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The Clout Of Gen
Newspaper reporter John Teddy’s miserable life is turned upside down when he uncovers a voice from the past—a voice that suspiciously knows far too much about the would-be future. John’s natural curiosity to understand the hidden message takes him to places he never imagined seeing, and ongoing conspiracies he never thought existed. The more John gets involved, the more he is led towards mysteries that are beyond his understanding. The circle of people involved grows bigger stretching from west to east; each step forward is like a step backward
- GenresNovels
120 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 29, 2012
8 people are currently reading
492 people want to read
About the author
Ahmad Ardalan
10 books416 followersAhmad Ardalan is an ongoing cancer fighter. He was born in Baghdad in 1979. At the age of two, he moved with his parents to Vienna, Austria, where he spent most of his childhood and underwent his primary studies. After his father's diplomatic mission finished at the end of 1989, he returned to Iraq, where he continued his studies and graduated from the University of Dentistry. As a result of the unstable political, military, social, and economic conditions in his home country, Ahmad decided to leave Iraq and move to the UAE. After facing difficulties to pursue his career in dentistry, he opted to pursue employment in the business world. Since then, Ardalan has held several senior roles within the pharmaceutical and FMCG industries, throughout much of the Middle East. His early childhood in a mixed cultural environment, as well as his world travels, increased his passion for learning about cultures of the world and inspired him to pen The Clout of Gen, his first novel. After eleven years of being away, Ahmad returned to Baghdad in January 2013 on a visit that was full of mixed emotions. Inspired by his trip to Iraq, he wrote his second novel, The Gardener of Baghdad. He did not stop there, as "Matt" his latest Short Story Thriller Series became available 2015. The Gardener of Baghdad, opened readers’ eyes to a different picture of the city they had heard of. With hope and love as his message, Ardalan released Baghdad: The Final Gathering, and followed it by The Boy of the Mosque. A recent trip to Paris, strolling around the beautiful galleries of Le Marais inspired him to write his latest novel The Art Collector of Le Marais
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
July 28, 2012
Amazing book!!! What a wonderfully written novel, kudos to the writer!
September 16, 2014
I received a free download of "The Clout of Gen" by Ahmad Ardalan in exchange for an honest review. This was his debut novel from June 2012.
I found this novel very difficult to classify under a particular genre to classify it in, so I am not going to attempt this. I really enjoyed reading this novel, and once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down
John Teddy and wife Susan are a dysfunctional couple, with a young son, Adam... but their marriage has collapsed. John is a newspaper reporter, who was now assigned to cover a story, one from rags to riches. Susan, the soon to be ex, is a nagging wife, from a privileged family, and blames their financial setback on John's lack of motivation. When John finds his wife involved with her boss, he kicks her out and based on this traumatic event, attempts to commit suicide, but the trigger on his gun jammed. Nothing goes right!
During another suicide attempt, John sees a box floating in the water, which will change his life forever.John discovers there is a man in Japan that has the ability to predict the future. John takes a long overdue vacation and heads out to find this man.
John finally tracks down Yaturo Hitari, and the man becomes like a father to him. John makes his home in Japan and begins to learn all about how Hitari can predict the future. John's trip takes him to places he never thought he would see, but with it came the realization of conspiracies and mysteries involving a large group of people.
The novel was well thought out and the plot was very intriguing. This author will be one to look out for in the future. Very enjoyable read.
I found this novel very difficult to classify under a particular genre to classify it in, so I am not going to attempt this. I really enjoyed reading this novel, and once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down
John Teddy and wife Susan are a dysfunctional couple, with a young son, Adam... but their marriage has collapsed. John is a newspaper reporter, who was now assigned to cover a story, one from rags to riches. Susan, the soon to be ex, is a nagging wife, from a privileged family, and blames their financial setback on John's lack of motivation. When John finds his wife involved with her boss, he kicks her out and based on this traumatic event, attempts to commit suicide, but the trigger on his gun jammed. Nothing goes right!
