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Showing posts with label Political Fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Political Fiction. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

Book Review: Chinook (Miranda Chase NTSB #6) by M.L. Buchman

I really like the unique characters and situations in this story.
Chinook (Miranda Chase NTSB #6)
by M.L. Buchman

56335264. sy475

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08QSPWHL2
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Buchman Bookworks, Inc. (March 23, 2021)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 23, 2021
File size ‏ : ‎ 1500 KB
Genre: Political Fiction, Suspense, Technothriller
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0.


When the fastest and most powerful helicopters in the US Army’s fleet start falling out of the sky, Miranda Chase and her team of NTSB crash investigators are called in.
One crash leads to another and they are fast entangled in a Chinese conspiracy to start a war. Only Miranda’s team can stop the trade war from becoming a real one.


Review:
Miranda Chase is a genius with autism. She navigates life in a unique and detailed fashion. Each member of her team – Mike, Holly, Andi, Jon and Jeremy – has their own unique foibles and skills which allow them all to work together, protecting each other and successfully completing each mission or job. Jeremy had recently had a quick and traumatic romance, watching his one-night love interest crash to her death.

Taz (aka Vicki) was sure she would be sent to military prison, so she faked her death. She has been working extreme jobs, now firefighting, and learning to live on her own for the first time in her life. She is alarmed when Jeremy appears in her world to investigate a Chinook helicopter crash near the latest wildfire. Instead of getting turned in, Taz is surprised that Jeremy and the team allow her to come along with their fast-paced investigation.

While Jeremy and Taz try to figure out where their ‘relationship’ might go, a Chinese leader is manipulating events in the background. This results in another Chinook helicopter crash right in front of the team.

This is the first book I have read in the series which means I was not familiar with the main characters. However, I was able to follow and enjoy the characters as I met them. There is a good mix of intrigue, emotional drama, and action that kept me interested. I have enjoyed other books by this author who does a good job delivering romance as well as suspense. I recommend the author and this series for clear intrigue and action.

Source: March 2021 from Author (through BookFunnel). This qualifies for my 2022TBR and 2022eBook goals.

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Audio Book Review: Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War by P.W. Singer, August Cole

This is an interesting, scary, 'future war' possibility.
Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War
Written By: P.W. Singer, August Cole
Narrated By: Rich Orlow

Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War, P.W. Singer, August Cole
Duration: 14 hours 28 minutes
Publisher: Recorded Books
Genre: Military, Political Fiction, Technothrillers
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.


Summary:
The year is 2026. China has taken over as the world's largest economy, while the United States, mired in an oil shortage, struggles to adjust to its diminished role. Then, a surprise attack throws the U.S. into a chaos unseen since Pearl Harbor. As the enemy takes control, the survival of the nation will depend upon the most unlikely forces: the Navy's antiquated Ghost Fleet and a cadre of homegrown terrorists. Ghost Fleet is unique in that every piece of technology featured in the novel already exists or is in the works. Peter W. Singer is Senior Fellow and Director of the 21st Century Defense Initiative at the Brookings Institution and a consultant for the US Department of Defense and FBI. August Cole is a journalist and writer specializing in national security issues and is an Adjunct Fellow at the American Security Project.


Review:
China is taking over while the United States flounders. Then China’s specially trained hackers take control of the U.S. computers shutting down electronics locally and globally by taking control of the satellites. The U.S. has nothing to fight with except the Navy’s Ghost Fleet which is made up of antiquated ships that don’t rely on up-to-date technology.

The story follows specific characters which include a reluctant ship captain whose father, a former naval grunt (hands-on worker) gets assigned to the same ship, a female assassin (very slick!), a Chinese General struggling to get his strategies approved, a Russian officer who isn’t quite sure which side he should be supporting, and more. Some of the characters are rather extreme therefore unrealistic and several are too slightly developed. But a highlight of the story is all of the tech that is described and used as the author explains they are real and available. Some of these, especially the hackers VR type tools, and advanced gunnery, are rather scary. Apparently, the book is full of footnotes supporting tech and other details.

As the story started, there were many character threads that made it a little hard to follow on audio. I was able to settle in to catch most of the shifting scenes and characters. There are some pretty dry segments describing the tech in detail that slows the pacing. Still, I like the military strategy and action, and found the story entertaining. I recommend it to readers interested in modern tech with fictional military intrigue.

