Book Reviews

book review by Joe Kilgore

“The fact that the strongest slaves survived the transition was indicative of a more aggressive and tenacious genetic structure. Those slaves were said to have warrior’s blood.”

Echoes of Richard Condon’s The Manchurian Candidate and Loren Singer’s The Parallax View waft through this intriguing tale of a very different kind of presidential candidate and the forces behind him. While the novels mentioned lean more toward conventional thriller aspects, this noteworthy book relies more heavily on intriguing intellectual concepts. Yet, it quickly becomes just as much a page-turner in its ability to immerse readers in its narrative.

Horus is the financial wizard behind a multi-faceted family-run management company. He’s also the son of a particularly successful black businessman who belongs to a mysterious secret society. The society believes Horus would be the perfect U. S. president to not only help the country but also to further their own societal plans. As Horus’s radically different campaign begins to pull away from more traditional opponents, mysterious forces enlist the aid of an idealistic yet somewhat naive blogger named Apollo to provide information that could eventually upend everything.

Author Morris has created more here than just another political potboiler. His examination of black families’ ties to one another, as well as precepts in regard to the entire history of slavery and black achievement in America, challenges readers to think twice about their own deeply held convictions. But this is not a political screed. In fact, it is far from it. Morris deftly interweaves socioeconomic theory with good old-fashioned storytelling and character development to deliver a novel that will keep readers involved to the very end or perhaps even longer. Such is the force and potential staying power of this intriguing work.

RECOMMENDED by the US Review

Pacific Book Review by Jake Bishop

Family, fortunes, and far-reaching theoretical concepts are at the core of this insightful and engaging novel. The author, Anton D. Morris, has concocted not only a swiftly-paced suspense churner, he has also constructed a compelling premise about peoples’ lot in life—how they got where they are—and whether or not they have the wherewithal to change life as they know it.
The main characters in this contemporary chronicle are a wealthy black man, Rashin, and his children. In addition to being a loving father, yet stern task master, Rashin is also a member of a secret society that believes they have a responsibility to the social framework of the United States which is just as strong as

the bonds that tie them to their individual spouses, sons, and daughters. The primary belief that unites the society members is people, particularly black people, succeed or fail not simply due to their own inherent capabilities, but perhaps even more so on their hereditary breeding. They believe the economic necessities of slavery brought about breeding practices which created a smaller group of superior physical, mental, and aspirational blacks, plus a much larger group of black people virtually lesser in every way. Therefore, they see it as their duty not only to make the most of their own lives but also to maintain a social order that will continue to buttress their perception of how the world, particularly America, should work.

One way to accomplish their goals is to have one of their own become President of the United States. So they put forth Horus, one of Rashin’s sons. Horus is a brilliant businessman who epitomizes everything the society members see themselves to be. Yet even as he ascribes to and reinforces their point of view, his own streak of confident individualism leads him to explore possibilities beyond the society’s doctrine. As he does, complications ensue.
There are involving players outside Rashin’s family and society brothers as well. One of which is Apollo, a young black man who initially knows nothing of Horus or his ties to a secret group. His eagerness to become an investigative journalist eventually puts him right in the middle of Horus’s presidential campaign as scandal, notoriety, and predictably adverse reactions to Horus’s background threaten to scuttle both his and the society’s plans.

Anton D. Morris is an exceptionally fine writer who fills his tale with uniquely nuanced economic and political theories that both engage the reader’s intellect and support his propositions. While his socioeconomic arguments are leveraged throughout, he never loses sight of the fact that the beating heart of his story is about intensely driven people dedicated to their moral concepts of right and wrong. His characters are memorable, his narrative is involving, and his surprise ending truly is a surprise. This is a book which will make readers think deeply about social issues while simultaneously enjoying the fact that they’ve been entertained while doing it.

FIVE STARS

I don’t like getting much into politics and this book managed to capture my attention and hold it until the end! It’s a well written book, and the change in point of views offer an insight into all the characters, all but one.
The talks of how politics are run, the different people involved behind the scenes to make these so called politicians, made me question if these things actually happen in the United States political system and with those running for president. Apollo’s storyline, the outsider looking in, really made me question the legitimacy of journalism, free speech, and how things taken out of context can cause a huge uproar. I do feel bad for how he ends up especially when he finally realizes his true potential. Apollo turns out to be the pawn where bigger fish play and he does indeed get the short end of the stick. – Jazmine (Amazon book reader)

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