Joss Sheldon (born 7 April 1982, Barnet, UK) is an author who has released six novels: ''Other Worlds Were Possible'' (2023), ''Individutopia'' (2018), ''Money Power Love'' (2017), ''The Little Voice'' (2016), ''Occupied'' (2015) and ''Involution & Evolution'' (2014). He's published two works of non-fiction: ''FREEDOM: The Case For Open Borders'' (2024) and ''DEMOCRACY: A User's Guide'' (2020).

Early life

Sheldon studied at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

and the

University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...

. He worked for

Burnley Football Club Burnley Football Club () is a professional football club based in Burnley, Lancashire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1882, Burnley were one of the first to beco ...

and

Northampton Town Football Club Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the club competed in ...

, before becoming an author.

Involution & Evolution

''Involution & Evolution'' (2014) is an

epic poem In poetry, an epic is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. With regard to ...

with an

anti-war An anti-war movement is a social movement in opposition to one or more nations' decision to start or carry on an armed conflict. The term ''anti-war'' can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during conf ...

theme. The main protagonist, a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of conscience or religion. The term has also been extended to objecting to working for the military–indu ...

during WW1, is based on

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

and

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

Occupied

''Occupied'' (2015) is a work of

magical realism Magical realism, magic realism, or marvelous realism is a style or genre of fiction and art that presents a realistic view of the world while incorporating magical elements, often blurring the lines between speculation and reality. ''Magical rea ...

, inspired by the

occupations Occupation commonly refers to: *Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment * Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces *Military occupation, t ...

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

Kurdistan Kurdistan (, ; ), or Greater Kurdistan, is a roughly defined geo- cultural region in West Asia wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population and the Kurdish culture, languages, and national identity have historically been based. G ...

and

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

. Sheldon told

AXS AXS may refer to: Anschutz Entertainment Group * AXS (company), primary ticket platform developed by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG). * AXS TV, a cable channel partially owned by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG). Other * Access (group), a Japa ...

that ''Occupied'' was based on the principle of

divide and rule The term divide and conquer in politics refers to an entity gaining and maintaining political power by using divisive measures. This includes the exploitation of existing divisions within a political group by its political opponents, and also ...

I believe that deep down we're all the same; we all share a common humanity; we all have hopes and dreams, strengths and weaknesses, fears and doubts. That's a truly beautiful thing. But all too often we focus on the small differences which divide us. And that, for me, is a tragedy. It's the greatest tragedy of all.

Free Tibet Free Tibet (FT) is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation, founded in 1987 and based in London, England. According to their mission statement, Free Tibet advocates for "a free Tibet in which Tibetans are able to determine their own futur ...

named ''Occupied'' as one of three books to read in 2016. The Daily Herald called it "A chilling critique of modern society". The

Middle East Monitor The Middle East Monitor (MEMO) is a not-for-profit press monitoring organisation and lobbying group that emerged in mid 2009. MEMO is largely focused on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict but writes about other issues in the Middle East, as wel ...

said it had a "Simple, but strong political message".

The Little Voice

''The Little Voice'' (2016) is a work of

psychological realism In literature, psychological fiction (also psychological realism) is a narrative genre that emphasizes interior characterization and motivation to explore the spiritual, emotional, and mental lives of its characters. The mode of narration examin ...

inspired by Sheldon's own life. Steve Topple of ''The Canary'' called it "Top notch" and "Radical": "The Little Voice is radical, to say the least. But Sheldon's style is warm, almost whimsical at times, and this means that even the most politically uninitiated reader will understand what he's trying to say".

Money Power Love

''Money Power Love'' (2017) is a work of

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the Setting (narrative), setting of particular real past events, historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literatur ...

which follows the lives of three men who are united by nature but divided by their different upbringings.

Individutopia

''Individutopia'' is a work of political dystopian fiction set in a time when corporations rule the roost. A small oligarch class own absolutely everything, inequality is extreme, and people have to pay to walk down the street or breathe the air. ''The Dallas Sun'' called it a "Modern classic", The Bay Net called it a "Must read", and The Canary called it "Gloriously colourful".

Other work

Sheldon has published a number of poems, which he has performed for Stop The Arms Fair.

Bibliography

*Involution & Evolution. 2014. *Occupied. 2015. *The Little Voice. 2016. *Money Power Love. 2017. *Individutopia. 2018. *DEMOCRACY: A User's Guide. 2020. *Other Worlds Were Possible. 2023. *FREEDOM: The Case For Open Borders. 2024.

References

Interviews

2019 Interview with Joss Sheldon
at ''Cyberpunks.com'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Sheldon, Joss Living people 1982 births Alumni of the London School of Economics Alumni of the University of Liverpool English fantasy writers English historical novelists Writers from the London Borough of Barnet