Enormity

Enormity #1-3

by Nick Milligan

Jack is the most famous rockstar in the world… he’s just not from this planet.

Before joining NASA’s space programme, Jack had dreams of a career as a professional musician. When a deep space mission goes awry, he crashes on an alien planet. Jack discovers that his new world is inhabited by a race of humans that have evolved in parallel to those on Earth. He picks up a guitar and performs the most wondrous rock songs of his home planet. The Beatles. Neil Young. Leonard Cohen. Bob Dylan. Superstardom beckons as audiences around the globe revere Jack and his apparent songwriting abilities. He basks in the boundless glow of a hedonistic dream world. But Jack soon learns that his lie will have sinister consequences.

This remarkable debut novel, released in three parts by renowned Australian entertainment journalist Nick Milligan, is a thrilling ride through a nightmarish, darkly comical and highly original tale that combines elements of horror, science fiction, music industry satire and erotica.

Enormity will weave a dark magic over you – even beyond its shocking conclusion.

Genres: Science Fiction, Horror, Fiction, Music, Amazon, Ebooks

457 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 21, 2013

About the author

Nick Milligan has been a force in the Australian music industry for over two decades, whether it be as an influential freelance music journalist or his recent years working in festival promotion.

Milligan's literary career officially began in 2014 with the release of his debut novel Enormity. The sprawling epic is a scathing and dark rumination on religion, the music industry and celebrity worship.

He then published the short story collection Tomcat Feelings in 2017.

In 2024 Milligan released the novella Guardian.

Since 2002 Milligan has profiled some of the world’s most influential artists. He has been published in Frankie, Rolling Stone, YEN, Smash Hits, Hotpress, Dazed and Confused, and Reverb Magazine. He was the editor-in-chief of Reverb Magazine, the music and film editor of YEN Magazine and has worked as a sub-editor at YEN, Dazed and Confused, Frankie and The Maitland Mercury.

Milligan has interviewed (amongst many others) Matt Damon, Bret Easton Ellis, Dylan Moran, Ice Cube, Slash, Rhys Darby, Bill Bailey, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alice Cooper, Juliette Lewis, Frank Black (Pixies), Brandon Boyd (Incubus), Johnny Borrell (Razorlight), Glen Hansard, Gotye, GZA, Charles ‘Bud’ Tingwell, Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode), Daniel Johns (Silverchair), Dweezil Zappa, Ian Gillan (Deep Purple), Pete Townshend (The Who), Kimbra, Melissa Auf Der Maur, Huey Lewis, The Presets, Empire Of The Sun, Chan Marshall (Cat Power), Marilyn Manson, Courtney Taylor-Taylor (Dandy Warhols), Anton Newcombe (Brian Jonestown Massacre), Paul McDermott, Dave Hughes, John Mayall, Joe Perry (Aerosmith), James Mercer (The Shins), Tori Amos, Amanda Palmer, Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes), Brian ‘Danger Mouse’ Burton, Sarah Blasko and Kings Of Leon.

Reviews

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an apt title, this book was in fact enormous. Possibly the longest one I've read digitally thus far. Digitally is probably the best way to read a book this size, unless you're strengthening your arms/wrists. Because it was so long, it was sort of a mixed reading experience. It failed to impress me from the start, meaning the concept was great, but the execution was too Bret Easton Ellisy for me, hedonistic, constantly high, oversexed and overexposed, playing music and partying all day and night. There was only so much of that one can take or be interested in. And Milligan must have sensed it, because as the novel progressed he introduced more and more nuances, plot twists, revelations and such, which was easy because the bones of it were already there (if you haven't read the summary, it's about a man who travels to a different planet and becomes the lead of their most famous band, because despite all the planet's similarities to Earth, they haven't head any of our music). It became very interesting, it became difficult to put down. It's just such a great concept and Milligan's done a terrific job here, mixing genres so much that you can't really tell if it's scifi or drama or mystery or action, there is so much going on and the writing is consistently good. My favorite parts of the book had to do with Jack's assimilation, I found the differences and similarities between the planets to be incredibly clever and fascinating. In general I prefer shorter books, but this was well worth the read. Very entertaining, very fun. Highly recommended.

