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Dynasty #1
Dynasty
National Bestselling Author Dutch debut's "Dynasty", the first urban soap opera! The Bells and Simmons are family. The Bells, a crime family in New York, have the cocaine market on lock. The Simmons, hailing from the South, reign supreme in heroin. Talks of joining forces are suddenly stalled when family patriarch Guy Simmons is gunned down. Suspicions fly. Jealousy breeds. The body count rises. Guy Simmons has created a legacy he wants to pass on to his two sons, Kevin and Tyquan. However, his womanizing ways have spilled over and jeopardizes all he's worked for. The mothers of his sons hate each other. Like mother, like son. Guy s shooting has ignited a new brotherly beef; a beef that could have deadly repercussions, especially when you have a family where the enemy may lie within.
- GenresUrban
250 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2009
12 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 21, 2012
What a dysfunctional tangled web Dynasty is and what a web it will be when you rush out to read this first installment of yet another saga.
Dutch pens another tale of betrayal, greed and deception; characters are involved in a dirty game where friendship counts for nothing. A twisted turn of events overlap each other in a narrative that brings readers from the present to a lengthy back story, that reads like a long drawn out flashback. Simply stated, Dynasty is an ironic dilemma: you absolutely must read the entire book to get the most out of it.
Two families—the Simmons and the Bells—have a lifetime of crime and secrets between them. The Simmons hail from the South and reign supreme in heroin and the Bells are from New York dealing heavy in the cocaine market. The thought of joining forces is put to a halt when the patriarch, Guy Simmons’ life is threatened. Guy is the controller and shot caller of the Simmons family and he wants to pass down the foundation he has built to his sons, Kevin and Tyquan. This leads to an all out war with the Wolf Pack Crew after suspicion leads them to thinking that they were responsible for the hit put on their father. The majority of the spotlight is focused on the Simmons family; you don’t get much from the Bells, though you get somewhat of a glimpse.
Victor “Vee” Murphy commands the crew called the Wolf Pack, who proves to be a nimble adversary for the Simmons. Each member wears a pendant that symbolizes their affiliation and it boosts their respect; the Wolf Pack Crew is in full effect. Vee is far from your average street-dealing hustler; this hazel-eyed bandit uses females as human shields, gives out $200,000 like its a stimulus package, will murder his very own henchmen at the drop of a dime to flush out any potential rats and picks up chicks at McDonalds without even batting an eye. Vee is your modern day ghetto superstar hood celebrity all in one. He does have his own past demons that catch up to him, and he pays the ultimate cost. Can you imagine losing your love and child, gaining a mother, finding a father and then killing your own brother? Let that marinate for a second.
What starts off as just another typical street tale of murder filled with sex, slowly crawls then, transforms into something worth so much more. Morals and values like sacrifice, survival, love and honor are explored on intense but yet subtle levels. The only issue is that you have to wait so long for this to kick in. Imagine watching runners in a marathon, they don’t turn it up until that very last stretch before the finish line. Only Dynasty shouldn’t read like a runners marathon. If you can manage to get halfway through it, you’ll be reading at full speed until the end. But is the story arc supposed to read that way? What ever happened to story pacing?
You will appreciate a series of unsuspected twists and turns. There were some spoilers sprinkled in the narrative. I’m not sure if this was intentional but it took away from the surprises the story could have offered.
This is not the Dutch/Kwame Teague I have come to know from the Dutch Trilogy. Not with the use of so many characters and lack of their development. I didn’t love or hate any of these characters. All I got was overly used slang, descriptions of clothing and jewelry. Though each of the supporting characters did have profiles, only they all painted the same exact visual in my mind: brown, mocha chocolate, hazel eyes, waves that make you seasick, oversized male private parts that reached from 8 to 14 inches. The sad thing is if I can remember such a thing as my previous statement, then we have a story that has a problem. Why was there such a focus on the size of a penis? I couldn’t get into the story due to those unnecessary distractions and illusions.
What did you like best about this book?
The twists, turns and the ending pages that concluded the story were respected.