During another suicide attempt, John sees a box floating in the water, which will change his life forever.John discovers there is a man in Japan that has the ability to predict the future. John takes a long overdue vacation and heads out to find this man.
John finally tracks down Yaturo Hitari, and the man becomes like a father to him. John makes his home in Japan and begins to learn all about how Hitari can predict the future. John's trip takes him to places he never thought he would see, but with it came the realization of conspiracies and mysteries involving a large group of people.
The novel was well thought out and the plot was very intriguing. This author will be one to look out for in the future. Very enjoyable read.
August 17, 2013
The Clout of Gen by Ahmad Ardalan was released in June of 2012. I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
John is a man down on his luck. He is in financial straights, is in a dead end journalist position at work, and his marriage has fallen apart. It doesn't matter how hard he tries, things just never go right for him. So, in utter despondency, John decides to take his own life. But, even that goes awry. Searching for another way to commit suicide, John sees a box floating in the water. Finding that box changes John life forever.
John discovers there is a man in Japan that has the uncanny ability to predict the future. From the outcomes of sporting events to predicting natural disasters, this man seems to know in advance what will happen. John takes a long overdue vacation and heads out to find this man.
When John finally tracks down Yaturo Hitari, the man becomes like a father to him. John makes his home in Japan and begins to learn all about how Hitari can predict the future. The two of them discover they have been manipulated from the beginning. The only hope is to locate a certain person and attempt to change the world for the better.
This book is a mind bender. I'm not even sure what genre to classify it in. But, I guess I would have to call it a sub-genre of science fiction/fantasy. But, not in the traditional way. I really like this book. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. There are so many thought provoking themes in this novel. If you could time travel, would you attempt to prevent natural disasters and war? Would having the power to manipulate the outcome of events be too great a temptation? Would you lose your ability to think of mankind as a whole in favor of personal power and wealth? What if you thought you were special and you were doing the right things for the right reasons only to discover you had been misled? Other issues like- What would the effects of time travel have on your body or mind? Would it be worth the risk?
The novel was well thought out and cleverly plotted. I think this author will be one to look out for in the future. Well done. I'll give this one solid A.
John is a man down on his luck. He is in financial straights, is in a dead end journalist position at work, and his marriage has fallen apart. It doesn't matter how hard he tries, things just never go right for him. So, in utter despondency, John decides to take his own life. But, even that goes awry. Searching for another way to commit suicide, John sees a box floating in the water. Finding that box changes John life forever.
John discovers there is a man in Japan that has the uncanny ability to predict the future. From the outcomes of sporting events to predicting natural disasters, this man seems to know in advance what will happen. John takes a long overdue vacation and heads out to find this man.
When John finally tracks down Yaturo Hitari, the man becomes like a father to him. John makes his home in Japan and begins to learn all about how Hitari can predict the future. The two of them discover they have been manipulated from the beginning. The only hope is to locate a certain person and attempt to change the world for the better.
This book is a mind bender. I'm not even sure what genre to classify it in. But, I guess I would have to call it a sub-genre of science fiction/fantasy. But, not in the traditional way. I really like this book. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. There are so many thought provoking themes in this novel. If you could time travel, would you attempt to prevent natural disasters and war? Would having the power to manipulate the outcome of events be too great a temptation? Would you lose your ability to think of mankind as a whole in favor of personal power and wealth? What if you thought you were special and you were doing the right things for the right reasons only to discover you had been misled? Other issues like- What would the effects of time travel have on your body or mind? Would it be worth the risk?
The novel was well thought out and cleverly plotted. I think this author will be one to look out for in the future. Well done. I'll give this one solid A.
Want to read
October 17, 2012Looking forward to reading this book - seems interesting.
And good job, Mr Ardalan!
And good job, Mr Ardalan!
