Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    A Nation of Addicts
    A Nation of Addicts
    A Nation of Addicts
    Ebook34 pages31 minutes

    A Nation of Addicts

    By Lee Penney

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    A warming climate has allowed tropical diseases to spread to every corner of the globe and the ensuing health crisis has dragged much of the planet into anarchy. Protected by the sea, Britain maintains order, but the need for daily doses of medication mean the pharmaceutical companies now pull the strings.

    With a monopoly and never-ending demand, life is good for those who work for them, but when Emma's mother falls ill and the company refuses to treat her, she's forced to turn to a group of dissidents attempting to throw off the chemical yoke.

    When word of a possible cure reaches them, they ask Emma to steal it. If she's caught, she'll disappear for good, but it's the price for saving her mum, or are they just using her? Either way, time is running out.

    If you're a fan of Children of Men, V for Vendetta, 1984 or similar tales of government-controlled dystopia then you'll love A Nation of Addicts.

    This is a novelette of ~8,500 words (28 pages)

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLee Penney
    Release dateJul 3, 2013
    ISBN9781301335367
    A Nation of Addicts
    Author

    Lee Penney

    Lee can generally be found staring at a screen from behind a keyboard, either writing, coding or attempting to read all of the interesting parts of the internet before someone adds a new bit. He has a fascination with stories in all forms, especially film, and enjoys spending as much time as possible in a world other than this one.

    Read more from Lee Penney

    Related to A Nation of Addicts

    Related ebooks

    Science Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      A Mother’s Nature

      Oct 17, 2023

      A Mother’s Nature
      11 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Oct 3, 2023

      by Lynne Segal (Verso, ISBN: 9781804292945) versobooks.com On a recent visit to a 96-year-old relative who still lived alone, it became clear that he had heard the phrase ‘living independently’ one too many times. ‘I don’t live independently – none o

      4 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Feb 26, 2024

      Its title may be Mrs Gulliver but – set on tropical ‘Verona Island’ and with epigraphs from Romeo and Juliet – Valerie Martin’s new book owes more to Shakespeare than Swift. In this hymn to carnality, the not-so-star-crossed lovers are Carità, a blin

      3 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      Sep 15, 2021

      Of the 1000-plus books that have landed on my desk since the debut of this feature, not one has been as astonishing as this one. Brooks is Scientia Professor of Evolution at UNSW Sydney, where he founded and directs the Evolution and Ecology Research

      5 min read

    • Article

      Cleaning Up Crime

      Aug 5, 2019

      YOU CAN’T CLEAN PEOPLE UP. YOU CAN’T ORGANIZE them or kiss them goodbye, thanking them for their service when they no longer spark joy in your heart. There are these nagging, inconvenient things called feelings attached to people that you can’t bundl

      2 min read

    • Article

      We Must Turn Off The Gas

      Dec 9, 2023

      GASLIT. Anyone else feeling it? Saffers would be grateful for any steady light right now, but enough with the gaslighting already. Stick with me here. Remember that to fix something, you first have to see it’s broken. Gaslighting is defined in the U

      2 min read

    • Article

      My Wife. My Muse. Our Journey.

      Nov 17, 2022

      My Wife. My Muse. Our Journey.
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Millions Least Anticipated: Post-Coronavirus Fiction

      Apr 8, 2020

      For nearly four weeks now, I’ve been practicing social distancing. When I’m not homeschooling or making beans or wiping up dog urine, I’ve thought a lot about what kind of fiction will come out of this crisis. It won’t all be good. The post The Mill

      4 min read

    • Article

      Finding Your Public Voice

      Oct 7, 2022

      Early in my career, I joined a writing group with the word change in its name. When friends asked, “What kind of change are you writing about?” I responded, “Whatever kind of change is happening in my life”—whether that change occurred by chance or w

      7 min read

    • Article

      All Is Connected

      Aug 1, 2021

      All Is Connected
      2 min read

    • Article

      How To Ask For Help

      Aug 14, 2019

      How To Ask For Help
      7 min read

    • Article

      Psychics

      Jan 12, 2022

      Psychics
      10 min read

    • Article

      Psychics

      Jan 12, 2022

      Psychics
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Bridle

      Oct 10, 2021

      Saliva pooled on her tongue beneath the rusty depressor. She endured a constant urge to swallow, afraid of choking on her own fluids. The taste of metal and blood are so akin, it is easy to mistake one for the other. This early in the day, blood was

      11 min read

    • Article

      Doctor Know

      Jan 18, 2021

      Doctor Know
      7 min read

    • Article

      Psychics

      Jan 12, 2022

      Psychics
      10 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for A Nation of Addicts

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      A Nation of Addicts - Lee Penney

      A NATION OF ADDICTS

      Copyright © 2013 by Lee Penney

      All rights reserved.

      No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the author.

      Lee Penney has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

      This work is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

      Pills cover image courtesy of Simone Soldà

      Smashwords Edition

      Emma sat in the dark, lit only by computer screens and the overspill from the workbench lamps. As she watched the black-clad figures milling around, little more than a suggestion in the twilight, her mind drifted back through the journey that led her here.

      It began the day she'd received the rejection letter. Echoes of the fury she'd felt when reading it rose in her mind, but their fire had gone, she could no longer muster the effort to sustain her rage.

      The pharmaceutical companies looked after their own, it was a phrase she’d heard many times from those who congratulated her when she’d landed the job. Everyone was so proud, so happy for her. It had been vindication of all the hard work she'd put in through school and university, recompense for the lost joys of childhood and the postponed thrills of youth.

      It had never come easy for her, not like some of her fellow students, who seemed to pass exams in their sleep. Determination and hard work had been her accomplices. While others had enjoyed their spare time, she’d spent hers making endless notes and plans.

      That work ethic proved beneficial when the exams became so hard no one could pass them without a lot of preparation. Part of her had enjoyed watching the cruisers crash and burn, unable or unwilling to put in the work.

      To be the best, simply knowing the subject wasn’t enough though. It had been one of her school teachers who had opened her eyes to taking a broader approach. Whereas most of her university classmates focused on their chosen topic, learning every detail, Emma had approached things with a wider view, picking ideas not just from different fields but other disciplines too. It was this approach that let her rise above the others.

      Not that it had earned her any special treatment when Prosche Wenlock had come

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1