Novel Peers Into The 2020 Presidential Elections: A Harbinger of Possible Future Reform in America

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Some Americans have always been turned off by American politicians who seem so out of touch with the mass of citizens. Many were added to those discontents during the congressional gridlock battles over health care and budget deficits. And more recently a new class of disenchanted were added to the list because of the extreme negative campaigning experienced in the 2012 Republican primaries.

If you fit into any of these groups have you ever wondered what can be done to improve our political system and elevate our democracy to a more civil level? Author Jim Lynch pondered these desires and put them in writing in a novel entitled The 2020 Players: A Futuristic Account of the 2020 Presidential Election Year.

The 2020 Players is a futuristic story of the Presidential Election of 2020. The plot goes beyond the election, however, as the author weaves in subplots involving domestic and international terrorism.

The election itself is a harbinger of possible future reform in America as it involves a viable third-party candidate who stands a real chance of getting elected. The sitting president is bound by a new amendment to the U.S. Constitution which limits her to a single, six-year term and must live under a provision which bans her from participating in politics while in office.

The plot picks up quickly and becomes very fast-paced and unpredictable as it nears an end which leaves the reader hopeful and optimistic about the future of American politics - much needed feelings. You will enjoy this book and will soon be talking about it with your friends.

Emory Daniels, freelance writer, web content specialist, book reviewer, lover of books.

Soviet Plot to Kill John Wayne Is Focus of Moffie's New Hollywood Novel

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Sam Moffie's "To Kill the Duke" may well be the funniest and most entertaining novel ever written about Hollywood and movie history. And Moffie is not afraid of casting some of Hollywood's biggest legends-both in terms of movie stars, directors, producers, and films-for his plot and characters. This time Moffie has penned a hilarious re-creation of the filming of "The Conqueror."

While I have never seen this 1956 film, as a movie buff, of course, I've heard about it. It's reputedly one of the worst films ever made, although it had everything going for it that should have made it a hit-an all star cast, including John Wayne, Susan Hayward, and Agnes Moorehead; being directed by Dick Powell, himself a screen legend; and being produced by Howard Hughes. Moffie creates a fictionalized-but not too fictionalized-version of the film's production, which is truly stranger than fiction and had some notable flaws. John Wayne as Genghis Khan just wasn't believable, especially when he refused to take voice lessons to pull off the role. And then there was the location-Hughes purchased land in Utah from the U.S. government for $1 to film the movie. How could he get it so cheap? Because it was the victim of nuclear fallout from nearby government weapon testing. In fact, most of the crew and cast would end up dying from cancer in future years, presumably from the nuclear fallout, and Moffie provides an extensive list at the book's end of all the cast and crew (and fictional characters), detailing their careers and deaths. I was impressed that Moffie even corresponded with one of the stuntmen while researching the book-of course, most of the cast and crew are long dead.

As if a novel about "The Conqueror" were not enough to please fans of The Duke and old movie buffs, Moffie mixes the Cold War into the story. The plot begins in the U.S.S.R. with Ivan, who is hired to work as projectionist to Joseph Stalin; not only does Stalin enjoy watching American films, but he likes to dress up like the characters in Westerns, and he has a desire to have John Wayne assassinated. Before long, Ivan and some of his fellow Soviets find themselves in Hollywood, making their own films while they try to figure out how they can get close enough to John Wayne to carry out Stalin's plan.

Moffie offers many surprising twists and turns along the way. I found myself checking online to find out what was true and what fiction, and I was surprised by how much was true, since as I said, the story behind "The Conqueror" is stranger than fiction.

I laughed out loud numerous times while reading this book. Some of Moffie's humor borders on the crude, but most of it is just plain funny and slightly exaggerated. The crude includes Howard Hughes' sexual efforts to find stress relief, and a Jew named Trotsky 7 whom Stalin keeps around with the job of holding his penis when he pees. But even this humor is very funny; I only point it out in case it would turn off some potential readers. Other hilarious comical scenes include Susan Hayward's obsession with raspberry lime rickeys that make her demand Hughes find out the exact recipe for her favorite drink before she agrees to be in the film. Throughout the book the dialogue sparkles to the point of Moffie obviously enjoying himself so much that the plot slows down a bit, but I doubt most of his readers will care because it's so funny.

My only real criticism of "To Kill the Duke" really has to do with the plot being a bit slow. Moffie has a lot of breaks between scenes, but he only has six chapters in a 355-page novel, and the chapters alternate between the Soviet characters and the Hollywood characters. I think if Moffie had divided his chapters up more and alternated them more it would have made the book's pace a bit stronger. There were also more typos than there should be, but these issues did very little to affect my enjoyment of the novel.

I think "No Mad" remains my favorite of Moffie's novels, but the concept and storyline of "To Kill the Duke" is really original, and while I haven't read a lot of novels about Hollywood, this one is the best I've read.