[Steve T · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the premise of Enormity and I'm happy to say it delivered on its promise. It's a little funny, a little dirty, a little scary and a little weird — just the way I like my books! Looking forward to more from this author.

[lee_readsbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll begin by saying that I've never read anything like this book before nor have I heard of anything remotely similar.

Jack is an interesting character to say the least. A typical rock star hooked on sex, drugs, and rock n roll. The image I had created in my head was a Michael Hutchinson, loved to party, was smooth with the ladies, sexy as hell and a voice to match.

In the beginning we know very little about Jack's past so I wasn't particularly fond of him as a character but as the story evolved and there are flashbacks into Jack's past and how he came to be, his vulnerability started to show.
Astronaut turned musician? Jack is making the best of A bad situation, what could have been a fatal one at that.

That is a story in itself. But Nick took it next level, there was a sudden change from sci-fi to something much darker and I never saw it coming.

The one thing I would have liked is a little more back story and personal history on Jack earlier on in the book. His neighbor, Mr Roeg, is an ingenious character, so well written.
As a fan of dark fiction I found this book intriguing from the very beginning but mind boggling by the end.
Highly recommended.

[Patricia Eddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would you do if you landed on an alien planet to discover a race of humans who have evolved in parallel to our world. Back home, he was a music fan and so when he sings some of the songs he grew up with (Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, and more), he's revered as a musical genius.

He becomes a rock star along with all of the stereotypical negatives (and positives) that come along with it: sex, drugs, and fame. I enjoyed the book from the first page, but I admit that the first few chapters were less than inspiring. I wasn't a huge fan of Jack. He spent a lot of the time high, coming down from being high, or working on getting high. It was clear he didn't have a lot of respect for the women he screwed and there were a good number of women. But don't let the shockingly bad behavior turn you away from this book. Before too long, you realize there's a lot more to this story than sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

Elements of science fiction, thriller, and a decent amount of steamy sex mean there's something for a wide variety of readers here. I enjoyed Jack's personality-all aspects of it. He starts out this shallow piece of...well...something not great, but as the story progresses, we learn a lot more about him and some of the reasons for his decisions and his actions.

The book is very well edited with snappy dialog and good descriptions. I found it easy to picture the action as it unfolded. Be warned that this is a very long book: over 500 pages. But after about the first 30 pages, it's very hard to put down. Despite the length, it's a relatively quick read because it draws you in and holds you. I wish I could say more about the story without giving the plot away, but there's simply too much detail, too many twists, and too many surprises to enumerate. Well worth the time. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

[Aaron Dries · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I can say is: home run, Mister Milligan, home run. ENORMITY is genuinely hilarious, often scary, bizarre, consistently moving, sexy as hell, and packs one hell of a soundtrack. A unique combination of Bret Easton Ellis and Rolling Stones' most brutal exposés, ENORMITY just goes from strength to strength in its disturbing reach for the stars. And it's so aptly titled, too... Yes, it's enormous in scope, and yet somehow manages to capture the enormity of intimacy - the intimacy of a kiss, the intimacy of deceit. And the consequences of both. For those who like fiction drawn outside the box, this genre-bending read is highly recommended.

[Paul Wilcock · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read this because the author has apparently started legal action due to plot similarities to the movie "Yesterday".

I found the concept so interesting, but the story felt like ridiculous wish fulfilment for the author - a music journalist who it looks like has spent a lot of time fantasising about the rock star lifestyle. Absolutely irresistible to women, getting himself into all sorts of cringe inducing sex scenes and a steady diet of all kinds of drugs.

The story takes some very silly turns and the ending gets even sillier and for some reason he can talk to/control giant spiders. Yes really.

Probably best to skip this one if you're considering it.

[Dyrck B Hughes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really I wanted to like this but...

The book was too filled with too much repetitive scenes of drugs and sex. A quarter of it should have been left out and there could have been more time used to develop the main character. A lot of time wasted on what seemed to be an adolescent dream.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read all kinds of things & am neither naive nor prudish but if there's no plot other than drugs & random sex for most of the first chapter, I'm giving up. I can read People magazine for that.

