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The Usurper King
The Usurper King takes place in an alternate universe where the serial killer Ted Bundy was never apprehended and is now running for president in 2016. Jim, a sufferer of a hybrid computer-biological virus that causes premature aging, tries to pay for his treatments by winning money on the game show 'Guts!', which has contestants competitively predict the future by reading animal entrails. As Jim begins to find omens in the entrails of Bundy's victory, and details of Bundy's murderous past are uncovered, Jim and another contestant take it upon themselves to stop his ascent to power before it's too late.
417 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 20, 2022
Great alternate universe political epic that asks a very interesting "what if?". Good to know that Zeb Haradon has loads of books out and seems to be staying prolific. Definitely check out this or The Last Feast (the ones I've read so far. The Last Feast is likely the more accessible)
July 4, 2024
This is probably the best fictional take on ~2016 America I've read, tucked in an engrossing character-driven story that challenges genre classification. It's not sci-fi, it's not quite contemporary fantasy or weird fiction or alt-history although it's got a little bit of all of that. If I have to call it something, I'm going with American magical realism.
Some other recent books that tried to reflect the same time period in U.S. culture and politics include Wanderers and The City We Became and I hated both of those, because their approach was, "this is just Trump but maybe we're using a different name" and done so ham-handedly. This book instead takes some of the cultural anxieties of the same time period, twists them to be even more horrible, then plunks in a completely different historical figure. If the reader wants to draw parallels, that's up to them. The fictional Democratic side of things isn't treated any more kindly, and I loved one particular quiet bombshell dropped into that component of the story.
The book succeeds because it focuses on an apolitical character, a sad-sack alcoholic divorced father with a bizarre terminal disease, who happens to be skilled at reading the future in animal entrails. I enjoyed the portrayal of this unlikeable sympathetic character who drives the plot.
The final chapter is particularly offbeat and seems like a sharp departure from the rest of the story, but thematically it enhances and broadens the themes of the books and provides much food for thought. This book was just the right kind of challenge for me: it made me think without being in-your-face about anything in particular, despite that some exaggerated elements might cause some to cry, "Hyperbole!"
So, great book and a nice surprise, but with damn awful covers! The latest is this one:
It's not immediately recognizable as A.I.-generated unless you knew that Midjourney can do this woodcut style; it takes a close look to see any of the typical A.I. artifacts. The image doesn't connect well to the book except in a very symbolic way, and the font treatment, yikes! This one comes after several Kindle template covers, none of which ever produce a good cover no matter what art is inserted into them. So: great writer (I think), terrible cover designer. If it has to be one or the other, I'll take it this way, but the effect is like they don't actually want anyone to read their books. This author/publisher's shift to A.I. covers doesn't improve things because many people will automatically reject a book for this sin. This would usually include me, but I have my friend Billie to thank for recommending this title to me (it only took me 3.5 years to get to it) and introducing me to an indie author who impressed me.
Some other recent books that tried to reflect the same time period in U.S. culture and politics include Wanderers and The City We Became and I hated both of those, because their approach was, "this is just Trump but maybe we're using a different name" and done so ham-handedly. This book instead takes some of the cultural anxieties of the same time period, twists them to be even more horrible, then plunks in a completely different historical figure. If the reader wants to draw parallels, that's up to them. The fictional Democratic side of things isn't treated any more kindly, and I loved one particular quiet bombshell dropped into that component of the story.
The book succeeds because it focuses on an apolitical character, a sad-sack alcoholic divorced father with a bizarre terminal disease, who happens to be skilled at reading the future in animal entrails. I enjoyed the portrayal of this unlikeable sympathetic character who drives the plot.
The final chapter is particularly offbeat and seems like a sharp departure from the rest of the story, but thematically it enhances and broadens the themes of the books and provides much food for thought. This book was just the right kind of challenge for me: it made me think without being in-your-face about anything in particular, despite that some exaggerated elements might cause some to cry, "Hyperbole!"
So, great book and a nice surprise, but with damn awful covers! The latest is this one:
It's not immediately recognizable as A.I.-generated unless you knew that Midjourney can do this woodcut style; it takes a close look to see any of the typical A.I. artifacts. The image doesn't connect well to the book except in a very symbolic way, and the font treatment, yikes! This one comes after several Kindle template covers, none of which ever produce a good cover no matter what art is inserted into them. So: great writer (I think), terrible cover designer. If it has to be one or the other, I'll take it this way, but the effect is like they don't actually want anyone to read their books. This author/publisher's shift to A.I. covers doesn't improve things because many people will automatically reject a book for this sin. This would usually include me, but I have my friend Billie to thank for recommending this title to me (it only took me 3.5 years to get to it) and introducing me to an indie author who impressed me.
May 22, 2018
For once I’m stuck on how to review a book. Not only because I’m not sure how to describe the genre; The Usurper King crosses both fantasy, humour and political thriller; all mixed up together with some humour that more than borders on satire. The author has a quirky writing style that I admired and there are some with some brilliant observations on the human condition. Yet parts of the story did make me cringe and skip small sections; those parts were the descriptions on extispicy: (the practice of predicting the future or reading omens by reading the entrails and liver of animals. And yes, it did exist; I looked it up. And yes, I do know I’m a wimp.
