War is raging. Numbers are dwindling. It's a dangerous world for an underdog.
The Underdogs of Spitfire’s Rise are falling apart. In the series’ penultimate novel, the remnants of Britain’s last army are called into battle again – this time to avert the violent deaths of tens of thousands of prisoners. The neurodiverse skills and defiant bravery of the Underdogs are pitched against the might of military science and the terrifying Acceleration project.
Meanwhile, Oliver Roth has been offered a promotion that would make him the second most powerful person in Britain. But it’s conditional on the success of his next mission: the discovery and annihilation of Spitfire’s Rise.
The Underdogs fight for the safety of countless prisoners, clueless that their home is being hunted. As each side launches their respective attacks, it’s only a matter of time until one triumphs decisively over the other.
More information
Chris Bonnello
Chris Bonnello is an award-winning writer and an international speaker, also a novelist and a special needs tutor. He is the author of the Underdogs series of neurodiverse war novels, and the writer behind autisticnotweird.com. His diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome came at the age of 25, after growing up believing himself to just have – as documented on official forms by a professional educational psychologist – a 'slightly odd personality'.
Bonnello launched Autistic Not Weird in April 2015, a venture which has seen him attract over 127,000 Facebook followers and over 2.5 million website hits, and delivering speaking engagements as far away as India and Sydney Opera House. His first two Underdogs novels were crowdfunded through Unbound and was enthusiastically received by readers worldwide, especially in the special needs and disability communities. The second book has been shortlisted for the Guardian’s 'Not The Booker Prize'.
Bonnello passed his master’s degree in Creative Writing with distinction, graduating in December 2017. He was also the winner of the Top Journalist and Online Social Media categories at the 2017 and 2018 Autism Hero Awards, and most recently received the award for Outstanding Achievement by an Individual on the Autism Spectrum at the National Diversity Professionals Awards in 2019.
How long will it take for my book to get dispatched?
For books in stock we usually dispatch orders within a few working days. You will receive a dispatch email when your order is on the way.
Where can I get my book delivered to?
We have temporarily stopped taking orders for published books going to EU destinations due to BREXIT restrictions, but we deliver to most other countries worldwide. Enter your delivery address during checkout and we'll display the shipping cost when we know where to send your book. If your country does not appear on the list we are not currently taking orders to that destination.
If I buy an ebook, when will I receive this?
Ebook files are sent via email after checkout, or you can download them from your Unbound account.
Where can I buy a copy if there's none available through the Unbound website?
The book should be available to order from most bookshops, or you can support your local bookshop online by ordering from bookshop.org.
Still have a question? Visit our Help Centre to find out more.
Most of the time, this is because Unbound haven't had your address confirmed. If you dig through your…
4th March 2022Want to support a book on World Book Day? Underdogs: Uprising needs your help!
Hi everyone,
The good news- the final book in the Underdogs series is 60% of the way to its (surprisingly big) target, and is the majority of the way to the publication process beginning!
The bad news- the progress may be happening, but it’s slow.
So with this week containing World Book Day, a day that’s known largely for schoolchildren dressing up as their favourite character (huge…
11th January 2022The final Underdogs book is now above 40% (but needs help)...
Hi everyone,
Well, feedback is coming in from those who have already read the Underdogs: Acceleration ebook (check your Unbound account if you’ve not seen it yet). I can’t say anything without running the risk of spoilers, but I’ll just say I’m delighted (and relieved) at how positive it is. Thanks to all who have contacted me about it, typically through Underdogs’ Facebook page.
For everyone…
23rd November 2021The final Underdogs book is now available!!
Its crowdfunding journey started on Monday and at time of writing it’s hit 13% of its target. (In case that doesn’t impress you, bear in mind that the new target is more than TRIPLE the target for book one, and the same amount of money would have been…
14th November 2021One week until the final Underdogs book becomes available to pre-order!
Hi everyone,
As you may have seen by the title… the end is coming.
Underdogs: Uprising – the fourth and final book in the series – is soon to be open for pre-order, and the launch date I’ve been given is November 22nd (next Monday).
I won’t clog up your emails with much information beyond that, not least because I want to avoid giving spoilers for Underdogs: Acceleration (with the ebook…
10th March 2021Stretch goals (and related bonus content to come)!
So Underdogs: Acceleration is moving ahead, and the structural edit phase is about to begin. By mid-April that'll be done and it'll be time for copyediting. But the most relevant point for all of you being this:
Those who pre-order the book will receive it about six months before the rest of the world. (So thanks a lot to all of you who brought it to life- this in itself is a pretty amazing reward…