Dark Ages: 2020
Dark Ages: 2020 is a Political Thriller that has amazing potential in further releases. The first novel attempt by the author (that I am aware of), and a darn good one. You start off at the precipice. You start out by looking at everything that is to come, but you have no real idea as to how the future shall come to be.
The characters are easily relatable, depending upon your own actual history. Us veterans will have a fellow to connect with(enough to make your eyes tear up). You small business owners with employees will have a fellow to bond with in their struggle. Us family folk will have plenty of chances to set the novel down, and have a “Holy crap…” moment or five. Simply, everyone will have something to connect with, and make the novel more personally realistic. to boot, there are no characters that end up being supermen when the world needs them. None of them have extended blabbering scenes to espouse a political agenda via the authors keyboard. There are a few instances where it would not have been practical to water it down, but they do not drag or detract. Some of the characters are heavily based off of actually players in our politics, so be aware of that as you crack it open!
The settings are real world, making it that much more personal for some of us. While there could possibly be more descriptions of the surroundings, my own imagination never failed me. It fills in necessary gaps. If you do not have an over-reactive imagination, then do as best you can.
The plot as a whole certainly needs a little maturation and attention, but remember that this is the authors first go at this! There are a few gaps, a few places that could do with a little TLC. Some parts seems a little rushed, and awkward to read an imagine at the same time, but that is not a big deal at all if you keep his literary history in mind. Also keep in mind that there will be further installations in this story, so any shortcomings here, can be ironed out later.
If I were allowed to give more than just a handful of stars, perhaps a 0-100 score, it would score 85-90, but here, I shall award a five star. I really like this book, and eagerly await further installations!