Audio Notes: Rich Orlow does a good job with the narration. He manages the different voices well and does a good effort to keep the pace moving. I tend to think Orlow is a good narrator for military or other thrillers. I will look forward to listening to other books by him.

Source: 1/24/2020 January Audiobooks.com Free VIP selection. This qualifies for 2021TBR and 2021Audiobook goals.

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Book Review: Civilly Disobedient (Calm Act Genesis Book 1) by Ginger Booth

I liked this short dystopian prequel.
Civilly Disobedient (Calm Act Genesis Book 1)
by Ginger Booth
31569995. sy475
File Size: 3840 KB
Print Length: 52 pages
Publication Date: August 18, 2016
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
ASIN: B01KOXYB2K
Genre: Dystopian, Political Fiction, Sci Fi, Short Story
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0


The storms before the Calm.
Resourceful programmer Dee Baker is getting worried about climate change. Food prices are skyrocketing, the drought out west deepening, and the storms won’t quit. When her intrusive Fortune 100 media employer forbids her to attend the worsening riots, Dee defies them to visit a rally, and see for herself what they’re trying to hide.
Civilly Disobedient is a short prequel to the Calm Act series.


Review:
Dee Baker, a resourceful programmer with a good job, is annoyed when her employer announces that the staff are forbidden from attending any of the increasingly violent climate protests. Dee already suspects that her media employer is suppressing the truth regarding troubles in their world. She doesn’t always like to toe the line and tends to have a rebellious streak.

Dee decides to sneak into a protest to see what is really going on. She manages to get a seat on a bus loaded with a participating group that has a legal permit for the event. She soon learns that there are many other groups that are attending without permission. The crowd greatly exceeds the numbers that were planned but apparently the police anticipated the overly zealous mob.

Dee finds herself caught up in the moving masses and at risk of being arrested. Can she get out of the mob safely or will she lose her job for this impulsive adventure?

I found this short story to be well written with an engaging character and consistent flow. My attention was quickly engaged and held throughout the adventure. The plot direction isn’t fully clear for the rest of the series but I enjoyed this prequel enough to want to know where the story will go. Readers who enjoy the dystopian genre may wish to try this out.

Source: 2016 Free Kindle. This qualifies for 2019TBR and #SciFiMonth 2019 goals.

Saturday, March 24, 2018

#NetGalley Book Review: Consent of the Governed by Bernard LoPinto

This is a dystopian with political subcomments.
Consent of the Governed
by Bernard LoPinto
File Size: 2429 KB
Print Length: 107 pages
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc (September 1, 2017)
ASIN: B073XZ8QRF
Genre: Dystopian, Political
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0


It’s 2029, and the United States has fallen under the sway of an oppressive government where all citizens’ rights have
been stripped, Red Shirt platoons patrol the streets, and people die for voicing opinions. Into this chaos step Sid and Annie Winthrop. The elderly couple sets out on a deadly journey of revenge against the Red Shirts who murdered their son.
Red Shirt members Victor and Brooklyn have devoted their young lives to the cause of the president in protecting the nation. When attacks on their home town leave dozens of Red Shirts dead, Victor must help his superiors find the vigilante.
At their darkest moment, each couple finds a common bond in their suffering and must decide where their loyalties lie.


Review:
Sid and Annie Winthrop are children of the late 60s and 70s. Annie left her strict and strife-ridden home when they objected to her teen-aged rebellion. She moved in with Sid and they became a couple who stayed together for over 50 years. They remember the days when people got to speak in public freely and could vote for their representatives.

Times have changed. A dictatorial president has declared martial law and suspended the constitution, taking away many freedoms that Americans have taken for granted. The president set up an enforcement group of young thugs called the Red Shirts. They are not allowed to carry guns but they carry batons and swing them with vigor if anyone tries to speak out negatively against the current government.

The Red Shirts bludgeoned Sid and Annie’s son to death and the couple are ready to fight back. Although the youth do not know the history of freedom, there is a good group of older folks who remember and know the truth.

The author tells the tale between two love stories: Sid and Annie and a young couple who are members of the local Red Shirt troop. I enjoyed this engaging political dystopian and cautionary commentary. There are clear implications toward specific leaders, but I didn’t let that bother me. The writing is direct and the message reminds us not to take freedoms lightly. I recommend this to readers who enjoy political dystopians.

Source: NetGalley 2017. This qualifies for 2018TBR, Take Control, NetGalley and Alphabet Challenges.

