Review: The Mermaid by Marc Berlin

 

Genre: Political Satire

Description:

“Eli Mann yearns for an opportunity to quit his job as a coffee company newsletter writer. Making matters worse, his older sister bullies him, his elderly mother thinks little of him, and his girlfriend recently left him. A fork in the road appears when Eli meets a stunningly beautiful blonde woman, Inga Magnussen, a sales rep for a Danish wind power company. Inga and Eli, they quickly discover, share the same progressive values, and soon afterward are romantically involved. Eli’s good luck continues when an old high school friend, Turner Whitlock, asks him to research and then write an expose about the U.S. Senator from Oklahoma, Tex Bullard, an extreme right-wing climate change denier who’s contemplating a run for president. Urged on by Inga and realizing that Bullard is clearly a dangerous person who could easily ruin the country if elected, Mann sets out on a surrealistic odyssey that takes him from Malibu to Aspen, and places in between. Alternately comical and sad, The Mermaid exposes the character of one man, as well as the dark underside of the America we currently live in.”

Author:

“Marc Berlin has held a variety of jobs, including social worker, media executive, screenwriter, and filmmaker. He currently lives with his wife, Heidi, in Rehoboth, Mass. When not evading the paparazzi, he can be found walking on the beach near his home, playing poker, or shooting trap.”

Appraisal:

I’m struggling to decide what to think of this book. It makes it clear that it is satirical and I daresay those whose political leanings go a certain way are almost certain not to like it and will try to delude themselves into thinking that Tex Bullard, the bad guy in this story, is nothing like the actual people who are out there in the world today. They’d be wrong, at least if we account for a bit of potential exaggeration to make a point, after all, this is satire, right? My struggle is with Eli Mann, the “hero” of this story. Yeah, I was pulling for him, but if we’re going to be honest, he was a little slimy himself. The point, that while both sides are not the same, we’re all human and nobody is perfect. I’m also not sure what to make of the ending although, at least for Eli, I can’t really fault him for the decision he made. What that decision was and what it means, I can’t say. You’ll have to decide for yourself.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

While nothing explicit there is a lot of discussion regarding adult topics and some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 60-65,000 words

Review: When It Rains by Mark Allan Gunnells

 Genre: Speculative Fiction/Political Satire

Description:

“When the rains started to fall, those who took shelter in the Friedkin University bookstore had no idea what awaited them. The mysterious, slimy rain fell on the entire world at once, and a fear quickly spread that it contained a toxin that would make those who touched it sick. Inside the bookstore, tensions arose between those who had been caught out in the rain and those who had not, finally culminating in a shocking ending that will surprise and disturb readers.”

Author:

“Mark Allan Gunnells loves to tell stories. He has since he was a kid, penning one-page tales that were Twilight Zone knockoffs. He likes to think he has gotten a little better since then. He loves reader feedback, and above all he loves telling stories. He lives in Greer, SC, with his husband Craig A. Metcalf.”

Appraisal:

This novella was an adventure in that I wasn’t sure where it was going, only that I wanted to go along to see what happened. The premise, that kicks it off, that a slimy rain starts falling and a bunch of people take refuge in the Friedkin University bookstore seems like science fiction. However, as we get into the story, we discover that this same thing happened before, specifically in Oakville, Washington on August 7, 1994. What caused it was never determined. Any side-effects, good or bad, were never identified from that event. Plus, there is one big difference here, the storm (or deluge as it becomes referred to), in this case starts in a few places, but quickly spreads all over the world. So, while fiction, it isn’t as out there as my first impression led me to believe.

However, ultimately the deluge is the cause for the real story here, how people react to being stuck in the bookstore, not knowing why the deluge is happening, when it might stop, and maybe most critical of all, are those who were exposed to it, getting “rained” on before they sought shelter, in danger. Or might those people cause danger to others, the theory that the slime might make those who contact it diseased or an equivalent as well as potentially contagious to those who were exposed.

It doesn’t take much imagination to compare what is going on here to what has happened during the Covid pandemic, with the story almost feeling like a bit of a mirror on society. Curiously, it felt like people that I’d perceive as taking certain stances based on my impression of them, as well as the stance I was instinctively taking myself on how people should react, was the opposite of what the Covid pandemic would have led me to expect. Probably needless to say, that got me thinking and evaluating why I was reacting that way. Ultimately, I think I figured it out for myself, but the self-searching was definitely a positive of reading the book, not to mention keeping me, at least figuratively on the edge of my seat the whole time. And then there was the ending, not what I’d have guessed at all. See if you agree.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

My review is based on a pre-publication ARC (advanced reader copy), so I can’t gauge the final product in this regard.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 30-35,000 words

Review: Assassination in Santo Domingo by Barry Jay Freeman

 

Genre: Thriller/Political Satire

Description:

“Assassination in Santo Domingo is a combination of political satire and action/adventure taking place in the Dominican Republic, a banana republic with a blotchy history of dictators and military takeovers. It is the story of Raphael Trompero, a narcissistic dunce with autocratic ambitions and a corrupt mentality, who is elected president of the country in furtherance of a nefarious plan by Iran to gain influence in Central America. When Trompero outlives his usefulness to Iran, the Iranians decide to kill and replace him with an Iranian general. As their plan unfolds, Ari Stern, an aging Mossad agent, his wife, Leah, and their close American friends, the Bensons, arrive in the Dominican Republic for their winter vacation at the suggestion of their young friend, US Naval Ensign Sam Goldberg, who urges them to stay in his parents’ (Carlos and Carlotta Goldberg’s) palatial home in Santo Domingo (the Dominican capital). Their vacation is disrupted when they bump headlong into the Iranian assassination plot, and it becomes Ari Stern’s mission to eliminate both the plot and Trompero with the help of the cast of friends gathered at the Goldbergs’, including Sam, Stella (Sam’s Mossad agent new love) , and a dear friend summoned from US protective custody. Note: Any similarity between Trompero and a president of the United States is purely intentional.”

Author:

A retired Chicago lawyer, Barry Jay Freeman says that “writing has taken him out of the jaws of retirement and has become his full time passion.” This is his fourth book.

Appraisal:

To say that I’m torn about this book would be an understatement.

The premise of the story is that the Dominican Republic has a president who is a “paranoid narcissist as well as a sufferer of acute stupidity.” He’s hoping to “make the Dominican Republic great again,” complains about “fake news” if the media asks tough questions or shines a light on the stupid things he does. If that doesn’t sound familiar then maybe his last name, Tromporo, and that prior to becoming president he was a casino owner will help clue you in. That the book is satirizing another president from a bigger country a short distance north and west from the Dominican Republic should be obvious to all but the most clueless reader. No doubt this will turn some potential readers off while others, myself included, will see it as a positive.

The main part of the story involves a couple story threads, one the leadership of another country who are setting Tromporo up to be their puppet and still others, the main characters in the story, doing what they can to get rid of Tromporo before it is too late. This is the thriller aspect of the story. At a high level I liked the premise of the story and the overall story line.

However, as the cliché says, the devil is in the details. In spite of being engaged in the story because the overall concept grabbed me, I found myself having a hard time reading the book for two reasons. The first is that too often it seemed like the author violated the writer’s maxim to “show, don’t tell” with the narrator telling us way too much of the story instead of allowing us to “watch” it unfold as well as taking detours into backstory about a character that wasn’t pertinent to the current story. It also seemed that the author kept repeating things the reader already knew. One example is that when the president went golfing he’d send a guard ahead down the right side of the fairway and among this guard’s duties were to retrieve Tromporo’s ball when he’d slice it into the rough and sneak it back onto the fairway. By the third time this was being explained I was getting irritated. That this happens is pertinent to the story, but the author needs to make it known and then trust the reader to remember, not remind them every time it can be snuck in.

As I said, I’m torn. I suspect some readers would be able to overlook the issues I had. If you think you’d like the satirical aspects of the story, enjoy thrillers, and think you’d be okay with those things that bothered me, give it a try.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: *** Three Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 75-80,000 words

Review: The Cougar Candidate by Will Worsley

 

Genre: Political Fiction/Satire

Description:

“Five years after her humiliating re-election defeat, California's ex-governor Pitypander is still sulking in her seaside mansion, bingeing on romance novels, and ogling her pool boy, when she is hastily drafted to run for president.

Making a comeback won't be easy. Patty must overcome her husband's resistance, her rival's smear tactics, a Russian plot to wreck her campaign, and the most dangerous foe of all: her special fondness for young men.

When Jack Snap, a naive 22-year-old reporter, investigates a sex scandal in Patty's past, he unintentionally ignites her desire. The closer he gets to unearthing her misdeeds, the more recklessly infatuated she becomes. But if Patty doesn't stop Jack's search soon, her quest for the White House will end in disaster.

Can the befuddled politician get a grip on her midlife fantasies and foil the young reporter before he destroys her? Find out in this lighthearted satire about a candidate torn by conflicting urges, grasping for both power and passion--as her nation's future hangs in the balance.”

Author:

A full-time writer of fiction since 2016, Will Worsley had taken his two masters degrees in business and English and put them to work, working for a period as an editor for Time-Life books and another stint as a money manager. Both would have come into play in writing his first book, Investing in Vain, which was satirical fiction just like his latest work that will be discussed here.

For more visit Worsley’s website.

Appraisal:

Satire has a purpose, going over the top in the depiction of something as a way to show how close reality is coming to ridiculousness. As The Onion and other sources of political satire have found out recently, reality can sometime reach the point where it is tough to tell that something is satire and not real.

This book hits that fine line, going a touch over the top, but not so much that it feels like it couldn’t potentially be reality. We’ve seen plenty of male politicians going too far with females they interact or work with. That the premise of this book has a female as the candidate who is going too far, turning the cliché on its head, makes it that much better. I also liked that regardless of your political stances your reaction to Patty, the title character, isn’t likely to be much different. You’ll also find that neither candidate, Patty or her opponent, is likely to feel like a good choice.