But here I’m reviewing the book itself so I’ll break it down. As I said Zeb Haradon can write, it’s a fascinating, slightly convoluted plot told in the protagonists’s first person point of view, Jim Galesh; a forty year old, divorced alcoholic who hs contracted a disease called TAP: Technologically Acquired Progeria that is ageing him quicker than normal. This character jumps off the page he is so rounded and believable in what is otherwise a fantastical scenario. And, generally, the other characters are multi layered as well.
The dialogue.is good and more than fills out the protagonist’s character. And there is a good sense of place throughout. And I found the ending clever and a total surprise,
A couple of problems that occurred in places: the pacing of the plot was slightly erratic, and there are punctuation and syntax errors throughout.
But, to end on a positive note and to emphasise comments I made earlier; Zeb Haradon is an author to watch out for. I recommend The Usurper King for its originality, its sardonic observations of life and a great writing style
But here I’m reviewing the book itself so I’ll break it down. As I said Zeb Haradon can write, it’s a fascinating, slightly convoluted plot told in the protagonists’s first person point of view, Jim Galesh; a forty year old, divorced alcoholic who hs contracted a disease called TAP: Technologically Acquired Progeria that is ageing him quicker than normal. This character jumps off the page he is so rounded and believable in what is otherwise a fantastical scenario. And, generally, the other characters are multi layered as well.
The dialogue.is good and more than fills out the protagonist’s character. And there is a good sense of place throughout. And I found the ending clever and a total surprise,
A couple of problems that occurred in places: the pacing of the plot was slightly erratic, and there are punctuation and syntax errors throughout.
But, to end on a positive note and to emphasise comments I made earlier; Zeb Haradon is an author to watch out for. I recommend The Usurper King for its originality, its sardonic observations of life and a great writing style
March 16, 2018
4.5 stars
I was supplied with an ARC to review this book, for Rosie Amber's Review Blog.
I chose this book from the review team submissions list because I liked the idea: an alternative present, in which the crimes of Ted Bundy have not been discovered, and he is now running for president, as a Republican. Senator Bundy is facist, sexist, you-name-it-ist, and pro-guns; in this alternative reality, active shooters (who number amonst his supporters) are a force to be reckoned with on a day-to-day basis, rather than an occasional horror.
I did not know what to expect when I opened the book; it has a quiet cover, few reviews and low rankings, but I'm happy to report that, as far as my review blog goes, never has the phrase 'don't judge a book etc' been more apt. Zeb Haradon is a terrific writer with a real story-telling spark that's superbly dry, witty and world-weary, and his humour is absolutely up my street. The book is clever, unusual, touching, funny and in parts made me laugh out loud, a rare occurrence; I was heard to mutter 'Brilliant!' in a couple of places. I read it in 48 hours.
The Usurper King is told from the first person point of view of Jim Galesh, a 40 year old guy who has always struggled to find his place in the world. He has a broken marriage, a drink problem, and suffers from a disease called TAP: Technologically Acquired Progeria. This was acquired via 'some sociopathic prankster who decided to write the first hybrid biological/computer virus'. Basically, he is ageing much more quickly than he should be (and the stuff about his time working in computer journalism, where he got this disease, is hilarious).
Jim is on the way to winning big money when he stars on the game show Guts!, on which contestants practice extispicy ~ predicting the future by studying animal entrails. Via the show he meets super-intelligent hillbilly Nick, who introduces him to the idea that Bundy is a serial killer, and that many of the murders attributed to the Green River Killer were actually committed by Bundy.
One of the high spots was discovering, half way through, the identity of 'JW', Bundy's Democratic rival, which explained some things like Chicago's high murder rate ~ it was dropped in so smoothly. Elsewhere, some of the parts I loved best were those about Jim's family: his son Reg, who he adores, and neurotic ex-wife Agatha and her control freak family. There are a wonderful few pages about his in-laws:
"Do you remember Clippy? That's the cartoon paper clip in Microsoft from the late 1990s. You would open a new document and start writing and it would just up and force itself into your writing and say "it looks like you're writing a letter" and try to offer these unhelpful writing tips while you look for the X button to shut it down.. I think they call it Office Assistant.... anyway, Agatha's mother was like a cross between Clippy and Nurse Ratched... then there was her father. As you might imagine, the years with Clippy Ratched have left him a shell of a human."
Often, it was just the day-to-day observations that I loved the most, or odd sentences; I highlighted so many.
"They had the kind of faces you see in an illustrated dictionary next to the definition of the word 'loser'."
"Some other dork trying to look like a thug came in carrying a baseball bat. 'I understand you don't want to co-operate. I'm the guy they bring in to help people co-operate. They call me Mr Co-operation'."
Nick: "You got a phone? I mean one of them fancy ones with the internet on."