What did you dislike about this book?
The endless descriptions of clothing and jewelry. This did nothing but drown out every aspect of the narrative and made for a very long and slow read, not to mention the tale is roughly 200 pages. It contained an inordinate amount of awkward and goofy sentences, which gave you the impression that you were reading a 400-page book. Try running straight with a ton of garbage and boulders in your way, that you have to constantly jump over to continue running. That’s a workout. Reading shouldn’t be a workout (a mental workout, yes) we have gyms for that.
There were some continuity issues that I noticed as well. For example, when Karrin got shot and was hospitalized, why was she sexing so soon after the next sequence of events, really? You just got shot and now you already sexing? There was also no real connection between the cousins, Karrin and Cat. They didn’t even acknowledge each other throughout the story, although their familial relationship was mentioned.
For the sake of literature and a book: I did not like the excessive use of slang. Yes, people do speak like that, but reading and hearing that is two different things. Just tone it down is all.
There is no need to hold the readers hand through everything. Explaining the common only infuriates readers. I almost put it down after this happened twice on the same page one right after the other. For example on page 82 it reads: “Since he wasn’t a wholesaler yet, meaning he didn’t sell large amounts of weight … Eddie taught him the valuable lesson of never sleeping where you shit, meaning never live in the same area you do dirt.”
Much of the dialogue was from cliché central, it read staged, rushed and in some instances it was very corny. The use of the word “trailed” was over used in the case of supporting a characters thought. Everybody’s thoughts seemed to trail off somewhere.
How can the author improve this book?
A total rework of the story and the need for an experienced editor would do this book justice. I would tone down the slang and clothing descriptions. Again, we need some serious editing here. Why not give it one last proofread before sending it to be printed? It seemed as if it was written in one draft, edited in one draft and then just sent to press.
Dutch pens another tale of betrayal, greed and deception; characters are involved in a dirty game where friendship counts for nothing. A twisted turn of events overlap each other in a narrative that brings readers from the present to a lengthy back story, that reads like a long drawn out flashback. Simply stated, Dynasty is an ironic dilemma: you absolutely must read the entire book to get the most out of it.
Two families—the Simmons and the Bells—have a lifetime of crime and secrets between them. The Simmons hail from the South and reign supreme in heroin and the Bells are from New York dealing heavy in the cocaine market. The thought of joining forces is put to a halt when the patriarch, Guy Simmons’ life is threatened. Guy is the controller and shot caller of the Simmons family and he wants to pass down the foundation he has built to his sons, Kevin and Tyquan. This leads to an all out war with the Wolf Pack Crew after suspicion leads them to thinking that they were responsible for the hit put on their father. The majority of the spotlight is focused on the Simmons family; you don’t get much from the Bells, though you get somewhat of a glimpse.
Victor “Vee” Murphy commands the crew called the Wolf Pack, who proves to be a nimble adversary for the Simmons. Each member wears a pendant that symbolizes their affiliation and it boosts their respect; the Wolf Pack Crew is in full effect. Vee is far from your average street-dealing hustler; this hazel-eyed bandit uses females as human shields, gives out $200,000 like its a stimulus package, will murder his very own henchmen at the drop of a dime to flush out any potential rats and picks up chicks at McDonalds without even batting an eye. Vee is your modern day ghetto superstar hood celebrity all in one. He does have his own past demons that catch up to him, and he pays the ultimate cost. Can you imagine losing your love and child, gaining a mother, finding a father and then killing your own brother? Let that marinate for a second.
What starts off as just another typical street tale of murder filled with sex, slowly crawls then, transforms into something worth so much more. Morals and values like sacrifice, survival, love and honor are explored on intense but yet subtle levels. The only issue is that you have to wait so long for this to kick in. Imagine watching runners in a marathon, they don’t turn it up until that very last stretch before the finish line. Only Dynasty shouldn’t read like a runners marathon. If you can manage to get halfway through it, you’ll be reading at full speed until the end. But is the story arc supposed to read that way? What ever happened to story pacing?