September 14, 2018
It was surprisingly good
I just re_read the book
I just re_read the book
September 25, 2014
Read this review here: http://paperbacksandfrosting.com
This book was really, really intense and fun. I admit to not wanting to do my work in order to keep reading. It was very surprising. There are a lot of twists and turns in this book and it's fun trying to keep up with the mystery. I think this book was very well written. I didn't find myself having problems with any of the grammar or spelling. I was able to quickly get absorbed into this world and continue turning pages! There also wasn't a lot of moments in this story where I found myself drifting and had to get myself to focus again. I was always completely focused on the story. That's always a good sign for me because I get thrown out of stories very, very easily. I'd recommend this book to anyone just looking for something new and exciting. This book is not what you'd expect. It also doesn't really fall into any specific category in my mind, so I'd say it's good for any adult fan of reading!
This book was really, really intense and fun. I admit to not wanting to do my work in order to keep reading. It was very surprising. There are a lot of twists and turns in this book and it's fun trying to keep up with the mystery. I think this book was very well written. I didn't find myself having problems with any of the grammar or spelling. I was able to quickly get absorbed into this world and continue turning pages! There also wasn't a lot of moments in this story where I found myself drifting and had to get myself to focus again. I was always completely focused on the story. That's always a good sign for me because I get thrown out of stories very, very easily. I'd recommend this book to anyone just looking for something new and exciting. This book is not what you'd expect. It also doesn't really fall into any specific category in my mind, so I'd say it's good for any adult fan of reading!
August 26, 2015
I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Ahmad Ardalan!
Time travel stories can be a lot of fun but can also be confusing. The Clout of Gen is easy to read and I really enjoyed following the twists and turns without getting distracted or confused. The first part was a little too long in my opinion, but once it gets going it is fantastic. John Teddy, a journalist whose life is in shambles, discovers a box that leads him to a possible conspiracy to shape the world according to the plans of people from the future. I can't say much more or it would ruin the fun. I wished the story would have focused more on the, in the words of my favorite time lord "time wimey stuff" than, say in the love lives of secondary characters. Still, the ending more than made up for it. You don't have to be a sic-fi fan to enjoy this read. Amusing and fun.
Time travel stories can be a lot of fun but can also be confusing. The Clout of Gen is easy to read and I really enjoyed following the twists and turns without getting distracted or confused. The first part was a little too long in my opinion, but once it gets going it is fantastic. John Teddy, a journalist whose life is in shambles, discovers a box that leads him to a possible conspiracy to shape the world according to the plans of people from the future. I can't say much more or it would ruin the fun. I wished the story would have focused more on the, in the words of my favorite time lord "time wimey stuff" than, say in the love lives of secondary characters. Still, the ending more than made up for it. You don't have to be a sic-fi fan to enjoy this read. Amusing and fun.
August 18, 2012
So yeah the book turned out better than expected. Its's the first novel by this Arab author and I loved the plot and the ending. An easy read and a page turner. If you have an e-reader, go for it!
September 23, 2012
fantastic suspense, a must read book, the story..and the twist
May 1, 2015
Enjoyed this story very much. I hope you all give it a try
It is a little different, but that was a lot of what made it so good.
It is a little different, but that was a lot of what made it so good.
March 23, 2018
An interesting concept. Good plot but it took a while to get use to the elementary writing style.
March 31, 2018
If I don’t have to look up the definition of a single word....not interested.
April 10, 2018
Super simplistic writing, as if the author had been given a write by numbers and asked to write something. The premise, however, was interesting but not enough to save this mess of a word salad.
October 2, 2019
Good concept not very well connected.
March 19, 2016
I received a copy of this book from Goodreads for an honest review.
It really took a lot of effort for me to keep reading this book even though it was just 172 pages. The concept is interesting to begin with but everything else was just so wrong.
The characters were all very shallow. Everyone's voices sounded exactly the same.
John annoyed the crap out of me. Firstly, he is all complaints about his life but does nothing about it ...until of course he ends up being the chosen one, which automatically solves everything. This all felt very 'self-insert mary sue-ish'. A guy at a mid-life crisis gets redeemed by a mysterious benefactor. Yawn.