When Jim goes to a doctor to try and get more of the medicine that helps him cut down drinking, the doctor is reluctant to give it, and tries to steer him, instead, towards the Twelve Steps: "The only criticism of it I read came from these AA lunkheads and websites for rehabs who stood to lose a bundle if people found something that actually worked."
I'm giving this 4.5* because there are a fair few proofreading errors (missing vocative commas, argh!), particularly in one section around the middle that wasn't as well put together as the rest of the book (it's when Jim is trying to get Bundy looked into), to the extent that I wondered if it had been written in a hurry, an afterthought, but I'll still round that 4.5* up to 5* on Amazon, because it really is a great book. Another proofread, a bit of a tidying up in places, and it would be outstanding. I recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone who likes clever observational humour of the dry American kind. The end is totally, totally unexpected, by the way.
Whether or not some of it is a comment on the current political situation in the US, I really couldn't say.
"...like the old British class system, where mediocre people get special privileges because they were born into weath. But it does seem there is a natural aristocracy - one which comes from intelligence, acquired ability, self-education, a natural curiosity about the world, an independence of thought, or maybe just a vigor for life - and which cleaves society into the winners and the losers. The losers, finding themselves impotent in mastering the art of life, are naturally going to be envious and bitter, and voting for Bundy was their revenge against the world."
I was supplied with an ARC to review this book, for Rosie Amber's Review Blog.
I chose this book from the review team submissions list because I liked the idea: an alternative present, in which the crimes of Ted Bundy have not been discovered, and he is now running for president, as a Republican. Senator Bundy is facist, sexist, you-name-it-ist, and pro-guns; in this alternative reality, active shooters (who number amonst his supporters) are a force to be reckoned with on a day-to-day basis, rather than an occasional horror.
I did not know what to expect when I opened the book; it has a quiet cover, few reviews and low rankings, but I'm happy to report that, as far as my review blog goes, never has the phrase 'don't judge a book etc' been more apt. Zeb Haradon is a terrific writer with a real story-telling spark that's superbly dry, witty and world-weary, and his humour is absolutely up my street. The book is clever, unusual, touching, funny and in parts made me laugh out loud, a rare occurrence; I was heard to mutter 'Brilliant!' in a couple of places. I read it in 48 hours.
The Usurper King is told from the first person point of view of Jim Galesh, a 40 year old guy who has always struggled to find his place in the world. He has a broken marriage, a drink problem, and suffers from a disease called TAP: Technologically Acquired Progeria. This was acquired via 'some sociopathic prankster who decided to write the first hybrid biological/computer virus'. Basically, he is ageing much more quickly than he should be (and the stuff about his time working in computer journalism, where he got this disease, is hilarious).
Jim is on the way to winning big money when he stars on the game show Guts!, on which contestants practice extispicy ~ predicting the future by studying animal entrails. Via the show he meets super-intelligent hillbilly Nick, who introduces him to the idea that Bundy is a serial killer, and that many of the murders attributed to the Green River Killer were actually committed by Bundy.
One of the high spots was discovering, half way through, the identity of 'JW', Bundy's Democratic rival, which explained some things like Chicago's high murder rate ~ it was dropped in so smoothly. Elsewhere, some of the parts I loved best were those about Jim's family: his son Reg, who he adores, and neurotic ex-wife Agatha and her control freak family. There are a wonderful few pages about his in-laws:
"Do you remember Clippy? That's the cartoon paper clip in Microsoft from the late 1990s. You would open a new document and start writing and it would just up and force itself into your writing and say "it looks like you're writing a letter" and try to offer these unhelpful writing tips while you look for the X button to shut it down.. I think they call it Office Assistant.... anyway, Agatha's mother was like a cross between Clippy and Nurse Ratched... then there was her father. As you might imagine, the years with Clippy Ratched have left him a shell of a human."
Often, it was just the day-to-day observations that I loved the most, or odd sentences; I highlighted so many.
"They had the kind of faces you see in an illustrated dictionary next to the definition of the word 'loser'."
"Some other dork trying to look like a thug came in carrying a baseball bat. 'I understand you don't want to co-operate. I'm the guy they bring in to help people co-operate. They call me Mr Co-operation'."
Nick: "You got a phone? I mean one of them fancy ones with the internet on."
When Jim goes to a doctor to try and get more of the medicine that helps him cut down drinking, the doctor is reluctant to give it, and tries to steer him, instead, towards the Twelve Steps: "The only criticism of it I read came from these AA lunkheads and websites for rehabs who stood to lose a bundle if people found something that actually worked."
I'm giving this 4.5* because there are a fair few proofreading errors (missing vocative commas, argh!), particularly in one section around the middle that wasn't as well put together as the rest of the book (it's when Jim is trying to get Bundy looked into), to the extent that I wondered if it had been written in a hurry, an afterthought, but I'll still round that 4.5* up to 5* on Amazon, because it really is a great book. Another proofread, a bit of a tidying up in places, and it would be outstanding. I recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone who likes clever observational humour of the dry American kind. The end is totally, totally unexpected, by the way.
Whether or not some of it is a comment on the current political situation in the US, I really couldn't say.
