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What It Takes to Kill a Bull Moose
Ready for a heart-pumping adventure through the cutthroat world of presidential elections more exciting than 2020 or 2024?
Former Senator Jackson Piper stands at the podium, about to accept the 2044 nomination for President of the United States. The Philadelphia stadium vibrates with thunderous applause, and the passionate cheers of 70,000 citizens create a thunderous roar. His calls for New Optimism, New Freedoms, and New Vitality for America electrify them. They are poised to rewrite the political rulebook while reforming the nation by resurrecting Teddy Roosevelt's Bull Moose Party.
As the crowd's excitement reaches a fever pitch, Jackson Piper takes a deep breath and begins his speech. The setting is tense, with the fate of the nation hanging in the balance. However, Jackson is determined to bring a new era of hope and progress to America. His passion and charisma captivate the audience, and they are ready to follow him to the ends of the earth.
But there are darker forces at play. What stands in their way is the corrupt President Warner. With unlimited resources and a ruthless agenda, he is determined to win a second term and maybe more. Piper and his allies must navigate a treacherous landscape of espionage, fake news, and assassination attempts to come out on top.
Accompany Jackson and his team on a pulse-pounding quest to rescue the Republic. Guided by the strategic mind of Ron Bender and the assistance of his sentient A.I. companion Ziggy, they must outsmart their adversaries and battle for the destiny of their nation. Will they triumph over the corrupt forces arrayed against them, or will they succumb to the Curse of Tippecanoe?
This enthralling political thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final page. Drawing from his own experiences as a former political operative, the author crafts a chillingly believable narrative of power and corruption in American politics. Don't miss the inaugural installment in the compelling Bull Moose Series.
This book is a must-read for fans of political thrillers like "The Manchurian Candidate" and "All the President's Men." Buy now before the price changes and get ready for a heart-pumping adventure through the cutthroat world of presidential elections.
Former Senator Jackson Piper stands at the podium, about to accept the 2044 nomination for President of the United States. The Philadelphia stadium vibrates with thunderous applause, and the passionate cheers of 70,000 citizens create a thunderous roar. His calls for New Optimism, New Freedoms, and New Vitality for America electrify them. They are poised to rewrite the political rulebook while reforming the nation by resurrecting Teddy Roosevelt's Bull Moose Party.
As the crowd's excitement reaches a fever pitch, Jackson Piper takes a deep breath and begins his speech. The setting is tense, with the fate of the nation hanging in the balance. However, Jackson is determined to bring a new era of hope and progress to America. His passion and charisma captivate the audience, and they are ready to follow him to the ends of the earth.
But there are darker forces at play. What stands in their way is the corrupt President Warner. With unlimited resources and a ruthless agenda, he is determined to win a second term and maybe more. Piper and his allies must navigate a treacherous landscape of espionage, fake news, and assassination attempts to come out on top.
Accompany Jackson and his team on a pulse-pounding quest to rescue the Republic. Guided by the strategic mind of Ron Bender and the assistance of his sentient A.I. companion Ziggy, they must outsmart their adversaries and battle for the destiny of their nation. Will they triumph over the corrupt forces arrayed against them, or will they succumb to the Curse of Tippecanoe?
This enthralling political thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final page. Drawing from his own experiences as a former political operative, the author crafts a chillingly believable narrative of power and corruption in American politics. Don't miss the inaugural installment in the compelling Bull Moose Series.
This book is a must-read for fans of political thrillers like "The Manchurian Candidate" and "All the President's Men." Buy now before the price changes and get ready for a heart-pumping adventure through the cutthroat world of presidential elections.
498 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 18, 2024
7 people are currently reading
861 people want to read
About the author
Michael Fedor
5 books36 followersMichael Fedor brings 20 years of political organizing and storytelling experience to win a new audience – readers. His style makes his political fiction novels deliciously thrilling, and his meticulous research ensures they are terrifyingly plausible. Readers will wonder where the lines of real-life end and political fantasy begin, especially with his debut series, Bull Moose.
Michael has built a reputation as a gifted strategist and a visionary leader. But inside, there remains an itch to use the power of the pen to move people and the world with ideas.
Heeding his own advice to his students to “seize the day,” Michael dusted off a novel he wrote but never published in 2004. Like a Jane Goodall of modern politics, he uses his observations and experiences in the wild, wooly worlds of Washington, DC, and state capitols to tell captivating stories of power, politics, and the human condition. The first book in a new political thriller series, What It Takes to Kill a Bull Moose (Book 1), is set for release in early 2024.
Earning both master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Penn State, Michael says the single greatest takeaway from his alma mater was meeting his best friend and love of his life, Serena, who is a fellow Penn State alumna. Michael and Serena will celebrate 20 years of marriage in 2024. They live in Pennsylvania, raising three boys to have imagination, healthy loves of ice cream, and generous souls.
