#Zero

by Neil McCormick

Zero is the latest craze. Young, sexy and brilliant, he is a multi-hyphenated (singer-songwriter-rapper-producer) superstar for the digital generation. According to his publicist at least. He’s also a narcissistic, insecure, hyperactive, coke-snorting, pill-popping, loud-mouthed maelstrom of contradictions skating over the thin ice of terminal self-loathing. He has touched down in New York with his sycophantic entourage for the launch of a new single/album/movie/tour. It is countdown to Year Zero. But the boy at the centre of the media feeding frenzy is cracking up. Inside the echo chamber of his own skull, he isn't sure he deserves all the attention, doesn’t even know if he wants it anymore and is being driven half-mad by the mysterious absence of the love of his life. As the crucial hour approaches the young star cuts and runs, setting off on a wild trip across America pursued by paparazzi, fans, fortune hunters and his Mephistophelian manager, Beasley. He’s about to find out that when you have the most famous face in the world, you can run…  but you can't hide.

307 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 18, 2019

About the author

NEIL MCCORMICK, a Senior Vice President at Talent2, has 30 years’ experience in international management, human resources and consulting.

Reviews

[RL Bailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Zero is a internet famous rock star who goes through the typical motions we expect. Sex, drugs, and rock n roll. The book opening drags on with these cliches before spiraling into a bizarre search for Zero's true self which I just didn't buy. To invent a "rock star" when there are so many real life ones out there is a difficult task to get people to buy into, and I just didn't get invested in Zero.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zero is a very 21st century rock star, catapulted to global fame from social media. But with that fame comes an ever present entourage and a non-stop treadmill of commitments. When it all gets too much and he runs away from an awards ceremony he discovers that having a famous face makes it hard to hide. What starts as an attempt to escape turns into a journey into his own past.

McCormick does a great job of getting inside the head of a character who is self-obsessed but also deeply insecure. Sometimes that’s not an especially nice place to be but the narrative is rescued by a leavening of humour.

The book feels a little too self-indulgently descriptive at times, however, it’s an entertaining read with an ending that I didn’t see coming.

[Rachel Drenning]

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. This book is about a very narcissistic rock star. It gives us a peek inside his brain and it's not pretty. Perfect book for the times. I really enjoyed this and loved all the song lyrics thrown in.

[Gem Roman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dynamic, fast paced and full of comedy genius ... I received a copy of this for an honest review / blog tour - read the full review here: https://www.gemmaromanbooks.co.uk/boo...

[Lucsbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book deals with an unusual theme and is written in a even more unusal way.
Zero is a main character with whom it is easy to empathise even though he is not the nicest character around and that is part of the reason why this book is so good.
This book is a perfect x-ray of our times dealing with themes such as racism, fame, social media and climate change.
Being a book about a rockstar there are some song lyrics inside and I was surprised with how much I would like to listen to them being played by a real band. Even the sentences carried a poetry within themselves. This book is masterfully written and I can barely wait for whatever Neil McCormick writes next
Thank you to Unbound and NetGalley for this ARC.