[Richard Farnan · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst books I have ever read. Each page worse than the latter. Open a page randomly and try to find a good paragraph that isn’t misogynistic/arrogant. You will not succeed. Dreadful

[Kelly Smith Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack is the most famous rock star in the world... he's just not from this planet.
Before joining NASA's space programme, Jack had dreams of a career as a professional musician. When a deep space mission goes awry, he crashes on an alien planet. Jack discovers that his new world is inhabited by a race of humans that have evolved in parallel to those on Earth. He picks up a guitar and performs the most wondrous rock songs of his home planet. Neil Young. Leonard Cohen. Bob Dylan. Superstardom beckons as audiences around the globe revere Jack and his apparent songwriting abilities. He basks in the boundless glow of a hedonistic dream world. But Jack soon learns that his lie will have sinister consequences.
This remarkable debut novel by renowned Australian entertainment journalist Nick Milligan, is a thrilling ride through a nightmarish, darkly comical and highly original tale that combines elements of horror, science fiction, music industry satire and erotica.

Some of you know that I love music. I grew up in a house filed with music of all genres, but especially classic rock. So, for me, reading Enormity was a wonderful experience. Science fiction, a little bit of erotica and a huge dousing of mystique make for the most unique novel I've read in a while!
Mr. Milligan was a music journalist, which gives this book the authenticity it needed, because he knew the stars, experienced the stories and has an appreciation for great music! No one else could have written this book or a story like it as well as he did.
The characters run from typical to "what the fuck", and each of them plays a critical role in the novel.
As the story unfolds, the readers are brought into a strange new world of sex, drugs and rock and roll!

5/5--great work!

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

AN AMAZEBALLS BOOK!

Okay, so when Nick liked a picture of mine on Instagram I was interested to see who he was... I had a look at his profile and he said that there was a giveaway, to which I had just missed out... I commented this on the photo and he promptly replied giving me a link to a free copy of his entire book (Part 1, 2 and 3!) When I finished the book I wanted more but unfortunately there is no more, or as Nick tells me you never know there could be another one...

Anyway thats all, have a good day and all that...

[Samuel Rayfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Milligan’s writing has that weird undercurrent attention to detail, one that could easily forgo plot and describe simply, exactly and satirically, a place readers would be content to keep exploring. And as one explores, threads of plot spin from myriad directions – horror, romance, sci-fi – genres abound – and hint at a narrative direction, so as hints drop, the weight of the world becomes greater and Jack (protagonist), speaking initially entirely as someone disconnected from any meaning in this new world of his (which ultimately does become his), reconnects with something human: the capacity to care.

[Sally B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Milligan's debut novel, Enormity, is what Vanilla Sky could have been if it had, well, any substance. Milligan, journalist/trivia-ring-master by day, successfully transcends time to produce a storyline so polished and involved that it's difficult to grasp that this is his first. The strength in his work is his ability to create relatable characters in un-relatable scenarios. Enormity is sexy, original and at times, thought provoking. And heck, any reference to Paul Kelly in a futuristic world gets my vote. Ten out of ten.

[Charl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very much not my thing. I'm not into the drugs/rock'n'roll/groupies thing in real life, so it doesn't interest me in a book.

But if you are into that, at least reading that kind of fiction, give it a shot. The premise is interesting. Just not interesting enough to keep me engaged.

Moving on . . . .

[Nikki Mad · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a great premise! Too bad it was so disappointing in its execution. Also, its treatment and description of women is pretty unenlightened. And that's putting it mildly. Did I mention this was insultingly awful and I want my money back. It lured me in with a great premise...I hope someone steals this idea and writes a better book about it.

[Bob Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading Nick Milligan's Enormity. Excellent plot. Nick has a way with dialog that really appeals to me. I'm looking forward to his next book.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did completely enjoy this book. I like the concept and the execution but the idea wasn't big enough for this kind a story

[Angela · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rock stars are apparently all the same no matter what planet they're on, but still not enough to interest me past the first drug-fueled orgy.

