The Family Experiment - by John Marrs (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From the acclaimed author of The One and The Marriage Act, The Family Experiment is a dark and brilliant speculative thriller about families: real and virtual.

Some families are virtually perfect...

The world's population is soaring, creating overcrowded cities and an economic crisis. And in the UK, the 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 called The Substitute. 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.

Don't miss other suspenseful reads from John Marrs (you'll never see the twists coming!):

• The Marriage Act
• The Vacation
• The Family Experiment
• The One

Review Quotes

Praise for The Family Experiment

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

"The Family Experiment is an eerie and darkly addictive thriller that will have your mind whirling throughout."--Culturefly


"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

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

"It's so, so, good. This book deserves to be huge. It's speculative fiction at its very best--original, dark and wickedly clever. I was utterly captivated by the way Marrs melded reality TV, AI and a terrifyingly plausible future. He's created a terrifyingly plausible world. The world building, the characters, the reveals and the twists are so well done that this book is crying out for a Netflix adaptation."--C. L. Taylor, author of Every Move You Make

Praise for The One

''A shock on every other page.'' --Wall Street Journal

''Brilliantly inventive, The One is a must-read for anyone who's ever braved the dating pool.'' --Good Housekeeping

''Marrs' engrossing, believable thriller raises intriguing questions about our science-tinged future.''--Booklist

''Just try to put this gripping thriller down once you pick it up.'' --AARP

''A dark thriller for the Valentine's Day skeptic.'' --The New York Post

''If a DNA swab could find your soulmate, would you take the test? This smart story ... proves that even with science behind it, the course of true love never runs smooth.'' --Irish Sunday Mirror

''What if science found a way to change the dating and marriage scene by ensuring that couples were perfectly matched to each other through their DNA? ... Readers of thrillers and SF will enjoy this book.'' --Library Journal

''Unlike any other psychological thriller ... Like a lengthy episode of the dark TV series Black Mirror ... so expertly written it gets you thinking that it could happen in real life'' --Peterborough Telegraph

''Fantastic ... I can't remember the last time I was simultaneously this entertained and this disturbed. The One is a clever story with great pacing but it's the characters that make this a standout thriller.'' --Hollie Overton, author of Baby Doll

''The One is my kind of book ... Gorgeously written, and pulsing with heart.'' --Louise Beech, author of The Mountain in My Shoe

''Engaging concept, craftily executed.'' --Adrian J. Walker, author of The End of the World Running Club

''Gripping from the start and full of surprises, this kept us up long after lights out.'' --Heat

''This will have you gripped.'' --Woman's Own

''The One is a unique, unpredictable and fast-paced novel that's in equal parts unsettling and exciting.'' --Culturefly

''A fascinating thriller ... A furiously paced, compelling and hugely entertaining novel which comes recommended.'' --Starburst

"Exciting, addictive, and enticing, The One is superbly plotted ... thrilling and intoxicating." --Becca's Books

"A compelling read ... intriguing ideas." --SFX

"This smart story ... proves that even with science behind it, the course of true love never runs smooth." --Sunday Mirror