The Auction

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Pub Date Oct 19 2021 | Archive Date Oct 19 2021

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Description

In the year 2050, America is booming—but there’s a dark side when prosperity is based on the buying and selling of the next generation’s future, as Sasha Cross is about to find out.

To the world, Sasha is young, famous, and the symbol of what’s wrong with a money-first society. To the Big 7 companies that control the fate of America’s youth, she’s a sure thing and they all want a piece of her. But Sasha wants to choose her own destiny.

Whether you’re an Auction elite such as Sasha or someone stuck in the bottom tier of society whose life is worth nothing to the Big 7, having a mind of your own is dangerous. As society threatens to crack under the weight of the Auction, Sasha and her fellow candidates face decisions that will define their lives—if they get to keep them.

Perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and America Inc., this riveting story explores the dark side of capitalism and what happens when a person’s future becomes a commodity. 

In the year 2050, America is booming—but there’s a dark side when prosperity is based on the buying and selling of the next generation’s future, as Sasha Cross is about to find out.

To the world...


Advance Praise

"A creepily convincing depiction of the marriage of corporate power and celebrity worship." —Kirkus Reviews

“In Tom Galvin’s The Auction, it’s the year 2050 and a cabal of huge corporations bid on the future earnings of captive twenty-two-year-olds, with devastating consequences. Our unlikely hero is Sasha Cross, a one-time child actor trying to escape her past. Galvin’s tale is a sleek labyrinth of double-dealing characters and malevolent overlords that delivers a chilling indictment of modern-day capitalism.” —Bryan Gruley, Pulitzer Prize winner, Edgar Award nominee, and author of the Starvation Lake trilogy

“A breathtaking premise with characters that make you want to root for them, The Auction is an urgent, thrilling ride.” —Morgan Baden, author of The Hive, a People magazine Best Book of Fall 2019

“I was hooked on The Auction from the first few chapters . . . The author has imagined a 2050 dystopian future in the same vein as The Hunger Games . . . Great read, five stars.” —Maria Frina, author of The Decision They Made

“Tom Galvin’s The Auction is fantastic. It is a fascinating view of a society that puts a price tag on everything, including its people. It is a riveting and terrifying tale that builds to a surprising and satisfying ending. I couldn’t put it down.” —Lisa Zupan, executive producer, P.S. I Love You

“Galvin shows no mercy in playing on the constant threat of a dark future for American society. The author swings big in this believable reconstruction of the future and creates a powerful money-driven world with the tip of his pen . . . For readers who have graduated from The Hunger Games in YA, feast your eyes on this unique and purposeful futuristic depiction in The Auction.” —Madeline Barbush, Independent Book Review

 “The Auction accomplishes that trick of all great dystopian fiction, turning a fun-house mirror on our society so that we can see ourselves clearly but in a new, amplified way. Tom Galvin takes the concept of ‘the promising young person’ and pushes it to an all-too-believable limit. The plot hurtles forward, with the reader caught up in the fate of the characters and also the fate of the corporate system that dominates their lives. A rare mix of high concept and gripping action.” —Toby Ball, author of The Vaults

“Galvin has created a captivating plot that will keep you guessing on the outcome . . . This is a real page-turner and will keep you entertained until you finish the final page. I can’t wait to get my hands on Galvin’s next novel!” —Randall Krzak, author of Carnage in Singapore

“Tom Galvin has imagined a world in which big corporations put a price on everyone’s head—and then act with unhinged ruthlessness to increase their profits . . . A bold, original tale with strong characters fighting against the odds to defeat the system they abhor . . . A mystery, a thriller, and an examination of society’s norms and ethics all rolled into one.” —Mark Willen, author of the Jonas Hawke series

The Auction is a prescient vision and dire warning of the future we could face. Through the story of Sasha Cross, Tom Galvin has crafted an important and immersive story that forces us to ask: Is all the pressure to succeed that we are putting on youth worth the damage that we could sow? Would our world be better off? The questions raised in this book are ones we will have to answer as a human race. Looking in the mirror isn’t easy. And this novel puts us front and center to ask: What are we doing? We cannot run from this. And by weaving a tale of a draconian future society, Tom Galvin has raised these issues brilliantly.” —Ruth Vitale, former copresident of Paramount Classics and former president of Fine Line Features

“A next-level dystopian thriller that is among the year’s most exciting debut novels . . . Galvin, a former political journalist and technologist, has created a dystopian tale with human savagery reminiscent of The Hunger Games while set in a world more recognizable as our own.” —Bestthrillers.com 

"A creepily convincing depiction of the marriage of corporate power and celebrity worship." —Kirkus Reviews

“In Tom Galvin’s The Auction, it’s the year 2050 and a cabal of huge corporations bid on the...


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Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781737515005
PRICE $14.95 (USD)

Average rating from 17 members


Featured Reviews

Thank you to author Tom Galvin and NetGalley for this ARC.
I loved the economic dystopian concept of this book, but it is not really a thriller in my opinion as much as it is political sci-fi, which is not my usual reading subject.
That stated, I appreciated the message of warning of the book of what the socio-political future of this country could look like if Capitalism continues on its course. So many features of this story are already present in our society: private ownership of resources and education, parental success related mainly to offspring competitive advantage, working-class revolt.
I did find fault with some of the structural format and grammatical errors of the book.
Three stars.

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You know, this was weird. But in a good way? It was pitched for "The Hunger Games" lovers and while I agree, I also want to take THG expectation out of it. It had the dystopian feel you want but it could've been darker.

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Engrossing. Great dystopian read. Perfect for fans of the Hunger Games. Surprisingly close to our own reality today where large corporations are king. Scary to think this is how our society could end up.

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3.5 ☆s rounded up!

The recommendation for Hunger Games fans is absolutely correct, though I think slightly older dystopian readers will appreciate the political undertones even more. The premise of The Auction is clever and realistic, almost scarily so. A world where promising young individuals and their future contributions to the workforce are auctioned off to the "Big 7" companies poised to benefit from their success doesn't seem so far off when we think of the big companies of today. It's the sort of dystopia that brings us to reflect on today and the short journey that could potentially take us from here to there.

The narrative follows the sometimes-intertwining stories of various characters and I'll admit that I found myself more invested in the stories of certain characters over others that didn't resonate with me as much. Jason's story was particularly heartwrenching as he is constantly living in the memory of his parent's fatal car crash. Though I did wish more time was spent developing certain narrative streams over others, that is mere personal preference and I know all readers will appreciate various elements of this story. It's the kind that keeps you thinking and makes you more aware of certain elements of life today. A fun read!

Many thanks to Tom Galvin, Drexel Books, and NetGalley for this ARC! Review also posted on The StoryGraph.

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The Auction by Tom Galvin takes place in a dystopian future where parents’ retirement is the hands of their 22 year old children’s future value to seven companies. These companies bid on the rights to their future earnings. A standout kid can make a family, but many aren’t that lucky. This one reminded me of the Hunger Games in the best way!

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i loved the use of auctions in the future. This story was really well done and I was captivated from start to finish. It was a really well done read.

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