Bristol’s changing identity inspires dystopian work

-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


Chris Brown, a 68-year-old Bristolian, has spent his entire life in this eclectic city. From his humble beginnings growing up in the council estate of Henbury to his current retirement in the quieter suburb of Frenchay, Chris’ journey is a compelling one.

His life reflects not only his personal history but also the social and cultural transformations Bristol has undergone over the decades. Now retired, he devotes his time to writing, having just published his latest novel, Chicken City, a dystopian thriller with deep roots in Bristol’s gritty past and present.

For Chris, growing up in Henbury during the post-war years was a character-building experience. The council estate of Henbury was a working-class enclave, and life there came with its challenges, but also its rewards.

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“Life in Henbury wasn’t easy,” Brown recalls. “But it taught me a lot about resilience. We didn’t have much, but we had each other. There was a real sense of community, even if we all knew we were on the rough end of the stick.”

The tight-knit nature of Henbury shaped Brown’s outlook on life, and he describes his time at Henbury Comprehensive as formative, even if not always enjoyable.

"I actually did ok at school. I kept my head down but I was nothing special and I knew I wouldn’t go to university, I got into a bit of trouble, especially fighting, but no more than most kids," he said. "But it was at Henbury Comp that I started to see the world outside the estate, to realise there was more out there, even if it felt like we were all stuck in our own little corner.”

Bristol, with its rich maritime history and long-standing industrial traditions, was the backdrop to Chris’s early years.

“Bristol was always in the air,” he says. “Whether it was the docks or the football terraces, it was a city of contrasts—old and new, rich and poor, all of it rubbing shoulders.” That dynamic contrast played a huge role in shaping his worldview and, later, his fiction. “Growing up in Henbury, you were always aware of the divide. You knew that Clifton was just a few miles away, but it might as well have been a different world.”

After leaving school, Chris followed a path familiar to many working-class kids in Bristol. “I didn’t go to university. It wasn’t even on the cards,” he says. “I went into typesetting—good, steady work. I got into the printing industry, and that was my career for most of my life.”

Typesetting may not sound glamorous, but for Chris, it was a profession that required skill and precision. “I liked it,” he reflects. “It was a craft, and I always felt good about producing something tangible at the end of the day.”

As he worked, Chris also built a family. “I got married, had kids, the usual story,” he says. “We stayed in Bristol because it was home. Always has been.” For Brown, the city was not just a location, but an integral part of his identity. “There’s something about Bristol that’s always been in my bones,” he says. “I’ve seen it change so much over the years, and in many ways, I think I’ve changed with it.”

Though Chris spent most of his working life in typesetting, his true passion was football and music, especially ska, soul, funk and punk and in later years though he got into reading. “I became a voracious reader,” he says. “Books, magazines, newspapers—anything I could get my hands on. Reading was my escape, away from the everyday grind. And after a while, I started thinking, maybe I could write something myself.”

That realisation didn’t come until later in life, after Chris had turned 40. His first foray into writing was an autobiography titled Booted and Suited, a gritty, unvarnished account of growing up in 1970s Bristol and especially of following his football club – Bristol Rovers, he was a bit of a terrace terror – a Tote End boot boy.

“There was so much nostalgia in the air about the 70s—people talking about disco, glam rock, all that stuff—but that wasn’t my experience,” Brown explains. “For me, it was about having a good time, but that often meant getting involved in trouble on the terraces and dealing with the rough side of life. Booted and Suited was my way of setting the record straight.”

Booted and Suited was well-received, and it gave Brown a taste of what it felt like to be a published author. “I loved the response,” he says. “It wasn’t about the money or the fame—there wasn’t much of either—but it was the idea that people were reading my words, my story, and connecting with it. That was powerful.”

Having cut his teeth on his autobiography, Chris turned to fiction for his next project. His first novel, Guilty Tiger, introduces the reader to Steve Allen, a hard-bitten, ex-hard man of the terraces who is finding it difficult adapting to the modern world. His life is spiralling out of control and it gets worse when he finds himself embroiled in the drug wars on the streets of Bristol. ‘I was way out of my comfort zone,’ explains Brown, but there were elements of truth in the story and events that actually happened,’ he says ruefully.

His latest novel, Chicken City, marks a significant departure from his previous work, but it’s one he feels deeply connected to. “Chicken City came from a place of frustration,” Brown says. “I’ve been watching the news, reading the papers, and seeing what’s been happening with the migrant crisis. It’s hard not to feel angry about it.”

