Radical: With Billions of lives at stake, what would you do?

by Paul Scott

"As a kid, Cody had an idyllic life in small-town America. He was a popular boy who excelled at running and loved deeply his girlfriend, Jazzie. But just when Cody thinks life is great, fate takes an unexpected and horrible turn. Devastated by this, and the subsequent attacks of 9/11, Cody joins the Army thinking he’ll avenge the wrongs done to his country by fighting in Afghanistan. Instead, he is sent to Iraq where he learns that the war is about oil even as he is forced to kill on behalf of his country. He returns home a changed man and moves in with a left-wing high-powered attorney who pursues cases against the oil and gas industries. Over the years, this man educates Cody about his work and beliefs.

Cody begins to believe climate change will, in the end, kill more people than even Hitler did, and that there is no political solution. Traumatized by the war and indoctrinated with a set of radical beliefs, he concludes he must kill the people responsible for climate change. He draws up list of targets and plans his travels to kill them. On the eve of setting out to assassinate these men, Cody meets a beautiful woman — first woman he’s had feelings for since Jazzie. And so he leaves for his mission conflicted, believing he’ll likely die in pursuit of his goals, and this just as he first wishes to live again."

331 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 20, 2017

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Radical”, a thrilling debut novel from Paul Scott, is based on the question: With billions of lives at stake, what would you do?

It tells the story of an average young man radicalized on the issue of climate change who resorts to extreme measures to combat the current global environmental meltdown that he believes will kill billions. This sensational storyline harbors within it the serious and compelling message that individuals, progressives particularly, need to stop using dirty energy from coal, oil, and natural gas.

Find out if you agree with the protagonist’s highly controversial tactics. Author Scott, a well known environmental activist based in Santa Monica, wants to start this conversation.

[Glen Chung · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and entertaining presentation of an important side of a global issue that has local repercussions and relevance

Paul has done a great job encapsulating his message in an engaging, suspenseful story. I have heard this author speak on the topics covered in the story: dirty energy, propaganda, the military-industrial complex. This story serves to underscore the urgency of changing the way we consume and think about energy.

[Angelo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thought-provoking page-turner that asks: How far would you or I go if billions of lives were at risk due to the immorality of the few? The book follows an army vet who becomes disillusioned and, in a radical undertaking to save us all from the coming climate apocalypse, wages a war on the major players in the oil and gas industries. The book is especially engaging knowing that Paul is a well-respected leader in electric and solar energy. It's an entertaining read to boot.