Underdogs

A near-future war novel, where neurodiverse teenagers who escaped an attack on their school become the last hope of freeing the British people.

One million cloned soldiers. A nation imprisoned. A group of neurodiverse rebels fighting back.

Britain as we know it lies destroyed. In the aftermath of the most daring military coup in history, the surviving population is crammed inside giant Citadels, watched over by an army of cloned soldiers. The hope of a nation lies in a tiny number of freedom fighters hidden in the abandoned countryside - most of whom are teenagers who escaped the attack on their special school.

Seen by many as no more than misfits and ’problem children’, this band of fighters could never have imagined the responsibility that now rests on their shoulders. But perhaps this war needs a different kind of hero. After a lifetime of being defined by their weaknesses, the teenagers must learn how to play to their strengths, and become the best they can be in a world that has never been on their side.

Chris Bonnello is a writer and speaker, formerly a primary school teacher, based in Nottingham. Having been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome as an adult, he launched Autistic Not Weird (https: //autisticnotweird.com) in 2015 to share his personal and professional insights whilst campaigning for greater understanding of autism. Since then he has won multiple awards for his work, published a non-fiction book, and spoken as far away as Sydney Opera House. To this day Bonnello maintains a link to teaching, working as a tutor for autistic students with special educational needs. Underdogs is his first novel, following his master’s degree in Creative Writing