Also, barely any solid female characters. Other than the fact that John's wife cheats on him (and of course she had to be the infidel one here. Her parents completely support John which seemed so ridiculous...Its almost like someone wanted a reason to make John seem innocent or whatever) there is no other info on her. Yuuka is just there as eye candy for John. She, seriously, had so much potential.
And sooo many inconsistencies!!! . Facts, situations and motives of the characters all seemed very weak. I love time travel stories-don't get me wrong- but things like that need to have a stronger basis. Some isn't gonna do the trick.
And finally the writing annoyed me sometimes. I don't know what it was but it just didn't work for me. It could possibly be due to phrases like 'Inside his gut' instead of ( a feeling) 'in his gut' which was just jarring to read.
It really took a lot of effort for me to keep reading this book even though it was just 172 pages. The concept is interesting to begin with but everything else was just so wrong.
The characters were all very shallow. Everyone's voices sounded exactly the same.
John annoyed the crap out of me. Firstly, he is all complaints about his life but does nothing about it ...until of course he ends up being the chosen one, which automatically solves everything. This all felt very 'self-insert mary sue-ish'. A guy at a mid-life crisis gets redeemed by a mysterious benefactor. Yawn.
Also, barely any solid female characters. Other than the fact that John's wife cheats on him (and of course she had to be the infidel one here. Her parents completely support John which seemed so ridiculous...Its almost like someone wanted a reason to make John seem innocent or whatever) there is no other info on her. Yuuka is just there as eye candy for John. She, seriously, had so much potential.
And sooo many inconsistencies!!! . Facts, situations and motives of the characters all seemed very weak. I love time travel stories-don't get me wrong- but things like that need to have a stronger basis. Some isn't gonna do the trick.
And finally the writing annoyed me sometimes. I don't know what it was but it just didn't work for me. It could possibly be due to phrases like 'Inside his gut' instead of ( a feeling) 'in his gut' which was just jarring to read.
January 31, 2015
I really liked the concept of this book: a man suicidal journalist stumbles upon a tape of a man discussing the outcomes of events that are in his future, and determines to unravel mystery rather than ending his life. Unfortunately, the quality of the execution did not match that of the concept. The writing is a bit choppy, and the attempts to explain the ideas behind time travel aren't clear.
In addition, there are a few inconsistencies that should have been caught in basic editing, but were not. As an example, at one point the man from the tape is said to have intestinal cancer; in a later chapter, his cancer was pancreatic. Mistakes like that take away from my enjoyment of a book, as it creates the impression that the author wasn't interested enough in his own story to pay attention to the details.
In short, I felt that this book could have been much better than it is.
In addition, there are a few inconsistencies that should have been caught in basic editing, but were not. As an example, at one point the man from the tape is said to have intestinal cancer; in a later chapter, his cancer was pancreatic. Mistakes like that take away from my enjoyment of a book, as it creates the impression that the author wasn't interested enough in his own story to pay attention to the details.
In short, I felt that this book could have been much better than it is.
October 12, 2015
An Intriguing Look into the Future!
The Clout of Glen was a different kind of mystery with a sci-fi twist. John Teddy is a disgruntled newspaper reporter who is bored with his job. His marriage to Susan is a disaster and his son is the only good thing in his life.
He feels suicidal and tries to take life on a cliff but his gun jambs. Looking down into the water he spies a box and goes down to investigate. What he discovers will change his life forever and maybe even the world. He embarks on a journey to solve the mystery and travels around the world to find the man, Yaturo Hitari, to whom the box belongs? Will he find what he needs? What about his son? Will he ever see him again? What can he do to solve the problems of the world?
I was given a copy of this book in return for an honest review. I found it to be an enjoyable read.
The Clout of Glen was a different kind of mystery with a sci-fi twist. John Teddy is a disgruntled newspaper reporter who is bored with his job. His marriage to Susan is a disaster and his son is the only good thing in his life.