Friday, July 21, 2017

Audible Book Review: The Days of Noah: Book One: Conspiracy by Mark Goodwin

This is an interesting story full of political conspiracies and a compelling view of what could happen in America in the near future.
The Days of Noah: Book One: Conspiracy
Written by: Mark Goodwin
Narrated by: Kevin Pierce
Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins
Series: The Days of Noah, Book 1
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:11-13-14
Publisher: Goodwin America Corp.
Genre: Futuristic, Sci Fi, Political Conspiracy, Christian
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0


Publisher's Summary
Could we be living in a time of which there is more prophetic writings than of any period in history? Noah Parker, like many in the United States, has been asleep at the wheel. During his complacency, the founding precepts of America have been slowly, systematically destroyed by a conspiracy that dates back hundreds of years. The signs can no longer be ignored and Noah is forced to pull his head out of the sand and see things for what they really are. Has his awakening come too late or can he and those around him reclaim the freedoms and principles which have been lost? Watch through the eyes of Noah Parker and his family as a global empire takes shape, ancient writings are fulfilled and the last days fall upon the once great, United States of America. The Days of Noah, Book One: Conspiracy is a fast paced fiction thriller which looks at how modern conspiracies might play into Biblical prophecy about the end times.
©2014 Goodwin America Corp. (P)2014 Goodwin America Corp.


Review:
I had been eyeing Mr. Goodwin’s work for a while and I am glad to have listened to this. The story follows two lines of characters to present a plausible theory of government manipulation by a secret group of powerful players.

Noah and his wife, Cassie, are Christian believers living fairly normal lives. He is a teacher and she works with a newspaper while homeschooling their seven-year old daughter, Lacy. Cassie has a strong belief that freedoms are being encroached on and will only become more limited. She is a 'prepper' planning with food stores, guns and some investments in precious metals. The couple belong to a small group from their church and many of them are quiet preppers too.

One day Noah’s students are discussing demolition and the possibilities that the 9/11 bombings were set internally and not a terrorist attack. Another day the forbidden topic of creation is raised in Noah’s class room. Noah merely states that some people believe that creation is a sounder ‘theory” than evolution. Noah is arrested for violating the government course curriculum restrictions.

While friends step forward to help bail Noah out of jail, authorities force their way into his home in a traumatic scene, killing their dog, confiscating guns and computers and placing Lacy in the clutches of a social services officer. Some of the officers realize that the government has gone too far and they quit their positions to support Noah and Cassie. Church friends find a good lawyer to fight the criminal and parental abuse charges and they all help set up a protest against the officers who bullied Cassie.

The second line of the story follows Elliot as an Intelligence Officer with the CIA. Elliot’s job is to monitor unusual purchases of firearms, ammunition, long term food storage, tactical supplies, gold and silver and components for explosives. Elliot reports some concerns regarding cryptocurrency purchases to his supervisor, John Jones. Although Jones downplays Elliot’s concerns he soon starts meeting with Elliot in secret and telling him to prepare for drastic changes.

I have read other near future, ‘America in crisis’ stories but most did not have the extent of conspiracy theories this book presents. The author creates likeable characters and I was pulled into the good pacing of events while rooting for the protagonists. I liked the combination of the faith beliefs and the all too plausible political possibilities. I recommend this to others who are interested in erosion of American freedoms and possible events leading up to end of the world times, or at least end of the world as we know it.

Audio Notes: Kevin Pierce has become one of the “go to” narrators for sci fi and prepper stories. Pierce does a solid job narrating the characters so, after a rather slow beginning, they become real, placing the listener in the story. I enjoyed listening to this story and look forward to more in the series.

I chose this from my Audible shelves for TBR challenge, Audio Book Challenge for "D" in Alphabet Soup Challenge.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Audio Book Review: Agenda 21 by Glenn Beck

This is an eye opening and thought provoking story with a timely message.
Agenda 21 
by Glenn Beck (Author), (with Harriet Parke)
January LaVoy (Reader)

 Amazon Link
  • Audio CD (7 discs)
  • Listening Length: 8 hours and 35 minutes
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio; Unabridged edition (November 20, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1442360925
  • ISBN-13: 978-1442360921
Genre: Thriller, Political Fiction, Sci Fi?
My Rating:  4.0 of 5.0

Book Description
Release Date: November 20, 2012
“I was just a baby when we were relocated and I don’t remember much. Everybody has that black hole at the beginning of their life. That time you can’t remember. Your first step. Your first taste of table food. My real memories begin in our assigned living area in Compound 14.”

