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The Family Experiment

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The Family Experiment

By: John Marrs
Narrated by: Eilidh Beaton, Joshua Riley, Clare Corbett, Justin Avoth, Thomas Judd, Clifford Samuel, Nneka Okoye
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About this listen

Some families are virtually perfect . . .

The world's population is soaring, creating overcrowded cities and an economic crisis. And in the UK, breaking point has arrived. A growing number of people can no longer afford to start families let, alone raise them.

But for those desperate to experience parenthood, there is an alternative. For a monthly subscription fee, clients can create a virtual child from scratch who they can access via the metaverse and a VR headset. To launch this new initiative, the company behind Virtual Children has created a reality TV show. It will follow ten couples as they raise a Virtual Child from birth to the age of eighteen, but in a condensed nine-month time period. The prize: the right to keep their Virtual Child, or risk it all for the chance of a real baby . . .

Set in the same universe as John Marrs's bestselling novel The One and The Marriage Act, The Family Experiment is a dark and twisted thriller about the ultimate 'tamagotchi' - a virtual baby.

©2024 John Marrs (P)2024 Macmillan Publishers International Limited Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense

Critic Reviews

'Chilling, inventive, horribly plausible and brilliantly addictive.' - C. J. Tudor, author of The Gathering

'The books of John Marrs have become a quiet phenomenon . . . Thoughtful, well written . . . and alarming' - Daily Mail

'His best yet. Frighteningly plausible, gripping, dark, and so clever.' - Claire Douglas, author of The Woman Who Lied

'An unsettling and immersive roller coaster which hurtles towards a chilling denouement - a truly thought-provoking, single-sitting thriller. Loved it. ' - Ellery Lloyd, author of The Club

'The Family Experiment is an eerie and darkly addictive thriller that will have your mind whirling throughout.' - Culturefly
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What a great book! I love that it is set in the same John Marrs world as The One, The Marriage Act, The Passengers etc. Love it!

Another great story in the Marrs world

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Amazing dystopian storyline. Listened to this in two days. It took a little bit to get across all the characters.

One of the best books in a long time!

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This was a chilling look at the direction society and technology are headed. It was brilliantly crafted with each character’s personality carefully and fully developed. I loved the way the author tied up each chapters storyline so that there was no ambiguity regarding what they’d done, or the consequences of their actions.

One of the best books I’ve read

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