Gridlock

Too many cars and not enough space equals gridlock.

Gridlock is when a city dies.

Killed in the name of freedom. Killed in the name of oil and steel. Choked on carbon monoxide and strangled with a pair of fluffy dice.

How did it come to this? How did the ultimate freedom machine end up paralysing us all? How did we end up driving to our own funeral, in somebody else's gravy train?

Deborah and Geoffrey know, but they have transport problems of their own, and anyway, whoever it was that murdered the city can just as easily murder them.

Chart Throb

Chart ThrobThe ultimate pop quest.

Ninety five thousand hopefuls. Three judges. Just one winner. And that's Calvin Simms, the genius behind the show.

Calvin always wins because Calvin writes the rules. But this year, as he sits smugly in judgement upon the mingers, clingers and blingers whom he has pre-selected in his carefully scripted 'search' for a star, he has no idea that the rules are changing. The 'real' is about to be put back into 'reality' television and Calvin and his fellow judges (the nation's favourite mum and the other bloke) are about to becomeex- factors themselves.

Chart Throb. One winner. A whole bunch of losers

Blind Faith

Imagine a world where everyone knows everything about everybody. Where 'sharing' is valued above all, and privacy is considered a dangerous perversion.

Trafford wouldn't call himself a rebel, but he's daring to be different, to stand out from the crowd. In his own small ways, he wants to push against the system. But in this world, uniformity is everything. And even tiny defiances won't go unnoticed.

Ben Elton's dark, savagely comic novel imagines a post-apocalyptic society where religious intolerance combines with a sex-obsessed, utterly egocentric culture. In this world, nakedness is modesty, independent thought subversive, and ignorance is wisdom.

A chilling vision of what's to come?Or something rather closer to home?

Ben Elton is one of Britain's most provocative and entertaining writers.

He has written twelve bestselling novels which include Stark, Popcorn(Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger Award),Dead Famous, High Society(WHSmith People's Choice Award),Past Mortem(Prix Polar International),Chart Throb, The First CasualtyandMeltdown.

His multi-award-winning TV writing and performance credits includeThe Young Ones,Blackadder 2, 3and4, Mr Bean, Saturday Live, The Man from AuntieandThe Thin Blue Line. He has written several smash-hit West End plays, including the Olivier Award-winningPopcorn, and the books for the hit musicalsThe Beautiful Gameand the global phenomenonWe Will Rock You, which he also directs.

Ben is also one of the country's most popular and influential stand-up comedians. He is married with three children.