"...like the old British class system, where mediocre people get special privileges because they were born into weath. But it does seem there is a natural aristocracy - one which comes from intelligence, acquired ability, self-education, a natural curiosity about the world, an independence of thought, or maybe just a vigor for life - and which cleaves society into the winners and the losers. The losers, finding themselves impotent in mastering the art of life, are naturally going to be envious and bitter, and voting for Bundy was their revenge against the world."
February 27, 2018
I got this book from the author in exchange for an honest review and I want to thank Zeb for introducing me to his book. The synopsis seemed quite twisted, but I trusted the author and went for it. And I’m really glad that I did!
The main character is Jim. He is terminally sick (got his disease in a very interesting way, by the way), has no job and I would classify him as an alcoholic. He is divorced and he has a son who is staying with him every second weekend. He hates his ex-wife, but very much loves his son. In order to afford the treatment and leave some money to his son after his death, he decides to participate in a show called Guts!, where contestants are supposed to predict future by reading entrails of an animal. Apparently he is really good at it and apparently it’s a thing.
You can read the full review on my blog here: http://www.notesofabookdragon.com/201...
The main character is Jim. He is terminally sick (got his disease in a very interesting way, by the way), has no job and I would classify him as an alcoholic. He is divorced and he has a son who is staying with him every second weekend. He hates his ex-wife, but very much loves his son. In order to afford the treatment and leave some money to his son after his death, he decides to participate in a show called Guts!, where contestants are supposed to predict future by reading entrails of an animal. Apparently he is really good at it and apparently it’s a thing.
You can read the full review on my blog here: http://www.notesofabookdragon.com/201...
January 29, 2023
God damn. I fucking LOVED this book.
It's not often that a book comes around that completely reinvigorates your love of reading, recontextualizes what a book can be/do, and reminds you why you love the hobby so much in the first place.
This book is one of those books for me.
Halfway through, I dropped my bookmark in, put the book aside, and went online to order every other book Zeb has written. I am enchanted.
There's a thing this book does that I'm not sure I've ever seen before. A specific framing of satire that might already exist but is very new for me.
So like, typically with satire, a concept is reframed in a sort of allegorical way that changes the factual basis to point out or examine some sort of inherent absurdity/idiocy right?
The trick Zeb pulls in this book is a thing I'd want to call like, Gonzo Satire? Hyper-Satire? The satire isn't used to examine an idiotic situation, because the thing being satirized is already clearly fucking insane. The satire is over the top and super hyperbolic and used instead as a way to reflect on and observe the internal feelings of the author/reader.
It's really really clever and I felt a lot of camaraderie in rage with Zeb while reading. Weirdly cathartic.
Most authors would just stop there though. I know I would. But fuck no says Zeb.
There's also tremendously cool and meaningful worldbuilding. A heartrending through-line about alcoholism that hits a biiiiit too close to home. And a small treatise on solipsism and death and the lies we tell ourselves that came out of fucking nowhere, disarmed me, and stabbed me right in the chest before whirling away.
So much more too. Like how myths and ancient thoughts infect and spread and corrupt through eras, the horrors of weaponized technology, the existential angst of feeling internally youthful as your desiccated meatsuit decomposes around you. And tons of other stuff I forgot/didn't catch.
Oh, and also the book is funny and written well? Like come on dude. Leave some fucking talent for the rest of us.
It's not often that a book comes around that completely reinvigorates your love of reading, recontextualizes what a book can be/do, and reminds you why you love the hobby so much in the first place.
This book is one of those books for me.
Halfway through, I dropped my bookmark in, put the book aside, and went online to order every other book Zeb has written. I am enchanted.
There's a thing this book does that I'm not sure I've ever seen before. A specific framing of satire that might already exist but is very new for me.
So like, typically with satire, a concept is reframed in a sort of allegorical way that changes the factual basis to point out or examine some sort of inherent absurdity/idiocy right?
The trick Zeb pulls in this book is a thing I'd want to call like, Gonzo Satire? Hyper-Satire? The satire isn't used to examine an idiotic situation, because the thing being satirized is already clearly fucking insane. The satire is over the top and super hyperbolic and used instead as a way to reflect on and observe the internal feelings of the author/reader.
It's really really clever and I felt a lot of camaraderie in rage with Zeb while reading. Weirdly cathartic.
Most authors would just stop there though. I know I would. But fuck no says Zeb.
There's also tremendously cool and meaningful worldbuilding. A heartrending through-line about alcoholism that hits a biiiiit too close to home. And a small treatise on solipsism and death and the lies we tell ourselves that came out of fucking nowhere, disarmed me, and stabbed me right in the chest before whirling away.
So much more too. Like how myths and ancient thoughts infect and spread and corrupt through eras, the horrors of weaponized technology, the existential angst of feeling internally youthful as your desiccated meatsuit decomposes around you. And tons of other stuff I forgot/didn't catch.
Oh, and also the book is funny and written well? Like come on dude. Leave some fucking talent for the rest of us.
