'Savagely funny' novel to debut at city literary festival

A "savagely funny" novel that gives a "sharp take" on the modern culture wars will debut at a Liverpool literary festival.

Sick Mick is the debut novel of award-winning journalist Brian Reade. Described as “savagely funny” by The New European, Sick Mick is a darkly humorous tale of one man’s unwitting journey through the battlefield of culture wars.

Brian, from Wavertree, is a former Liverpool ECHO journalist, who has published a number of non-fiction books, including; 44 Years With The Same Bird, documenting his life spent following Liverpool FC, and bestseller An Epic Swindle: 44 Months with a Pair of Cowboys, charting the doomed ownership of Liverpool FC by Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

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He said: "After writing three non-fiction books I’m chuffed to have penned my debut novel Sick Mick, a satire on the hypocrisy of culture war warriors who, through their blind obsession with all things woke, have become the most dangerous of de-platformers. I’m also chuffed to be publishing it with Writing On The Wall, one of Liverpool’s finest creative arts organisations whom I’ve worked with many times in the past.

"Once I knew that culture wars was a theme of this year’s WoWFEST I knew there was no better place to take Sick Mick to.’

The book is set in the aftermath of a tragic accident at the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show. Britain finds itself plunged into chaos when a beloved member of the Royal family falls into a coma, after a stray pergola beam strikes, and the nation mourns.

Comedian Mick O’Shea seizes the moment to joke about the North Korean-style grieving enforced on Britons whenever a Royal falls ill, and his comedic jabs ignite a wildfire of political outrage and public fury. Mick is branded as Public Enemy Number One and trapped in the eye of a storm of controversy, and becomes the target of a relentless manhunt.

Mike Morris, Co-Director, Writing on the Wall said: "That Brian Reade has chosen Writing on the Wall to publish Sick Mick, which is so of the moment with its sharp take on the Culture Wars and a perfect fit for our 2024 festival theme, is a proud moment for us. Brian has shown his prowess as a writer by moving effortlessly from journalism to fiction, something not every writer is able to do, and produced a superb novel which we’re sure will captivate readers everywhere”.

Brian is a long-time friend of Writing on the Wall which is holding its annual writing festival over the month of May. Brian's debut novel Sick Mick, is one of the main events, will be launched at Waterstones, Liverpool One on May 28 from 6.30pm, and is available to buy now.

The event will be hosted by Mike Morris, the co-director of Writing on the Wall. Brian is a winner of the Cudlipp Award for Journalistic Excellence for his campaigning on behalf of the Hillsborough families and also a Feature Writer of the Year winner and currently writes for the Mirror.

Mike continued: "Writing on the Wall believes in creativity, community, diversity, artistic excellence and social and economic justice. We were voted LCR Arts Organisation of the Year 2020 and are shortlisted for the People’s Choice for the 2024 Liverpool City Region Culture and Creativity Awards".

This year's festival is WoWFEST: FAHRENHEIT 2024, will feature over 35 events that unite local national and international writers, artists and audiences to highlight the urgent need for change and the preservation of our planet through writing, performance and activism.

For information on WoWFEST FAHRENHEIT 2024 visit HERE

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