Like all good satire this will get you thinking about real life, how out of touch many political leaders seem to be, and how we the people view them. I pondered on ways that the system works and ways that it doesn’t. Or you can ignore the serious subtext and just laugh. (Guaranteed to laugh, regardless.)

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Certainly some adult subjects are mentioned or alluded to in subtle ways, but things don’t get too explicit.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words

Review: Wokeistan by Tony DiGerolamo and Christian Beranek

Genre: Political Satire

Description:

“President Trump has just been inaugurated for the second time. The students at Upstate College are not happy. Led by one charismatic person of color, of African, Indigenous, Pan Asian descent who is a differently-abled Muslim-Atheist, they obliterate the college experience forever.

Wokeistan is a satire: Politics, media, corporations, feminism and the relationships between men and women. In a world where anyone to the right of Fidel Castro is considered a fascist, one college professor will try to save his school.”

Author:

“Tony DiGerolamo is a New Jersey screenwriter, novelist, comic book writer, game designer and comedian. He is best known for his work on The Simpsons and Bart Simpson comic books. He has also been a joke writer for Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, a scriptwriter for Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and a blogger for Comedy Central's Indecision website.”

“Christian Beranek writes books, shoots photography, records music and has talked about directing films one day.

Appraisal:

The premise of Wokeistan is simple. A subset of students at a college push back against social norms. Just like books in the dystopian genre, they take a political direction too far, down the slippery slope until things hit rock bottom. A place where, as the book’s description says, “anyone to the right of Fidel Castro is considered a facist.”

When I finished, I was left not knowing what to think. Part of me loved the book. Part of me felt something more akin to hate, definitely an emotion way to the other extreme of the spectrum. I wasn’t sure what point the authors hoped I’d take away was, if there was one. I didn’t know if I agreed with them or if they got it all wrong. Then I realized, if I didn’t know what they wanted me to think, that was actually a good thing.

I finally took a deep breath. Forced myself to chill. The only difference between this and the dystopian books that I can’t get enough of is that this story is happening too close to home, timewise. Maybe that’s why dystopian books work, giving us some distance from the story being presented. If Orwell’s 1984 had been published in 1982 instead of 1949, it might have caused readers to over react like I did.

So now I’ll remind myself of a few things. The first is that assuming a slippery slope works to make a point in a book, but assuming it is going to happen is a logical fallacy. The point being made, that some directions and changes that have happened and continue to happen in society can be positive, but taken to an extreme can be as bad as what the change is attempting to cure. In fact, that’s essentially what happened here. As with most conflicts, the right answer is usually closer to the middle than either extreme. Maybe I learned something from this book after all.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

A small number of proofing misses.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 50-55,000 words

Review: The State Of Wyoming: Episode 1 -- LARAMIE by Gillian Will

Genre: Political Satire

Description:

“It’s Scandal meets Seinfeld. A political comedy set in Washington, D.C.

It’s a book for people who like TV. A serial novel structured like a television show, with individual complete episodes that each also contribute to the ongoing story.

In 2011, the Obama Administration embarrassed itself by mistaking Colorado for Wyoming on the map of a speaking tour in western states. Voila, the Fifty States Program!--fifty new federal patronage jobs, one for each state, all housed in cubicles at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House.

The millennials in these jobs call each other by the name of their states, and none of them are exactly what you’d call on the ball. Wyoming--that’s our man Elliot Vance-- could qualify for the slacker Olympics. He’s the grand-nephew of former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, but prior to being given a States job by his wealthy father he got kicked out of an English lit Ph.D. program for insisting on doing his dissertation on 1950s pulp author F. Bob Goddard. Elliot dates a WASP-American princess who’s pushing for marriage, and his two best friends are Delaware and Nebraska. His nemesis is Tara Travis, the slinky blonde Republican aide to Wyoming congressman Bull Wheeler.

In Episode 1 Elliot is blackmailed by Tara into flying to Laramie to do some actual work. It’s the first time he’s ever been to The State of Wyoming.”

Author:

Hmm. Not a lot I can tell you about Gillian Will other than she (or the person who uses that name to write these books) has written 13 “episodes” in this series. That may be all she plans to write (in this series or maybe under this name) based on the timing of the releases thus far. Each of the 13 is named after a town in Wyoming. While Wyoming has a lot less towns than most states, she hasn’t yet written an episode revolving around Evanston, Torrington, Alpine, or Kemmerer to name a few that spring to mind.

Appraisal:

The premise for this series is intriguing and, as I’d expect from satire, amusing. The story elicited a few smiles and smirks as well. But I was never sure who was telling the story. It seemed like a lot of it was breaking that rule about stories (the one about showing, not telling) and I was never even sure who was telling the story. I guess a narrator, but he, she, or it referred to themselves multiple times as “we.” So maybe the narrator is a they? In any case, he, she, it, or they are omniscient, an approach I’m not fond of, but which may be okay for you.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: *** Three Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 4-5,000 words