January 28, 2018
Ted Just Admit It
What if on August 16, 1975, Ted Bundy didn't get arrested and avoided the pending doom and end of his life and continue to go unnoticed, finish law school and become a politician? Author Zeb Haradon's "what if" isn't a far fetch scenario, think about how many decades do serial killers go on killing before they are caught think of B.T.K.
"The Usurper King" is a political fantasy/ thriller, leans heavy on pop culture references but in a right way while the events of the book sometimes come off as absurd Zeb manages to present it with a seriousness that could have been easily dismissed a just plain stupid. Jim is our main protagonist in a series of unfortunate personal failures, alcoholism, loss of employment, a bitter divorced, and contracting a virus that is aging him. Jim will attempt to cash out on what he is good at "extispicy," the practice of predicting the future or reading omens by reading the entrails and liver of animals ( an old world real practice ) by entering a TV game show called "Guts." During Jim's winning streak the backdrop is the presidential election with Ted Bundy ex-governor of Utah with the campaign slogan "If you can’t trust someone like Ted Bundy, you can’t trust anyone" vs. JW. Zeb keeps the story grounded as much as he can with this premise as Jim continues to win at extispicy on "Guts," but failing as a father, getting deeper into alcoholism, and battling his aging virus. His winning streak is not ratings gold, so the show brings in a ringer, an uncouth Hillbilly that is also just as good at reading entrails, but Ted Bundy keeps coming up. Jim and the Hillbilly (noble and smart ) form a partnership because past events tied Jim to Ted Bundy, as they venture to expose Ted Bundy and take on the system. Zeb sprinkles other modern social ills such gun violence and populism in politics.
As mentioned above Zeb manages to write a plausible thriller or alternate historical thriller that could have become very stupid and unreadable he does it with a seriousness (with humor) that makes this book readable and enjoyable. The book does have some pacing issues when it comes to his ex-wife and son, especially the ex-wife and her backstory she doesn't come off likable at all and I don't see why would Jim ever be with her. But books need fillers sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. I find that The Usurper King 's world could use more books because there are other tidbits that are intriguing to expand on.
What if on August 16, 1975, Ted Bundy didn't get arrested and avoided the pending doom and end of his life and continue to go unnoticed, finish law school and become a politician? Author Zeb Haradon's "what if" isn't a far fetch scenario, think about how many decades do serial killers go on killing before they are caught think of B.T.K.
"The Usurper King" is a political fantasy/ thriller, leans heavy on pop culture references but in a right way while the events of the book sometimes come off as absurd Zeb manages to present it with a seriousness that could have been easily dismissed a just plain stupid. Jim is our main protagonist in a series of unfortunate personal failures, alcoholism, loss of employment, a bitter divorced, and contracting a virus that is aging him. Jim will attempt to cash out on what he is good at "extispicy," the practice of predicting the future or reading omens by reading the entrails and liver of animals ( an old world real practice ) by entering a TV game show called "Guts." During Jim's winning streak the backdrop is the presidential election with Ted Bundy ex-governor of Utah with the campaign slogan "If you can’t trust someone like Ted Bundy, you can’t trust anyone" vs. JW. Zeb keeps the story grounded as much as he can with this premise as Jim continues to win at extispicy on "Guts," but failing as a father, getting deeper into alcoholism, and battling his aging virus. His winning streak is not ratings gold, so the show brings in a ringer, an uncouth Hillbilly that is also just as good at reading entrails, but Ted Bundy keeps coming up. Jim and the Hillbilly (noble and smart ) form a partnership because past events tied Jim to Ted Bundy, as they venture to expose Ted Bundy and take on the system. Zeb sprinkles other modern social ills such gun violence and populism in politics.
As mentioned above Zeb manages to write a plausible thriller or alternate historical thriller that could have become very stupid and unreadable he does it with a seriousness (with humor) that makes this book readable and enjoyable. The book does have some pacing issues when it comes to his ex-wife and son, especially the ex-wife and her backstory she doesn't come off likable at all and I don't see why would Jim ever be with her. But books need fillers sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. I find that The Usurper King 's world could use more books because there are other tidbits that are intriguing to expand on.
September 26, 2022
Wow. This book was not at all what I thought it would be. I mean I expected the extispicy and hybrid biological computer virus within an alternate universe where Ted Bundy is running for president (as per the blurb) and yet I was still blown away by the depth of each of these aspects individually and how they connected. I was intrigued as to how the author would tie all these elements together but what I didn’t expect was all the other goodies thrown in.
Now for some of the pleasant surprises this book contains like gods, genetically engineered bees, ghosts, meditations on death, and gung-ho cults.
There is so much going on and yet Haradon drip feeds all of it so it is never too much at once but oh so engrossing. The tone can shift very quickly which may be jarring for some but I find such changes refreshing especially in longer stories. A word of warning though this book does go to some dark places very suddenly.
I can understand that this book may not be for everyone, particularly those that read more mainstream fiction because it is so out there. However, for me, The Usurper King is exactly why I love indie books so much… IT IS FUCKING FUN. You can feel the love indie authors put into the stories and the freedom they have to tell their wild tales exactly as the want to. I appreciate this fearlessness so much!