In Chicken City, Brown imagines a dystopian near-future where the government constructs massive labour camps to house migrant workers, exploiting them for cheap labour while keeping them isolated from the rest of society. One such camp, located in Avonmouth on the outskirts of Bristol, becomes known as “Chicken City”, a grim, industrial ghetto where thousands of workers are crammed into squalid conditions. “It’s not a pretty story,” Brown admits. “But it’s one that I felt needed to be told.”

The novel once again features Steve Allen, who this time finds himself entangled in the dark world of Chicken City. “Steve’s not your typical hero,” Brown explains. “He’s flawed, he’s cynical, but deep down, he’s got a moral code. He’s from a council estate, like me, so he’s had a rough start. But he’s trying to do the right thing, even when the odds are against him.”

Just as important as Steve Allen is the city of Bristol itself, which looms large in Chicken City. “Bristol’s always been a character in my stories,” Brown says. “It’s a city with a lot of history, a lot of contradictions. There’s wealth and privilege in some parts, but poverty and hardship in others. It’s a city that’s constantly reinventing itself.”

Avonmouth, the setting for Chicken City, was a natural choice for the novel’s dystopian backdrop. “Avonmouth’s always had this industrial feel to it,” Brown notes. “I used to work there in the 70s and although it’s changed beyond recognition It’s the kind of place where you can imagine something like Chicken City actually existing—a place out of sight, out of mind, where people are just left to fend for themselves.”

For Chris, districts like Avonmouth and Henbury symbolise the darker side of Bristol’s economic growth—the parts of the city that have been left behind in the rush to modernise. “Bristol’s got this reputation as a progressive city, a place for artists and creatives, and that’s true,” he says. “But there’s also the other side—the side that people don’t like to talk about. The side where people are struggling to make ends meet, where they’re stuck in dead-end jobs with no way out. That’s what I wanted to capture in Chicken City.”

Writing Chicken City wasn’t an easy task. Chris openly talks about the difficulties he faced while working on the novel, from moments of self-doubt to extended periods of writer’s block. “There were times when I just couldn’t see the end of it,” he admits. “I’d sit down to write, and nothing would come. Weeks would go by, sometimes months, and I’d start thinking, ‘Is this ever going to happen?’”

But despite the setbacks, Chris persevered. “Writing’s a long game,” he says. “It’s not like typesetting, where you’ve got a finished product at the end of the day. Sometimes, it feels like you’re just chipping away at this huge block of stone, hoping that something decent will emerge.”

For Chris, the breakthrough moments came when he stopped putting pressure on himself to be perfect. “I realized that I wasn’t going to write the perfect novel,” he says. “Once I accepted that, it became easier to just keep going. It’s about progress, not perfection.”

While Chris’s autobiography was traditionally published, his transition to fiction has been accompanied by a new challenge—self-publishing. “Publishing’s a tough industry,” he says. “It’s not like it used to be. Unless you’ve got an agent or a big name, it’s hard to get noticed. That’s why I decided to go the self-publishing route.”

Self-publishing has given Chris a new sense of control over his work, but it’s not without its challenges. “The hardest part is getting people to notice you,” he says. “You can write the best book in the world, but if no one knows it exists, it doesn’t matter. So you have to be your own marketer, your own publicist.”

Despite the hurdles, Chris is proud of the independence that self-publishing affords him. “I’m not beholden to anyone,” he says. “I can write what I want, how I want, and that’s a good feeling.”

Though Chicken City has only recently been published, Chris is already thinking about the future. “I’ve got a few ideas brewing,” he says with a smile. “Steve Allen’s story isn’t done yet. There’s definitely more to explore.”

For Chris, writing is about more than just storytelling—it’s about making sense of the world around him. “We’re living in strange times,” he says. “There’s so much uncertainty, so much division. Writing helps me process all of that. It’s my way of trying to make sense of it.”

As for advice to aspiring writers, Chris’s message is simple: “Keep going. Don’t get discouraged. Everyone’s got a story to tell, but it’s the ones who stick with it who make it to the end. Writing’s a long road, but it’s worth it.”

Now retired and living in Frenchay, Chris reflects on his journey—from the council estates of Henbury to the pages of his novels—with a sense of satisfaction. “I’ve had a good life,” he says. “Bristol’s been a big part of that. It’s shaped who I am, and it’s shaped my writing. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.”

As Bristol continues to evolve, so too does Chris Brown’s writing. With Chicken City, he’s crafted a novel that speaks to the city’s contradictions and complexities while also telling a deeply human story of survival, morality, and hope in a world that’s not always kind.

Both Guilty Tiger and Chicken City are published by FeedARead and available now on Amazon.