Tyler R. Tichelaar holds a Bachelor's and Master's Degree from Northern Michigan University and a Ph.D. from Western Michigan University. His family's long relationship with Upper Michigan and his avid interest in genealogy inspired Dr. Tichelaar to write his Marquette Trilogy: Iron Pioneers, The Queen City, and Superior Heritage. Dr. Tichelaar is also a professional book reviewer and editor. For more information about Tyler R. Tichelaar, his writing, and his author services, visit:

http://www.marquettefiction.com/

Writing a Summary a Novel For Reviews-How Much Plot Should You Give Away?

I enjoy writing reviews on Amazon, and is always submit one for every book I've read. I make it a rule never to read the other reviews of the book before I compose my own. I don't want to be influenced by the opinions of others, at this stage. Then I enjoy looking at what other people have thought. However, the main difficulty facing a reader is when he or she is the case whether to buy/read a novel, and decides to read a few reviews first. How can their be appetite whetted, without being spoilt?

To my mind, the point of a fiction review is to convey the quality of (a) the reading experience. It is not to provide a synopsis of the novel; (a) in the case of some reviewers can fall prey to temptation. All novels depend upon a number of key questions, the answers to which are unravelled throughout the story. As prospective buyers, we want reviewers to tell us how they felt about the answers the author provided to some of these questions, without revealing the plot twist that evoked the feeling. And a rule of thumb is: by all means tell the reader what you felt, but do not reveal the event in the plot that gave rise to it.

To help you in this regard, consider the phrases that skilful reviewers may use: "There are new revelations right up to the conclusion"; or "I thought this would be a simple story about ... I was wrong ... the more I read the more questions I had "; "relationships are forged and shattered ... with dangerous consequences for (the protagonist)" and "I was never sure who the" goodies and baddies "were supposed to be and wanted to keep turning the pages to find out". A reviewer may striptease the reader with the phrase: "what I did discover, by the end, was ..." and then continue: "... that none of the characters were that simple ... rather like real life, in fact!" Other useful comments can include: "The ending came as a surprise to me," and "new twists and revelations on every page" or "The twists available me guessing right to the end."

When a reviewer uses these kinds of phrases, he or she is conveying to others, the quality of their own reading experience, without undercutting the enjoyment of prospective readers. Sometimes people struggle to write a review, not knowing how to go about it. And yet, ultimately it is simply the sharing of a journey-a journey with a particular story, and a certain group of characters. Remember, you are communicating to others, and they want to know, perhaps, the flavour and the highlights of your journey, but not a detailed list of directions and landmarks and mileage counts.

A final point is that I believe reviews should not be too long. I would say, indeed, that of 250 words is probably the maximum desirable length. Of course, reviews in the national press are a different matter, and conform to the Editor's requirements. But for online reviews, this is sufficient. Give the prospective buyer a clear and honest response, using simple words, and remember you are not writing a synopsis!

S.C.Skillman is the author of mystery romance novel "Mystical Circles": "an intricate tapestry of human emotions and psyches with a romantic thread weaving through the midst." "The Mystical Circles" is available on Kindle. Find out more about both book and author at http://www.scskillman.com/or http://www.scskillman.co.uk/.

Generation, A Novel Reviewed

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AppId is over the quota

The beat poet, Kenneth Patchen, in his poem Street Corner College, wrote-

Last year was a year ago; nothing more.

We weren't younger then; nor older now.

We manage to have the look that young men have;

We feel nothing behind our faces, one way or other.

We shall probably not be quite dead when we die.

This is the starting point, the primary conceit, for the novel Generation by William Knight. An evil corporation (is there another kind?) is swimming in the gene pool with unforeseen results. An age old fear, beyond the fear of death, the fear of waking inside your coffin, is the basis of this novel. The dead in this work are not in coffins but in a forensic research facility where they lounge around in the open, in various states and stages of decomposition and decay, for the benefit of science. A facility like the one described to great effect in the non-fiction work, Bones. The unfortunate semi dead reside in a strange limbo of part joy and part helpless remorse which Knight treats with sympathy and skill.

I admit to liking the lead character based on a prejudice. As a private detective I often used pre-texting in my work. Pre-texting is making believe the world is something other than what it is. It is pretending to be blind so people you are talking to don't guard their actions in front of you. It is pretending to be something you're not in order to disarm someone's suspicions. Knight's character does this and does it well.

I found myself unsure of wanting to read the parts about the near dead. But in this book the reality of the dead and that of the majority or the living never really touched each other but there is more to come judging by the ending and I look forward to reading it. The idea is compelling.

If the novel needs a weakness, I felt a weakness in the love relationship. At least I was unconvinced by it. The actors seem to turn into completely different people when it came to sex. But at least it got them naked and vulnerable and... Well I don't want to ruin this part for you. Here's where it gets good again.

It's written in British English as opposed to American English. But in fairness, British English should be called simply, English. Be ready for things like curb spelled with a 'k'.

Read it, it's fun. GENERATION.

Thanks for listening.

Joseph Valentinetti is an author of novels: fiction and fiction based on fact. He writes articles on a variety of subjects, from impressions of travel spots to speculating about the name of the moon, but his focus is on his writing and author interviews. Get better acquainted at http://www.valentinetti.com/. Join his site, pick up his feed and become part of the dialog. Read A Book.