Just a generation ago this place was called America. Now, after the worldwide implementation of UN-lead program called Agenda 21, it’s simply known as the “Republic.” There is no president. No congress. No Supreme Court. No freedom.

There are only the Authorities.

Citizens have two primary goals in the new Republic: to create clean energy and to create new human life.

Those who cannot do either are of no use to society.

This bleak and barren existence is all that eighteen-year-old Emmeline has ever known. She dutifully walks her energy board daily and accepts all male pairings assigned to her by the Authorities. Like most citizens, she keeps her head down and her eyes closed.

Until the day they came for her mother.

“You save what you think you’re going to lose.”

Woken up to the harsh reality of her life and her family’s future inside the Republic, Emmeline begins to search for the truth. Why are all citizens confined to ubiquitous concrete living spaces? Why are Compounds guarded by Gatekeepers who track all movements? Why are food, water and energy rationed so strictly? And, most important, why are babies taken from their mothers at birth?

As Emmeline begins to understand the true objectives of Agenda 21 she realizes that she is up against far more than she ever thought. With the Authorities closing in, and nowhere to run, Emmeline embarks on an audacious plan to save her family and expose the Republic—but is she already too late?


Review:
Emmeline lives with her mother in a small dwelling where they spend their days walking the energy making treadmills. They must meet their quota or they will be removed. There is no interaction with neighbors, no recreation, no real community. Even family is limited and Emmeline is one of the last “home-raised” children as now children are raised by the Authorities.

Emmeline’s parents share remembrances of ‘before’ when they had freedom, lived on a farm and raised crops and animals. Now plants and animals and the environment are protected.

When economic failure occurred in America a new government promised housing, food and equal treatment for everyone. The people were moved, voluntarily or by force, into compounds where they were assigned jobs, provided humble housing with rationed food cubes and where pairing mates were directed by the Republic. All possessions were given up although Emmeline finds a horde of small things her mother hid.

Emmeline is first paired with an older man. George is kind and they got along all right. Their successful mating produced a child who is kept by the nursery while Emmeline is sent home. An accident kills George and her father and Emmeline’s mother curls up in despair.

A replacement mate is a frail young man, really still a boy, who resents the home raised Emmeline. Emmeline’s mother is taken away and the boy runs off. As the Authorities seek another replacement mate, Emmeline is befriended by a transporter, who helped calm her when she had to leave her baby behind, and his son, David, a night Gatekeeper.

Emmeline is intent on getting to be with her baby girl, Elsa, but the rules won’t allow it. With the help of her new friends she gets a position in the nursery where she can see her baby. She finds the other workers hostile as they have been raised by impersonal care of the Republic with a mind set only to duty.

The Authorities are concerned because the birth rate is down and babies in the nursery have not been thriving. Although the nursery manager, David’s mother, thinks the children need nurturing, the workers want to continue their impersonal treatment of the infants and toddlers. There is the strong possibility that the nursery will be closed and all children moved to another community compound.

What options exist for Emmeline? How far will she go and what will she risk to be with and protect her child?

This starts a little slowly, which actually fits the monotony of the controlled lives. Then I became wrapped into Emmeline’s sad, controlled and limited world. My spirit wanted to break free with hers. The writing could have been more polished and there are gaps in the society development and lots of questions left open. But the point is made. This is a scary scenario with a timely message about the dangers of relinquishing personal freedoms to government control.
Audio Notes: I was not particularly impressed with the narration, which I first thought was rather bland. There is emotion expressed, especially when Emmeline is removed from her baby but I didn’t like the whinny cries. I think it was more that I didn’t care for the narrator’s voice and I didn’t feel there was much effort to distinguish between the characters.
I was surprised and impressed by the Afterword but since there is a request not to reveal the contents I will honor that request. I encourage any reader who is concerned about the struggles of balancing personal freedoms with environmental protections, or interested in possible future society solutions, to read this book.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Emmeline realizes that they will take her baby and these sentiments echo indifference shown in history past:
I should have known they would take my baby. Maybe I thought it wouldn’t happen to me. Never again would I think that way. Anything could happen to me. Disc 2 Track 4.
I received this from Simon and Schuster through Audiobook Jukebox for an honest review.

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