Kirkus Starred Review
The Auction
In the year 2050, America is booming—but there’s a dark side when prosperity is based on the buying and selling of the next generation’s future, as Sasha Cross is about to find out. To the world, Sasha is young, famous, and the symbol of what’s wrong with a money-first society. To the Big 7 companies that control the fate of America’s youth, she’s a sure thing and they all want a piece of her. But Sasha wants to choose her own destiny. Whether you’re an Auction elite such as Sasha or someone stuck in the bottom tier of society whose life is worth nothing to the Big 7, having a mind of your own is dangerous. As society threatens to crack under the weight of the Auction, Sasha and her fellow candidates face decisions that will define their lives—if they get to keep them. Perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and America Inc., this riveting story explores the dark side of capitalism and what happens when a person’s future becomes a commodity.
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WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT THE AUCTION
“A creepily convincing depiction of the marriage of corporate power and celebrity worship.”
Kirkus Reviews (Starred)
“In Tom Galvin’s THE AUCTION, it’s the year 2050 and a cabal of huge corporations bid on the future earnings of captive 22-year-olds, with devastating consequences. Our unlikely hero is Sasha Cross, a one-time child actor trying to escape her past. Galvin’s tale is a sleek labyrinth of double-dealing characters and malevolent overlords that delivers a chilling indictment of modern-day capitalism.”
Bryan Gruley
Pulitzer Prize winner, Edgar Award nominee, and author of the Starvation Lake trilogy
“An impressive debut novel, THE AUCTION by Tom Galvin has enough plot twists, conflict, corruption, greed, deceit, blackmail, guilt, threats, death, violence, theft, disloyalty, bribes, rivalry, and lies to keep readers glued to the book right up to the end.”
IndieReader
“A next-level dystopian thriller that is among the year’s most exciting debut novels…Galvin, a former political journalist and technologist, has created a dystopian tale with human savagery reminiscent of The Hunger Games while set in a world more recognizable as our own.”
“A breathtaking premise with characters that make you want to root for them, THE AUCTION is an urgent, thrilling ride.”
Morgan Baden
Author of THE HIVE, a People Magazine Best Book of Fall 2019
“I was hooked on The Auction from the first few chapters….The author has imagined a 2050 dystopian future in the same vein as The Hunger Games…Great read, 5 stars.”
Maria Frina
Author of “The Decision They Made”
“Tom Galvin’s The Auction is fantastic. It is a fascinating view of a society that puts a price tag on everything, including its people. It is a riveting and terrifying tale that builds to a surprising and satisfying ending. I couldn’t put it down.”
Lisa Zupan
Executive producer of “PS, I Love You”
“Galvin shows no mercy in playing on the constant threat of a dark future for American society. The author swings big in this believable reconstruction of the future and creates a powerful money-driven world with the tip of his pen.”
Independent Book Review
“The Auction accomplishes that trick of all great dystopian fiction, turning a fun-house mirror on our society to so that we can see ourselves clearly, but in a new, amplified way. Tom Galvin takes the concept of “the promising young person” and pushes it to an all-too-believable limit. The plot hurtles forward, with the reader caught up in the fate of the characters, and also the fate of the corporate system that dominates their lives. A rare mix of high concept and gripping action.”
Toby Ball
Author of “The Vaults”
“The Auction is a prescient vision and dire warning of the future we could face. Through the story of Sasha Cross, Tom Galvin has crafted an important and immersive story that forces us to ask: Is all the pressure to succeed that we are putting on youth worth the damage that we could sow? Would our world be better off? The questions raised in this book are ones we will have to answer as a human race. Looking in the mirror isn’t easy. And this novel puts us front and center to ask: What are we doing? We cannot run from this. And by weaving a tale of a draconian future society, Tom Galvin has raised these issues brilliantly.”
Ruth Vitale
Former Co-President of Paramount Classics and as President of Fine Line Features
“Tom has created a captivating plot which will keep you guessing on the outcome…This is a real page turner and will keep you entertained until you finish the final page. I can’t wait to get my hands on Tom’s next novel!”
Randall Krzak
Author of “Carnage in Singapore”
“Tom Galvin has imagined a world in which big corporations put a price on everyone’s head – and then act with unhinged ruthlessness to increase their profits…a bold, original tale with strong characters fighting against the odds to defeat the system they abhor…A mystery, a thriller, and an examination of society’s norms and ethics all rolled into one.”
Mark Willen
Author of Jonas Hawke’s trilogy of books
About Tom
I relied upon my career as a journalist and technologist to create a disturbing, but realistic, vision of a future society. As a journalist, I covered the White House and presidential elections, with my stories appearing in hundreds of publications, including USA Today, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, and the New York Daily News.