Like the main character of Bull Moose, Michael is an avid outdoorsman, a voracious reader, and a student of history. Michael is still undefeated at Pub Trivia.
Michael has built a reputation as a gifted strategist and a visionary leader. But inside, there remains an itch to use the power of the pen to move people and the world with ideas.
Heeding his own advice to his students to “seize the day,” Michael dusted off a novel he wrote but never published in 2004. Like a Jane Goodall of modern politics, he uses his observations and experiences in the wild, wooly worlds of Washington, DC, and state capitols to tell captivating stories of power, politics, and the human condition. The first book in a new political thriller series, What It Takes to Kill a Bull Moose (Book 1), is set for release in early 2024.
Earning both master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Penn State, Michael says the single greatest takeaway from his alma mater was meeting his best friend and love of his life, Serena, who is a fellow Penn State alumna. Michael and Serena will celebrate 20 years of marriage in 2024. They live in Pennsylvania, raising three boys to have imagination, healthy loves of ice cream, and generous souls.
Like the main character of Bull Moose, Michael is an avid outdoorsman, a voracious reader, and a student of history. Michael is still undefeated at Pub Trivia.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 15, 2024
What an engaging and thoughtful thriller! This shows how much politics takes from those who dare to think they can make a difference in our messed up system of power.
August 9, 2024
If one is interested in the lengths a corrupt politician will go to in order to deceive voters during the year of a presidential election, then this is the book for you.
A must read Now!
A must read Now!
February 20, 2025
Could this happen?
Obviously very current, having just had presidential election. The deception and back door deals made in D.C. are scary. The search for truth and justice in that city definitely is not simple.
Obviously very current, having just had presidential election. The deception and back door deals made in D.C. are scary. The search for truth and justice in that city definitely is not simple.
May 18, 2025
Extremely good and engaging book for this political time.
I could not but it down.
Well thought out plot line. Many surprises through out.
I will probably read again.
Skip G.
I could not but it down.
Well thought out plot line. Many surprises through out.
I will probably read again.
Skip G.
Read
February 21, 2025“What It Takes to Kill a Bull Moose” centers around former Senator Jackson Piper as he attempts to run for presidential nomination in 2044 against adversary and current sitting President Russell Warner. Piper has his work cut out for him as the powers that be stand to take him down utilizing corruption and fear. Author, Michael Fedor, does a great job combining realism and futurism to weave together the plot of this story. There was a nice mix of characters varying from real to AI who help really pull the narrative together with unexpected twists and turns. This would be a great read for anyone who enjoys a good political thriller. It will give any reader food for thought and make you consider the cutthroat tactics employed in political races.
#GoodreadsGiveaway
I received this book as an ARC, all opinions expressed in this review are my own.
#GoodreadsGiveaway
I received this book as an ARC, all opinions expressed in this review are my own.
October 6, 2024
Based around US presidential elections, Michael Fedor's 'What It Takes to Kill a Bull Moose' is a powerful thriller based on the world of American politics. POTUS is the most powerful person in the world - and the possibility that the position can go to a corrupt and power-hungry person is always real. That has already happened in this novel and the corrupt President Warner is looking forward to winning a second term. Former Senator Jackson Piper is the only man who is putting up a fight.
The author uses his decades of experience as a political operative to build a compelling picture of American politics. There are lots of games involved and Piper must deal with all types of challenges to stand a chance for a stint in White House. There is lots of trivia about previous elections too. The novel oscillates between Piper's side and Warner's side as the suspense builds about the upcoming elections.
The very title of the novel is from a statement Theodore Roosevelt made after surviving an assassination attempt, "Friends, I shall ask you to be as quiet as possible. I don't know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot—but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose." Now that is an interesting anecdote, and as you read the novel, the reasons for this title grow increasingly obvious.
Set in the Year, 2044, one can easily classify the novel as dystopian and sci-fiction, especially based on its exploration of the impact of AI and SI. However, AI is no longer a thing of the future but increasingly an everyday tool. So how are these technologies and the billionaires they create going to affect politics and elections? The novel also talks about another challenge we are all familiar with—fake news. It is no longer possible to separate the real news from fake news on social media, and what is worse—we make very little effort to actually check sources before hitting the 'share' button.
Fedor envisions an AI that will give a truthful rating to any news item. However, can we really rely on an algorithm for discerning the truthfulness of news? How far can these technologies influence our decision-making? It is already an established fact that social media propaganda is changing the very fields in which political battles are fought. And it is an open secret that the social media companies are capable of manipulating our behavior. How far worse would it be in the future when they have powerful AI tools at their disposal? Those are some of the highly pertinent questions being explored in this novel.
