Force for Good

by Samuel Muggington

Clown’s baby brother was shot and killed at the Courts in East Harlem. Everyone thought that thugs from the Original Young Gangsters (OYG) did it, but they couldn’t be sure. It seemed like no one could stop the violence until a group of teens took matters into their own hands and formed the Force for Good, FFG.

Using their wits, survival skills and the latest techie gadgets, the FFG fought the gang bangers in their search for the killer. The truth turned out to be more evil and twisted than any of them imagined.

116 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 20, 2013

About the author

Samuel Muggington has written seven novels and is currently working on the third volume in the Pomroy's World series.

Samuel Muggington's works are listed below:

The Abscission Zone
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NBIDXD0

Who's The Lucky Guy?
http://www.amazon.com/Whos-Lucky-Guy-...

Pomroy's World: Arrival
http://www.amazon.com/Pomroys-World-A...

Pomroy's World: Alone
http://www.amazon.com/Pomroys-World-A...

Force for Good http://www.amazon.com/Force-Good-Samu...

Sciurus https://play.google.com/store/books/d...

People of the Stones https://play.google.com/store/books/d...

You can check out a review Force for Good at the following link:

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...

A review of "Who's The Lucky Guy?" can be found at the following link:

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...

Samuel Muggington has lived in the New York city area for the last two decades and has traveled and lived in various parts of the world. He loves nature, science and keeping up with the latest technology gadgets.

You can follow Samuel Muggington on his blogs and websites listed below.

http://samuelmuggington.com/wordpress/
http://samuelmuggington.com/
http://pomroysworld.com
http://whoistheluckyguy.com
http://theabscissionzone.com

Want to hear the music that inspired Pomroy's world?
Check out this Spotify playlist.

http://tinyurl.com/pomroysworldmusic

Muggington's Music Playlist is growing. Check it out!

http://tinyurl.com/muggingtonmusic

Reviews

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most unique and imaginative short novels I've read is by Samuel Mugginton's "Force For Good". The cover does not do justice to a story which begins in East Harlem when the young brother of a teen nicknamed Clown is murdered while watching a basketball game. Stunned by the death of their friend's baby brother, a group of teens form a league called the Force For Good (FFG) to uncover the murderer. Using their wits and hi-tech devices they uncover a link to the OYG (Original Gangsters) and to a pharmaceutical company involved in cancer research, but will they be caught before bringing the criminals to justice?

The narrative which is told in quick, short chapters is fascinating as the group devise cyber traps to ensnare the thugs of the OYG in an innovative way that redeems some of them. In an inventive move Samuel Mugginton uses nicknames to identify each of the heroic teens; a tag which defines a specific quirk, physical feature or strength.

Because the story is plot driven and short the personalities of the characters are realistic, but not complex. Central to the tale is "Mountain" a street smart teen with a wry sense of humour who detests school. He contrasts sharply with his friend "Ordinary" a boy who's unassuming physically and socially, a chameleon with a brilliant hi-tech mind. The other members of the FFG include: the smart and sexy Latino beauty "Sexpot"; a short, attractive bookworm called "Librarian; the tough, brave "MJ", and "Clown" a teen with a phenomenal memory and a strong determination to find his brother's killer. Even the thugs of the OYG are memorable, their personalities honed by their life of crime as drug dealers, con men and thieves.

This is a young adult novel geared to readers who like everyday, high-tech heroes involved in solving a murder, battling bullies on the street and in their school. I enjoyed it and would rate it slightly higher than a 3.5 but have given it a 4.0. Although in future novels from this author I would look for more in the way of plot and character development.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I enjoyed this book tremendously, I wasn't quite sure how to read it. By that I mean, it started off quite tragically, but then the rest of the book was rather comical or perhaps even a bit satirical (at least to me). I think I wouldn't have had an uneasy feeling if the boy in the beginning hadn't been killed, which set my expectation for how the tone of the book would proceed. Perhaps it was the style of writing more than anything else that gave me the less-than-tragic feeling. It's loaded with clever, descriptive metaphors. Too many, perhaps? Nah. I enjoyed every one of them. Although I am left a bit confused about the tone, the story was masterfully crafted. The characters may be named according to their physical appearances, but they are anything other than what their names imply. The writing is clever and keeps you on your toes wondering what will happen next.