He feels suicidal and tries to take life on a cliff but his gun jambs. Looking down into the water he spies a box and goes down to investigate. What he discovers will change his life forever and maybe even the world. He embarks on a journey to solve the mystery and travels around the world to find the man, Yaturo Hitari, to whom the box belongs? Will he find what he needs? What about his son? Will he ever see him again? What can he do to solve the problems of the world?
I was given a copy of this book in return for an honest review. I found it to be an enjoyable read.
September 3, 2023
John Teddy, a newspaper reporter feels his life has no more meaning, but whilst contemplating ending things by jumping off a cliff, he spots a box, the contents of which will change his life forever.
It's hard to class this book as, even though the centre of it has a time traveller, it is about Teddy's new found life and his search for the figure on the video in the box and the consequences of it.
I found this story to be enthralling and I was quite moved at times. The descriptions of the settings in Kyoto made me think I might like to visit it. This is one of those gems I've discovered and feel glad that I have.
It's hard to class this book as, even though the centre of it has a time traveller, it is about Teddy's new found life and his search for the figure on the video in the box and the consequences of it.
I found this story to be enthralling and I was quite moved at times. The descriptions of the settings in Kyoto made me think I might like to visit it. This is one of those gems I've discovered and feel glad that I have.
September 13, 2015
I was asked to review this book via Netgalley. Here is what the blurb says:
"Newspaper reporter John Teddy’s miserable life is turned upside down when he uncovers a voice from the past—a voice that suspiciously knows far too much about the would-be future. John’s natural curiosity to understand the hidden message takes him to places he never imagined seeing, and ongoing conspiracies he never thought existed."
I loved the concept of this book but felt it was a little rushed in the delivery. It was quite a short book and I think I might have enjoyed it more if it has been extended and gone into more detail. It was an ok read but could have been better.
"Newspaper reporter John Teddy’s miserable life is turned upside down when he uncovers a voice from the past—a voice that suspiciously knows far too much about the would-be future. John’s natural curiosity to understand the hidden message takes him to places he never imagined seeing, and ongoing conspiracies he never thought existed."
I loved the concept of this book but felt it was a little rushed in the delivery. It was quite a short book and I think I might have enjoyed it more if it has been extended and gone into more detail. It was an ok read but could have been better.
May 11, 2018
Sadly, this book was not for me. The idea sounded really exciting, very much my kind of book - or so I thought. The writing was not good, it felt choppy and jarring, as if written by a middle-grader: "What a beautiful day!" John said to himself. Groan! No, I'm sorry, I could not get into it... And the worst bit, I made myself read it (granted, I scanned a lot of it, as I just couldn't keep on reading) and when I got to the end, I was completely confused and it made no sense to me whatsoever. Who the heck is Onishka Lechkov???? Was that name meant to mean something to me? Anyhow. I'm very sorry, Mr Ardalan, I really wanted to like your book.
April 6, 2018
I have just finished reading this intriguing & very enjoyable book, it was hard to put down at times & I highly recommend it for it's geographical trip, historical trip & at times very though provoking trip too.
September 19, 2012
Great book from start to finish. Thanks for recommending this to me Britt.
December 25, 2012
Couldn't even get myself to finish it.
September 20, 2012
Great book,must read,I think it is a very good start as a first book for this young author,looking forward for the next one,keep it up Mr ardalan
December 6, 2012
It was OK. A very easy read.
December 6, 2012
A clever read and an easy page turner. I enjoyed the plot very much as i love books that keeps you guessing and wanting more,the twist was a good surprise. An engaging book to say the least.
August 23, 2014
An intellectually stimulating suspense that has you dwelling about the ending or even the beginning for hours after turing the last page.
April 1, 2023
Oh dear. Time travel? Check! Japan? Check! Horribly written (even allowing for the writer not bring a native English speaker). Not very interesting or logical. Not worth my evening.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews