingly, no way out.PRAISE FOR BEDLAM'Christopher Brookmyre hits another high score with this brilliant, fast-paced nightmare'Charles Stross'Funny jokes, characters you can empathise with and devastatingly employed swearwords'Ed Byrne'A fascinating, fast-paced but thoughtful blend of science fiction and techno-thriller'Iain M. BanksWWW.BROOKMYRE.CO.UK HEAVEN IS A PRISON. HELL IS A PLAYGROUND.Ross Baker is an overworked scientist developing medical technology for corporate giant Neurosphere, but he'd rather be playing computer games than dealing with his nightmare boss or slacker co-workers.He volunteers as a test candidate for the new tech - anything to get out of the office for a few hours. But when he emerges from the scanner he discovers he's not only escaped the office, but possibly escaped real life for good. He's trapped in Starfire - a video game he played as a child - with no explanation, no backup and, most terrifyingly, no way out.