Sometimes I feel like mainstream fiction can be a bit too much style over substance. In indie books, I have found genre-defying authors who just throw the whole kitchen sink into a book all the while telling a damn good story unlike anything you’ve ever read or will read.
Thank you for this gem, Zeb Haradon!
Now for some of the pleasant surprises this book contains like gods, genetically engineered bees, ghosts, meditations on death, and gung-ho cults.
There is so much going on and yet Haradon drip feeds all of it so it is never too much at once but oh so engrossing. The tone can shift very quickly which may be jarring for some but I find such changes refreshing especially in longer stories. A word of warning though this book does go to some dark places very suddenly.
I can understand that this book may not be for everyone, particularly those that read more mainstream fiction because it is so out there. However, for me, The Usurper King is exactly why I love indie books so much… IT IS FUCKING FUN. You can feel the love indie authors put into the stories and the freedom they have to tell their wild tales exactly as the want to. I appreciate this fearlessness so much!
Sometimes I feel like mainstream fiction can be a bit too much style over substance. In indie books, I have found genre-defying authors who just throw the whole kitchen sink into a book all the while telling a damn good story unlike anything you’ve ever read or will read.
Thank you for this gem, Zeb Haradon!
December 2, 2018
*Disclaimer* I was provided with a free copy of this book in return for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and not influenced by the author and/or its affiliates in any way.
When I read this book I want to say I really liked it but because it was also heavy on politics, even if it may not be real, it kind of bumped it down from really liking it. Overall, I enjoyed the book. I would have given it a 3.5 star but I want to be consistent with my reviews here and on Goodreads so I stuck with 3 stars.
The strange thing was, even though I enjoyed the book, it took me a while to read it which was weird and that doesn't include my school and stuff. Though I blame it on me not liking politics so even if I love something if there's politics, I will be easily bored. But that's just me, personally, I say you should give it a shot.
When I read this book I want to say I really liked it but because it was also heavy on politics, even if it may not be real, it kind of bumped it down from really liking it. Overall, I enjoyed the book. I would have given it a 3.5 star but I want to be consistent with my reviews here and on Goodreads so I stuck with 3 stars.
The strange thing was, even though I enjoyed the book, it took me a while to read it which was weird and that doesn't include my school and stuff. Though I blame it on me not liking politics so even if I love something if there's politics, I will be easily bored. But that's just me, personally, I say you should give it a shot.
July 12, 2018
This was so interesting and a brilliant concept. I really enjoyed it!
FULL REVIEW UP SOON
FULL REVIEW UP SOON
February 11, 2018
3.5 Stars
First up I want to say thank you to the author for providing me with a PDF copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Going into this book I didn't know anything about it besides what I read from the synopsis of it. I definitely thought this book was going to be a little out of my comfort zone but it sounded intriguing so I decided to give it a try. I was really into the story and wanted to know how things were going to play out. It was weird be it had me hooked. I had a few issues with it though. First was the use of a certain word that I absolutely hate and I hate it when people just throw it around like it's nothing. Next was "extispicy" which is the practice of predicting the future by reading the entails of sacrificed animals and apparently used to actually be a real thing. While those parts weren't graphic I still had a hard time accepting that animals were being sacrificed that just isn't for me at all. Like I said I did enjoy reading this but it wasn't something that I absolutely loved but I also didn't hate it. It was more of an ok read for me.
First up I want to say thank you to the author for providing me with a PDF copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Going into this book I didn't know anything about it besides what I read from the synopsis of it. I definitely thought this book was going to be a little out of my comfort zone but it sounded intriguing so I decided to give it a try. I was really into the story and wanted to know how things were going to play out. It was weird be it had me hooked. I had a few issues with it though. First was the use of a certain word that I absolutely hate and I hate it when people just throw it around like it's nothing. Next was "extispicy" which is the practice of predicting the future by reading the entails of sacrificed animals and apparently used to actually be a real thing. While those parts weren't graphic I still had a hard time accepting that animals were being sacrificed that just isn't for me at all. Like I said I did enjoy reading this but it wasn't something that I absolutely loved but I also didn't hate it. It was more of an ok read for me.
February 14, 2023
Worth reading
I didn’t know what to expect when I started this book. The description sounded like it could be awful or awesome. I wasn’t sure about using Ted Bundy as a character, and the setting of the 2016 US presidential election made me concerned that the whole book would be a political rant.
I was extremely pleasantly surprised by this book. It’s very well written and is much more serious than I expected it to be from the description. Parts of it are allegory, full of philosophical musings about life and the state of the US in 2016, while other parts are a riveting mystery with inventive world building that includes university degrees in extispicy (divination using animal entrails) and apps that give people Technologically Acquired Progeria.
The main character is Jim, a 40 year old alcoholic with a nightmare ex wife and a 7 year old son. Unfortunately he is rapidly aging because of TAP and worried about leaving a legacy for his son after he is dead. He is an authentic and well crafted character. I believed he was telling the story the whole time and was with him on his journey.