[Jackie Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

At points it could be hard to follow but in the end it’s worth it !!! Wild read that’s for sure

[Sherman Berry · Rating 1 out of 5]

Where to start? I read a lot of science fiction and fantasy so I’m well accustomed to suspending disbelief in the interests of immersing myself into a story. The amount of disbelief suspension needed for this novel is utterly staggering.

We are expected to believe the following -

Protagonist Jack crash lands on a habitable planet that is 18 months away despite it taking over 4 years to reach our nearest star at the speed of light.

This planet has human beings that are culturally similar to Western civilisation on Earth.

The humans on Planet Heaven all speak English.

Someone who is highly intelligent, highly trained, highly rational and psychologically sound enough to be an astronaut is the same person as Jack.

Did I mention Jack can talk to giant spiders?

The use of a wormhole or a parallel universe might have worked but as it stands it’s not remotely plausible.

This is the closest I have ever come to giving up on a book part way through.

For the first 150 pages or so, we are subjected to Jack’s excessive hedonism. If he’s not using drugs, he’s using women. He is a fraudulent, egotistical, drug addled twat with no redeeming features. I loathed him.

He likes to take drugs and sleep around. We get it. We get it. WE GET IT! We don’t need it slapped in our face on every alternate page as Jack loads up on pills and dials his misogyny up to 11.

I would’ve preferred more back story. How did Jack assimilate into an “alien” society with no identification and no history? All we get is he found a guitar, slept in disused offices and met some buskers. Next minute he’s the most famous musician in the world? Yeah right.

I will concede that there is a good storyline about missing girls but you have to wade through some waste deep shit to get to it.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like many others, I discovered this because of a story about the author suing the makers of the movie Yesterday, a movie I greatly enjoyed.

First let me say that lawsuit was absurd. Yes, there are a few similarities, but only a few. Two very different stories. And yet, the publicity of that led me to buy this, so mission accomplished.

All that said, this was a fun read, if somewhat ridiculous at times. (And borderline pornographic… if sex and drugs are not your thing, steer far clear of this one.)

[Tim Julian · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise was intriguing. A young astronaut crash lands on a planet that seems to have evolved in an almost identical way to our own, with a few significant differences. One of these is that the rock music they listen to is a whole other catalogue, so Dylan, the Beatles, Zeppelin and the rest are unknown. Luckily our hero Jack, in addition to being an astronaut is also an avid music fan and talented singer and guitarist, so what could be easier than to "introduce" these songs to a whole new audience and become a megastar in the process.
I confess I nearly gave up on this one after 100 pages or so which basically read like a compendium of Penthouse Readers' Letters. I've nothing against a bit of graphic sex but reading one teenage boy wankfest after another for page after page got a trifle tedious. It's a shame because Milligan is a decent writer (aside from a tendency to write "I" instead of "me" which results in howlers like "He pointed at Britney and I", which a half-decent editor should have red-pencilled.) It does get a bit better when we get to Jack's backstory and a plot involving disappearing fans but it's still a bit of a wasted opportunity. Neat idea, poor execution.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delicious semi-sarirical tale of sex (lots), drugs (even more) and rock and roll. Astronaut Jack crash lands on an alien world that is exactly like earth, right down to the language and culture, making this I guess more of a fantasy than true sci-fi. Turns out that he's a fair to middling guitar player and proceeds to become a rock god by "writing" and performing all the classic rock tunes that he used to listen to and play back home. And just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, ENORMITY takes a 90 degree turn and gets even more interesting.

Milligan really needs to learn the correct usages of “me” and “I”. The rest of the writing mechanics were fine, and the plot interesting and pretty original. The author has been recently quoted as being upset with the upcoming movie “Yesterday”, and even wondering about (inadvertent) plagiarism, but the novel and movie bear (as far as I can tell not yet having seen the movie) only the most superficial similarity in one (major) plot device.

Recommended for musical sci-fi readers.

JM Tepper

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite what I expected, but pretty close to the description.

The story was good, even if it jumped around a little too much, to the point where it was a little confusing if things happened before he became famous, while he was becoming famous, or while he was at the top of the world.

Characters were good, but it seemed that the ending was a bit rushed and maybe not precisely what the entire story was leading up to.

Not a bad book.