This is the beginning of what promises to be a great adventure and is highly recommended to people interested in political thriller dramas. The well-paced prose makes it an easy read. The novel is a part of a series, and the second part of the series 'The Tree of Liberty' is expected to hit the market in November. It also has a prequel now, 'The Senate Deception'.
The author uses his decades of experience as a political operative to build a compelling picture of American politics. There are lots of games involved and Piper must deal with all types of challenges to stand a chance for a stint in White House. There is lots of trivia about previous elections too. The novel oscillates between Piper's side and Warner's side as the suspense builds about the upcoming elections.
The very title of the novel is from a statement Theodore Roosevelt made after surviving an assassination attempt, "Friends, I shall ask you to be as quiet as possible. I don't know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot—but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose." Now that is an interesting anecdote, and as you read the novel, the reasons for this title grow increasingly obvious.
Set in the Year, 2044, one can easily classify the novel as dystopian and sci-fiction, especially based on its exploration of the impact of AI and SI. However, AI is no longer a thing of the future but increasingly an everyday tool. So how are these technologies and the billionaires they create going to affect politics and elections? The novel also talks about another challenge we are all familiar with—fake news. It is no longer possible to separate the real news from fake news on social media, and what is worse—we make very little effort to actually check sources before hitting the 'share' button.
Fedor envisions an AI that will give a truthful rating to any news item. However, can we really rely on an algorithm for discerning the truthfulness of news? How far can these technologies influence our decision-making? It is already an established fact that social media propaganda is changing the very fields in which political battles are fought. And it is an open secret that the social media companies are capable of manipulating our behavior. How far worse would it be in the future when they have powerful AI tools at their disposal? Those are some of the highly pertinent questions being explored in this novel.
This is the beginning of what promises to be a great adventure and is highly recommended to people interested in political thriller dramas. The well-paced prose makes it an easy read. The novel is a part of a series, and the second part of the series 'The Tree of Liberty' is expected to hit the market in November. It also has a prequel now, 'The Senate Deception'.
November 29, 2024
I had totally forgotten that I was supposed to read this book, though, I suspect that there was a big part of my subconscious that knew that this would touch on today's political landscape and while I believe that is what attracted me to the book in the first place, it is what made it too hard for me to read in the heart of the election season. And now that the season is over, it may be coloring my perspective a bit. It is very hard not to see our soon-to-become President in this novel, and I am finding the news to be hard to watch. I will attempt to offer an unbiased review, based on the book's literary merits.
The author's background and experience in politics is clear and is well-incorporated in the book. I would categorize this as dystopian more than science fiction, even though it does occur in the future. Our country is still very recognizable in terms of its general structure. A narcissistic man wants to become the leader of our country and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. That is basically a summary in a nutshell. The other male characters were fairly fleshed out although the author clearly delineates between good and evil and with respect to some of the other characters, the book might have benefitted from the characters being more rounded. I also thought that the female characters were interesting but were not as well developed as they could have been.
The author clearly did research into American history, however, I thought that the historical information that was presented, while no doubt accurate, and relevant, was presented a bit dryly, especially in comparison to the pace of the rest of the novel.
The pace was good and the book was suspenseful. This was clearly meant to be the first in a series, and I had a pretty good idea about three quarters in how this part was going to end. Being able to guess at that point in the novel wasn't particularly problematic for me, but it might be for some people.
I will definitely read the next part, though it will be a while since reading about politics that is so eerily like modern times is a bit challenging. I will need time to recover from current events...
The author's background and experience in politics is clear and is well-incorporated in the book. I would categorize this as dystopian more than science fiction, even though it does occur in the future. Our country is still very recognizable in terms of its general structure. A narcissistic man wants to become the leader of our country and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. That is basically a summary in a nutshell. The other male characters were fairly fleshed out although the author clearly delineates between good and evil and with respect to some of the other characters, the book might have benefitted from the characters being more rounded. I also thought that the female characters were interesting but were not as well developed as they could have been.
The author clearly did research into American history, however, I thought that the historical information that was presented, while no doubt accurate, and relevant, was presented a bit dryly, especially in comparison to the pace of the rest of the novel.
The pace was good and the book was suspenseful. This was clearly meant to be the first in a series, and I had a pretty good idea about three quarters in how this part was going to end. Being able to guess at that point in the novel wasn't particularly problematic for me, but it might be for some people.
I will definitely read the next part, though it will be a while since reading about politics that is so eerily like modern times is a bit challenging. I will need time to recover from current events...
June 15, 2024
I received an ARC and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
This story picks up from the last book, The Senate Deception, with Jackson now in Colorado for the last few years since he lost his last election for Senator. Now it is time for the run up till the next presidential election. The incumbent POTUS is running and the other party field has dropped down to one candidate. Jackson is convinced to run, but this time he will run for the nomination as a candidate in both parties. The primaries arrive and Jackson is doing well and cutting into POTUs and the other party's lead. With Jackson gaining favor for both sides, the political parties both push thru a rule that will disqualify Jackson. As a result, Jackson and his team decide as a new party, the Bull Moose Party.
