''London Consequences'' is a 1972 group novel written by twenty writers published for the Festivals of London that year.

Margaret Drabble Dame Margaret Drabble, Lady Holroyd, (born 5 June 1939) is an English biographer, novelist and short story writer. Drabble's books include '' The Millstone'' (1965), which won the following year's John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize, and ''Jer ...

and

B. S. Johnson Bryan Stanley William Johnson (5 February 1933 – 13 November 1973) was an English experimental novelist, poet and literary critic. He also produced television programmes and made films. Early life Johnson was born into a working-class family, ...

conceived and edited the novel. The editors wrote the first and last chapters together, gave the other novelists a brief outline of the two main characters. Each author would write his or her chapter, then pass the accumulating manuscript onto the next author."Points from Publishers". ''The Bookseller''. 22 April 1972. Issues 3458-3470. pg. 2020. The interior chapters are by

Rayner Heppenstall John Rayner Heppenstall (27 July 1911 in Lockwood, Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England – 23 May 1981 in Deal, Kent, England) was a British novelist, poet, diarist, and a BBC radio producer.John Wakeman, ''World Authors 1950-1970 : a companion volu ...

Eva Figes Eva Figes (; 15 April 1932 – 28 August 2012) was an English author and feminist. Figes wrote novels, literary criticism, studies of feminism, and vivid memoirs relating to her Berlin childhood and later experiences as a Jewish refugee from Hit ...

Gillian Freeman Gillian Freeman (5 December 1929 – 23 February 2019) was an English writer. Her first book, ''The Liberty Man'', appeared while she was working as a secretary to the novelist Louis Golding. Her fictional diary, ''Nazi Lady: The Diaries of El ...

Jane Gaskell Jane Gaskell (born July 7, 1941 in Lancaster, EnglandSharon Yntema, ''More Than 100: Women Science Fiction Writers''. Crossing Press, 1988. (pp. 51-52).) is a British fantasy writer. She wrote her first novel, ''Strange Evil'', at age 14. It wa ...

, Wilson Harris, Olivia Manning,

Adrian Mitchell Adrian Mitchell FRSL (24 October 1932 – 20 December 2008) was an English poet, novelist and playwright. A former journalist, he became a noted figure on the British Left. For almost half a century he was the foremost poet of the country's Cam ...

, Paul Ableman, John Bowen,

Melvyn Bragg Melvyn Bragg, Baron Bragg, (born 6 October 1939), is an English broadcaster, author and parliamentarian. He is best known for his work with ITV as editor and presenter of ''The South Bank Show'' (1978–2010), and for the BBC Radio 4 documenta ...

Vincent Brome Vincent Brome (14 July 1910 – 16 October 2004) was an English writer, who gradually established himself as a man of letters. He is best known for a series of biographies of politicians, writers and followers of Sigmund Freud. He also wrote nu ...

Peter Buckman Peter Buckman is an English writer and literary agent. He has been involved in the publishing industry for many years; he was on the editorial board of Penguin Books, and a commissioning editor for the New American Library in New York City. He ...

, Alan Burns,

Barry Cole Barry Cole (13 November 1936 – 26 June 2014) was a British poet. Biography Cole was born in Woking, Surrey, and was educated at Balham Secondary School in London. He did military service in the Royal Air Force from 1955 to 1957. His subsequent ...

Julian Mitchell Charles Julian Humphrey Mitchell, FRSL (born 1 May 1935) is an English playwright, screenwriter and occasional novelist. He is best known as the writer of the play and film '' Another Country'', and as a screenwriter for TV, producing many orig ...

Andrea Newman Andrea Newman (7 February 1938 – 9 November 2019) was an English writer of fiction. Biography Andrea Newman was born in Dover, Kent, the daughter of a reporter on the ''Kentish Mercury'' (who was born in India) and a mother who worked in an of ...

, Piers Paul Read and

Stefan Themerson Stefan Themerson (25 January 1910 – 6 September 1988) was a Polish writer of children's literature, poet and inventor of Semantic Poetry, novelist, script writer filmmaker, composer and philosopher. He wrote in at least three languages. With ...

. The book did not identify authors' individual contributions. The G.L.A.A. (''Greater London Arts Association'') offered a prize of £100 to anyone who correctly identified each chapter's author. Entry forms appeared at the back of the book. Readers had until 11 August 1972 to enter. John Moynihan writing in ''

The Sunday Telegraph ''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', kn ...

'', thought it a "harmless giggle". John Whitley writing in ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

'' said the novel had little merit, citing the poorly drawn characters whom he described as "cloudy menaces" and the book's numerous continuity errors."Critics Crowner". ''The Bookseller''. 6 May 1972. Issues 3458-3470. pg. 2170. Jim Hunter in '' The Listener'' complained that the chapters seem very alike, and little of the prose distinct but felt that "the book has its moments" and that "the amicable co-operation of even three, let alone 20 novelists has rarity value."

Valerie Grosvenor Myer Valerie Winifred Grosvenor Myer (April 13, 1935 – August 9, 2007) was a British writer, university teacher, and editor. Early life Valerie Winifred Grosvenor Godwin was born in Lower Soudley in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England ...

writing for the ''

Tribune Tribune () was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome. The two most important were the tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs acted as a check on the ...

'' complained that "ultimately such eccentricity and wilfulness break up the book. It also seems mean of the editors not to tell us what did happen to the character called Twomey, except that Anthony did not fulfil his vow to kill him."Grosvenor Myer, Valerie. "Novelists' fun". ''Tribune'' (London). 19 May 1972
Available online.
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References

{{Margaret Drabble 1972 British novels Collaborative novels