REVIEWS AND INTERVIEWS

Delighted to share this interview about my books with librarian Will Davies which has kindly been placed in Vector Magazine, the critical journal of the British Science Fiction Assocation.

Will and I put this together after our event at Ewell Library last year, and it covers a variety of topics, including the research behind my books, the role of speculative fiction and whether fiction can effect change.

Thanks so much to Polina at BSFA Vector for featuring it, and I hope you enjoy.

To read the interview, click here.

Absolutely delighted to feature in November's OX Magazine: the glamour edition no less!

Sophie Elkan chatted with me about what motivates me to write my dystopian thrillers as well as reviewing ONE.

"Eve Smith paints a chillingly plausible picture of what could be a future reality.
Addictively readable, and highly recommended, I was intrigued to know more about what motivates Eve to write in this genre."

In the article we discuss everything from gene editing to motherhood, and the challenging moral dilemmas we face with the accelerating pace of scientific discoveries and tech.
I was particularly pleased with Sophie’s caveat about my books: DO NOT READ AT BEDTIME!

To read the article, as well as some other fabulous features, click here.

Huge thanks to Sophie and all the team at OX for chatting with me!

I had such a wonderful discussion with Paul Burke for his Crime Time podcast.
We chatted about everything from Africa to gene editing to unlikeable characters.
Paul got underneath the skin of my novels and drilled down to the issues that inspired them and what we can learn from dystopian fiction. We talked about whether thrillers should be anything more than entertainment or whether, by bringing to life near-future worlds, speculative thrillers can both terrify readers and engage them in important issues.

You can listen to the interview on any of the links below.
Apple http://apple.co/3znb7b5
Spotify http://spoti.fi/459twrO
Google http://bit.ly/3rtTJn9

REVIEWS

I am delighted to say there have been some incredible reviews for ONE from press, authors and bloggers, so here is a little selection below.

I absolutely love this review by journalist and reviewer Nyla Daud which was featured in the fiction section of DAWN, one of South Asia's leading newspapers. To read the full review click here.

"A page-turner of a dystopian novel about a future one-party United Kingdom that harshly enforces a one-child policy is as much about what it means to be human...

One, the political party of Eve Smith’s creative imagination, is the protagonist enacting a spine-chilling tale of conjectural fascism, let loose under the guise of political progress, resource parity and preservation of the human race.

Speculative thrillers are a popular breed of creative writing but Eve Smith's ONE takes the genre to a new level."

So pleased that New Scientist picked ONE for its Best New Science Fiction books in July amidst some tough competition in a bumper month for new releases. You can read the other recommendations on the image link above, but here’s what their Culture editor, Alison Flood, said about ONE:

“I love a good speculative thriller, and this one sounds pleasingly terrifying.

It is set in a UK decimated by a climate emergency, where a one-child policy is being enforced by a totalitarian government.
We follow Kai, a so-called “baby reaper” working for the Ministry of Population and Family Planning who is tasked with preventing any of her assigned families from exceeding their quota. But when she discovers someone on the illegal list is actually her sibling, she needs to investigate before her parents pay the price.”

ONE has also been selected by SciFiNow for their Best Science Fiction books for July, with a fabulous 5 star review. I have included an extract below.

ONE REVIEW: GRIPPING TALE OF SACRIFICE, DECEIT AND AWAKENING IN A CLIMATE-RAVAGED WORLD

Eve Smith’s unflinching narrative exposes the dark underbelly of a divided society, forcing us to question our own truths.

At its core, ONE presents a compelling extrapolation of a society grappling with the devastating effects of climate change and scarce resources. Smith subtly scrutinises the compromises individuals are willing to make when faced with such dire circumstances and the toll these sacrifices take on their humanity.

While not strictly a political thriller, the novel hinges around government corruption and profiteering, and Smith adeptly shines the same uncompromising light on the themes of immigration and asylum, approaching them with compassion and understanding, offering a nuanced view of the complex landscape and leaving judgement to the readers’ own mind.

With echoes of V for Vendetta, ONE serves as a stark warning, challenging societal norms and individual sacrifices in the face of adversity.

You can read the full review here.

I also wrote a guest blog for SciFiNow magazine about how our dystopian reality is beginning to outpace fiction, and you can read that here.

ONE was also reviewed in the August edition of SFX magazine and I have included an excerpt below.

Eve Smith has been building a reputation as the new Michael Crichton, with a brace of well-received techno-thrillers under her belt. One is another solid, sci-fi conspiracy nailbiter, with nods to such current real world issues as the migrant crisis, anti-vaxxers, the anti-abortion movement and, of course, environmental crises.
It’s a pacy, plot-driven page-turner, which gives you a lot to think about and has plenty of twists.

ONE has also benefited from some wonderful reviews from book bloggers, and I have included a couple here. Click on the image for the full review.

Emma’s Biblio Treasures: 5 star rating

Powerful, gripping, and thought-provoking, I devoured this outstanding thriller, enrapt by the nightmarish future that sprang from Eve Smith’s imagination.
Smith is a master storyteller, expertly merging complex moral dilemmas, social issues, dark secrets, and mystery, then weaving in compelling family drama that gives the story its beating heart. It is brilliantly written, tightly plotted and propulsive with a constant tempo of dread; the mercurial presence of ONE looming over every page. The unexpected twists left me blindsided and I found it impossible to put the book down

The Book Review Cafe: 5 star rating

One is definitely one of the best speculative fiction novels I’ve EVER had the pleasure of reading. It’s so exquisitely written.
Don’t you just love it when a book gives you so much more than a story?
One is an emotive, breathtaking read. It’s a heartbreaking account of the significance of decisions taken by a totalitarian government who place too much faith in science and ideology, and too little in humanity. Highly recommend.

I have also been blessed to receive some wonderful reviews from authors over the past few weeks, after early copies were sent out for review. A selection are below.

“Sharp perception and intense images shine out of every page. Eve Smith is a master storyteller for our troubled times. “
Simon Conway

“ONE is a chillingly-plausible tale of societal corruption and control, written with a brilliantly-realised world, great pacing and a storyline that is both thrilling and deeply moving.
Thought-provoking, moving and gripping, ONE proves Smith a top author in the speculative thriller genre.”
Philippa East

“ONE immerses us in a dystopian future where a green-tech paradise conceals a family-planning hell. As a survivor of China’s One Child Policy myself, I have witnessed many different facets of this controversial policy and I love how ONE brilliantly weaves all of them into a dark and compelling story.
With overconsumption, climate-related disasters, & mass migration constantly increasing, the future described in ONE may not be so far away after all.”
Shen Yang, author of More Than One Child. Link to full review.

“Eve Smith is the Queen of the near-future thriller! Pulse-pounding and heart-rending in equal measure, this book is a tour-de-force which, though set in a dystopian society, allows us to view our own in a whole new way.”
Louise Mumford 

“A compulsive, addictive page turner pulsing with ideas that are as thrilling as they are terrifying.”
Adam Simcox

”This book is so very close to the bone that it hurts to read it. Just as Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale comprises true incidents from across the globe, so Eve Smith brings to mind real world examples of what she is writing about. The result is both chilling and, frankly, frightening.
Scary, propulsive and compelling, One is a Handmaids Tale for the UK and you ignore it at your peril.”
Mary Picken. Link to full review.

Last, but by no means least, my publisher has produced the most incredible trailers for ONE, which really bring the novel to life (and set me off dreaming about film options and Netflix deals…)

Here is the first one to whet your appetite.

I want to say a huge thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read ONE and then write a quote or review: it is hugely appreciated and makes such an enormous difference during the nerve-racking run up to publication!
You can find more information about the book and what inspired it here as well as links to order.
Thank you!