The world is a dark version of the US that’s close to reality but a little bit different. I loved the mixture of interesting facts and fantasy that makes up the story world.
The book worked best for me when it leaned hard into the more outlandish elements. I wish the extispicy had a bigger role to play in how different Jim’s world was to our own. I found it surprising how convinced Jim is that there’s no spiritual dimension to the world when he studied something that accurately predicts the future from studying animal livers and referring to ancient texts. I’m happy to rank that as science if some plausible explanation is given as to how it works, but unfortunately there isn’t one. I also would have liked to see more technological differences when it’s possible to be infected by a biological virus from an app.
I loved Nick and Jim’s adventures, the mystery element of the book, and a certain political reveal about half way through. I couldn’t put the book down during those passages and I felt the blend of the realistic and the bizarre was perfectly balanced.
I had to completely suspend disbelief over the character of Ted Bundy. Apart from name recognition, I think a fictional serial killer would have worked better in the role and I would have found it easier to get behind the character and story developments. He was a very wicked man and even I know people who were directly impacted by his evil crimes, so it doesn’t sit right with me to have him as a main character.
Despite loving parts of this book, there were other parts that were less appealing. Jim is a well written character, but he’s not much fun to be around, especially when he’s philosophizing. I loved the idea of Guts! The game show, but that whole story line seemed to fade away and come to nothing. The ending was a weird combination of fantasy and a cynical, materialistic view of the world.
I’m very happy to have read this book. If you’re looking for something original, bizarre and thought provoking, I highly recommend it.
I didn’t know what to expect when I started this book. The description sounded like it could be awful or awesome. I wasn’t sure about using Ted Bundy as a character, and the setting of the 2016 US presidential election made me concerned that the whole book would be a political rant.
I was extremely pleasantly surprised by this book. It’s very well written and is much more serious than I expected it to be from the description. Parts of it are allegory, full of philosophical musings about life and the state of the US in 2016, while other parts are a riveting mystery with inventive world building that includes university degrees in extispicy (divination using animal entrails) and apps that give people Technologically Acquired Progeria.
The main character is Jim, a 40 year old alcoholic with a nightmare ex wife and a 7 year old son. Unfortunately he is rapidly aging because of TAP and worried about leaving a legacy for his son after he is dead. He is an authentic and well crafted character. I believed he was telling the story the whole time and was with him on his journey.
The world is a dark version of the US that’s close to reality but a little bit different. I loved the mixture of interesting facts and fantasy that makes up the story world.
The book worked best for me when it leaned hard into the more outlandish elements. I wish the extispicy had a bigger role to play in how different Jim’s world was to our own. I found it surprising how convinced Jim is that there’s no spiritual dimension to the world when he studied something that accurately predicts the future from studying animal livers and referring to ancient texts. I’m happy to rank that as science if some plausible explanation is given as to how it works, but unfortunately there isn’t one. I also would have liked to see more technological differences when it’s possible to be infected by a biological virus from an app.
I loved Nick and Jim’s adventures, the mystery element of the book, and a certain political reveal about half way through. I couldn’t put the book down during those passages and I felt the blend of the realistic and the bizarre was perfectly balanced.
I had to completely suspend disbelief over the character of Ted Bundy. Apart from name recognition, I think a fictional serial killer would have worked better in the role and I would have found it easier to get behind the character and story developments. He was a very wicked man and even I know people who were directly impacted by his evil crimes, so it doesn’t sit right with me to have him as a main character.
Despite loving parts of this book, there were other parts that were less appealing. Jim is a well written character, but he’s not much fun to be around, especially when he’s philosophizing. I loved the idea of Guts! The game show, but that whole story line seemed to fade away and come to nothing. The ending was a weird combination of fantasy and a cynical, materialistic view of the world.
I’m very happy to have read this book. If you’re looking for something original, bizarre and thought provoking, I highly recommend it.
July 19, 2019
So this book is kind of a roller coaster. It has its ups and downs. I read some other reviews after reading this book and I completely agree with a bunch of them that state that they don’t really know what genre this book is because it has elements of sci-fi, thriller, and historical fiction but none so solidified that it fits just one of them.
I honestly was captured by the author’s writing style and quite enjoyed how he expressed his characters. I wouldn’t necessarily agree with all of the decisions that the characters made but they were each unique and had a way giving you just enough knowledge about them that left you wanting to know more.
I never knew where this book was going next. It kept taking different turns which I wasn’t expecting and I loved that. The addition of Ted Bundy as a political figure made it even more interesting. To have a character of that vicious enamor in a position of power is a very scary thing and reminded me of Donald Trump. Thank god for being a Canadian 😛
Trigger warning: Animal Cruelty
There is quite a lot of animal sacrificing for the sake of reading their entrails in this book. I do believe that it went a little overboard with the disregard for the animal's lives and killing them as if they were just objects that have no value. That being said, I didn’t let it hinder my experience of the novel that much.
I think this book would be good for someone that isn’t too squeamish and wants a book that doesn’t really have a category, it is just humorous and interesting.
I honestly was captured by the author’s writing style and quite enjoyed how he expressed his characters. I wouldn’t necessarily agree with all of the decisions that the characters made but they were each unique and had a way giving you just enough knowledge about them that left you wanting to know more.
I never knew where this book was going next. It kept taking different turns which I wasn’t expecting and I loved that. The addition of Ted Bundy as a political figure made it even more interesting. To have a character of that vicious enamor in a position of power is a very scary thing and reminded me of Donald Trump. Thank god for being a Canadian 😛
Trigger warning: Animal Cruelty
There is quite a lot of animal sacrificing for the sake of reading their entrails in this book. I do believe that it went a little overboard with the disregard for the animal's lives and killing them as if they were just objects that have no value. That being said, I didn’t let it hinder my experience of the novel that much.
I think this book would be good for someone that isn’t too squeamish and wants a book that doesn’t really have a category, it is just humorous and interesting.
January 29, 2023
As a dystopian sci-fi and politics lover, I really enjoyed "The Usurper King" by Zeb Haradon. His writing style is quite unique, interesting, open, and funny. The dialogues are filled with humor, shade and cunningness as the protagonist, Jim Galesh, gradually uncovers a huge political / crime scandal happening in his country under everyone's nose. The story is full of peculiarities as the protagonist has a degenerative medical condition caused by a briefly-released DNA-modulating smartphone device. The primary way he is able to earn money is through a strange, unusual TV game show called 'Guts!' that asks contestants to divine the future by the study and examination of animal entrails. At the same time, there is an alt-history storyline happening where the leading political candidate for US president is the Utah governor and non-conformist Theodore (Ted) Bundy. The book is essentially a sci-fi detective story and a personal journey for the protagonist and those he encounters along the way. It's packed with humor and succinct observations of American political life, with evident similarities showcased between the plot and real-life politics. There are many intense surprises and plot twists inside the story that will shock the reader. Fans of books like "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess and "The Forever" War by Joe Haldeman will find this read quite interesting and entertaining.
February 7, 2023
Liked the concept of mapping mythology onto the the modern world
January 31, 2023
I really liked this book. Haradon has a great writing style, it's open, funny and the dialogue crackles with humour, shade and slyness as his interesting protagonist Jim Galesh gradually unravels a plotline as good as anything I've read in the past few years.
It's full of quirks...the protagonist has a degenerative disease caused by a briefly released DNA-modulating smartphone; his main source of income is a bizarre TV game show 'Guts!' that invites contestants to divine the future by the study of animal entrails; and of course the alt-history storyline that the leading candidate for President is Utah governor and maverick Theodore (Ted) Bundy.
The story is a detective story and personal journey for Jim Galesh and those he encounters along the way. It's packed with wit and pithy observations of American political life, with obvious parallels drawn between the story and recent events. There are a few great shocks, including one absolute doozy that made me exclaim out loud, and some good laughs along the way.
A thoroughly enjoyable read, and highly recommended.
5 stars for invention and originality along with a decent investigation story.
It's full of quirks...the protagonist has a degenerative disease caused by a briefly released DNA-modulating smartphone; his main source of income is a bizarre TV game show 'Guts!' that invites contestants to divine the future by the study of animal entrails; and of course the alt-history storyline that the leading candidate for President is Utah governor and maverick Theodore (Ted) Bundy.
The story is a detective story and personal journey for Jim Galesh and those he encounters along the way. It's packed with wit and pithy observations of American political life, with obvious parallels drawn between the story and recent events. There are a few great shocks, including one absolute doozy that made me exclaim out loud, and some good laughs along the way.
A thoroughly enjoyable read, and highly recommended.
5 stars for invention and originality along with a decent investigation story.
May 17, 2021
Read the full review here: https://onreviewbysara.com/2021/05/16...
I was lucky enough to read this book after the author reached out to me and provided me with an ARC. I hope the prospective reader will read this review fully before making any prejudgments on the book. I will give the book my thoughts. These thoughts are completely my own and not swayed in any way by anyone else’s reviews or opinions.
Check out my blog: www.onreviewbysara.com
My Rating: I love this book! It is probably one of my favorites. I was along for the ride from the first moment on. I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars. I love this story. I cannot rave enough about it. I am so excited to experience more this author has to offer. This is an interesting concept that I wasn’t expecting to find. The author did reach out to me, but I was not expecting this. I will read anything this author has written. If you love history, Psychology and unexpected twists and turns then this book is for you.
I was lucky enough to read this book after the author reached out to me and provided me with an ARC. I hope the prospective reader will read this review fully before making any prejudgments on the book. I will give the book my thoughts. These thoughts are completely my own and not swayed in any way by anyone else’s reviews or opinions.
Check out my blog: www.onreviewbysara.com
My Rating: I love this book! It is probably one of my favorites. I was along for the ride from the first moment on. I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars. I love this story. I cannot rave enough about it. I am so excited to experience more this author has to offer. This is an interesting concept that I wasn’t expecting to find. The author did reach out to me, but I was not expecting this. I will read anything this author has written. If you love history, Psychology and unexpected twists and turns then this book is for you.
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