Jackson is now running his campaign and he quickly overtakes the other party's candidate and is getting close to POTUS. Now POTU is becoming worried and begins using dirty tricks to slow Jackson down. The time for the election has passed and no one has gotten the required Elector votes. The decision will now fall to Congress on Jan. 6th.
To discover what tricks POTUS's team does, how far another individual was willing to go on POTUS's ticket, what dangers Jackson's campaign has to overcome and what happened in the end, then you need to read this book. It shows how dangerous running for office has become and what new tools are available to hamper their opponents. It is definitely an eye opener.
This story picks up from the last book, The Senate Deception, with Jackson now in Colorado for the last few years since he lost his last election for Senator. Now it is time for the run up till the next presidential election. The incumbent POTUS is running and the other party field has dropped down to one candidate. Jackson is convinced to run, but this time he will run for the nomination as a candidate in both parties. The primaries arrive and Jackson is doing well and cutting into POTUs and the other party's lead. With Jackson gaining favor for both sides, the political parties both push thru a rule that will disqualify Jackson. As a result, Jackson and his team decide as a new party, the Bull Moose Party.
Jackson is now running his campaign and he quickly overtakes the other party's candidate and is getting close to POTUS. Now POTU is becoming worried and begins using dirty tricks to slow Jackson down. The time for the election has passed and no one has gotten the required Elector votes. The decision will now fall to Congress on Jan. 6th.
To discover what tricks POTUS's team does, how far another individual was willing to go on POTUS's ticket, what dangers Jackson's campaign has to overcome and what happened in the end, then you need to read this book. It shows how dangerous running for office has become and what new tools are available to hamper their opponents. It is definitely an eye opener.
September 30, 2024
Audiobook: I enjoyed this complex political thriller. This was my first experience with this author's work. Even though I haven't read the first book where the protagonist was introduced, I liked Jackson Piper and his wife. I appreciated that the author must have delved into a ton of research in order to produce such an interconnected and developed story. I felt that there were times that the facts overwhelmed the story, but on the whole, the story was amazing. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. I thought B. R. Franklin's narration was good, and his performance kept my attention. I was given a copy of the audiobook. I volunteered, without financial gain, to post this review which included my honest opinions regarding this story.
September 19, 2024
Jackson Piper has decided to run for president as a partyless candidate. He dcides to run as a candiate of both political parties. He is doing well in the primaries when the current political parties decide to change tge rules in the middle of election season. Fedor examines the influence of technology and tech billionaires have on the political system. Extremely well written and fast pace. 4.5 stars
September 30, 2024
I hate politics. And reading this I truly remember why I hate them. This was such a a good book. And it was full of thrills and so much more. It's just super scary to realize that this is our life now. Super scary. I appreciate the history in this too. The true history. Tippecanoe and so much more. I actually want to read the other ones because I'm hoping Jackson and Valerie and beat this mess.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 23, 2025
This was a strong start to the Bull Moose series, it had that political thriller element that I was hoping for and enjoyed getting to know what was happening. The characters had that feel that I was looking for and was engaged with how they worked in this universe. Michael Fedor has a strong writing style and am excited for more.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 29, 2024
I listened to audiobook AND followed along with the kindle edition.
WOW!
The Curse of the Tippecanoe is real and Jackson is on its curtails.
Read about things like Ziggy, an A.I. companion for Ron Bender attempting to outplay the other side and go to war with sides that were once friendlies, for the future of our nation.
You won’t regret it
WOW!
The Curse of the Tippecanoe is real and Jackson is on its curtails.
Read about things like Ziggy, an A.I. companion for Ron Bender attempting to outplay the other side and go to war with sides that were once friendlies, for the future of our nation.
You won’t regret it
November 5, 2024
A very short story to set the stage for part 2, more like a series prequel. It gives insight to the behind the scenes of candidate selection and some of the strategizing.
July 29, 2024
Well written, timely and a bit intense at times. Just might keep a lookout for the follow up story expected later this year. My thanks to the giveaway sponsors for the opportunity to obtain and read this 4 star recommended book
January 8, 2025
I really enjoyed this. I heard Michael Fedor on the Undercover podcast and the interview got me excited for the book. This guy nailed it in terms of relevancy and characters. I was surprised I read through it as quick as I did since it felt like a bit of a slow burn but it really kept me engaged and I enjoyed all the characters. I’d really like to know more about the actual bull moose party, I’d heard about some of the history before but this made me really want to deep dive. Reading this through the end of the current election was perfect. Can we swap the Dem’s for Bullmoose? I just got the 2nd book Tree of Liberty, can’t wait to crack it open. This would make good series, I imagine we’ll see that happen.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews