Headcrusher

Description

A Russian cyberthriller set in a capitalist dystopia of the ex-USSR, in the hard-edge tradition of American Psycho and Fight Club. Vadim's having a tough time adjusting to capitalism. The grey, slushy Latvia he knows has not been the same since Euro-bypass surgery revived its economy. Everywhere he looks, designer-clad clones are hanging out in chic bars and driving expensive cars. His only escape is into the virtual world of the super-sophisticated computer game 'Headcrusher' where he can blast people away to his heart's content. Until, that is, he takes a blunt implement to his boss's real head and embarks on a killing spree that leads him to the limits of reality... Fast, furious and wicked fun, this is Russia's Fight Club and American Psycho rolled into one. Its high-octane combination of spoof and satire, humour and violence make it the most exciting novel to come out of the ex-USSR in a very long time.

Born in 1975, Alexander Garros and Aleksei Evdokimov both work as journalists in Riga, Latvia. Friends since school, they decided to write a novel together. The result was Headcrusher, which went on to win the prestigious Russian Literary National Bestseller Prize in 2003.

A mordantly satirical assault on capitalism...this novel has moments of manic excellence * The Times * A brilliant piece of writing. Garros-Evdokimov achieve this particular mixture of disgust and lucid observation of bodily functions with the slightly ironic, distanced narrator that we associate more with American fiction or film (Tarantino, or even Updike) than with Russian prose tradition * Daily Telegraph * A clear winner * Bookseller * A fine debut novel. A corking good read * Lads Mag *