I suppose it’s not completely far to write a review of a book you didn’t actually finish, but therein do it lay, the problem. I couldn’t finish it. Oh, it’s not like I had to give it back, or ran out of time, but rather the book itself.
***WARNING: SPOLIER ALERT***
The problem is that this may very well be the most poorly written book I have ever read – or tried to read.
***END OF SPOILER***
The Usurper, ©2010 by Cliff Ball, ISBN 9781452429205 is just plain a badly written book.
On its best day you could call it the badly written unauthorized biography of Barry Soetoro A.K.A. Barack Hussein Obama. A thinly veiled one at that. It’s the kind of bad press media spin dribble that a closet conspiracy theorist would just eat up. In fact, you could entertain either of two premises regarding the book. It was written by a right wing conspiracy theorist to get the ‘truth’ about the President’s ‘secret’ agenda out there for people clever enough to connect the dots, or on the other hand it was written by an Obama supporter to look like the bad nightmare of a right wing conspiracy theorist.
Hmmm – it would appear I am over using the term ‘conspiracy theorist’ would it not?
It’s not even well hidden.
Quoting from the author’s website: “In this political thriller, Gary Jackson is raised to hate. Hate the United States, and everything it has ever stood for. His mission is to destroy the United States from within, allying himself with America's enemies to accomplish the deed. He stops at nothing, and a small group of Americans decide they need to stop him. Will they succeed or will the US be relegated to the dustbin of history?”
With the names of characters like Bill and Hillary Clinton, Janet Reno, and Ann Dunham (Barry’s mother) so underwhelmingly altered from those of their real life counterparts the book becomes more comedic farce or parody than serious political thriller. All the pieces are there for, say Tom Clancy or Stephen Coonts to make for a first class thriller, but I’m sorry to say in Cliff Ball’s hands the best thing about this book is the thing that got my attention to begin with – great cover art. Well, that and the $2.99 Kindle download price.
Mr. Ball has tried his hand at several genres, and I can’t speak to whether or not they’re better written than this one, but this need another pass through the hands of an experienced content editor and at least another serious rewrite before it’s really ready for prime time.
An interesting idea just so badly written as to hurt the eyes to read it in any format, I give The Usurper by Cliff Ball two stars out of five, mostly for selling it on Amazon for what it’s worth, and having the tenacity to put it out there.
Interested Tampa readers can find the Usurper at Barnes and Noble Booksellers on Dale Mabrey in Carrollwood, and online at Amazon.com
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