You will appreciate a series of unsuspected twists and turns. There were some spoilers sprinkled in the narrative. I’m not sure if this was intentional but it took away from the surprises the story could have offered.
This is not the Dutch/Kwame Teague I have come to know from the Dutch Trilogy. Not with the use of so many characters and lack of their development. I didn’t love or hate any of these characters. All I got was overly used slang, descriptions of clothing and jewelry. Though each of the supporting characters did have profiles, only they all painted the same exact visual in my mind: brown, mocha chocolate, hazel eyes, waves that make you seasick, oversized male private parts that reached from 8 to 14 inches. The sad thing is if I can remember such a thing as my previous statement, then we have a story that has a problem. Why was there such a focus on the size of a penis? I couldn’t get into the story due to those unnecessary distractions and illusions.
What did you like best about this book?
The twists, turns and the ending pages that concluded the story were respected.
What did you dislike about this book?
The endless descriptions of clothing and jewelry. This did nothing but drown out every aspect of the narrative and made for a very long and slow read, not to mention the tale is roughly 200 pages. It contained an inordinate amount of awkward and goofy sentences, which gave you the impression that you were reading a 400-page book. Try running straight with a ton of garbage and boulders in your way, that you have to constantly jump over to continue running. That’s a workout. Reading shouldn’t be a workout (a mental workout, yes) we have gyms for that.
There were some continuity issues that I noticed as well. For example, when Karrin got shot and was hospitalized, why was she sexing so soon after the next sequence of events, really? You just got shot and now you already sexing? There was also no real connection between the cousins, Karrin and Cat. They didn’t even acknowledge each other throughout the story, although their familial relationship was mentioned.
For the sake of literature and a book: I did not like the excessive use of slang. Yes, people do speak like that, but reading and hearing that is two different things. Just tone it down is all.
There is no need to hold the readers hand through everything. Explaining the common only infuriates readers. I almost put it down after this happened twice on the same page one right after the other. For example on page 82 it reads: “Since he wasn’t a wholesaler yet, meaning he didn’t sell large amounts of weight … Eddie taught him the valuable lesson of never sleeping where you shit, meaning never live in the same area you do dirt.”
Much of the dialogue was from cliché central, it read staged, rushed and in some instances it was very corny. The use of the word “trailed” was over used in the case of supporting a characters thought. Everybody’s thoughts seemed to trail off somewhere.
How can the author improve this book?
A total rework of the story and the need for an experienced editor would do this book justice. I would tone down the slang and clothing descriptions. Again, we need some serious editing here. Why not give it one last proofread before sending it to be printed? It seemed as if it was written in one draft, edited in one draft and then just sent to press.
January 5, 2018
5 stars from start to finish. Video review coming soon.
February 2, 2021
Excellent
Although it took me years to read this book I truly enjoyed it. I can’t wait to read part two
Although it took me years to read this book I truly enjoyed it. I can’t wait to read part two
March 30, 2010
Urban Soap Opera!
Its official Kwame Teague AKA Dutch is the man! Mr. Teague has officially become one of my favorites. . I have read a few of his penned novels and this is the best work of his that I have read to date. I am truly waiting for the next one…and I am not one for sequels! I CAN”T wait to see how this continues. All hail Dutch as he has solidified himself as one of the greats.
I was awed with the way this book flowed. The character development was great. The use of all the characters was flawless. There was not a useless character involved in this one. The drama started very early on. Chapter one blood is shed and keeps going to the very last page in this suspenseful story. I loved the way the story line goes back into time to give a complete account. This author should be writing for a daytime show and showing them how a REAL soap opera is done!
This one is going to be a hard act to follow, so I will say with this novel the statement was made come hard or stay at home. Author Dutch has set the standard and raised the bar. He is with the big dogs now - take your rightful place Dutch. Keep bringing us the best you have and we will stay satisfied!
SiStar Tea
ARC Book Club Inc.
5 star rating
Its official Kwame Teague AKA Dutch is the man! Mr. Teague has officially become one of my favorites. . I have read a few of his penned novels and this is the best work of his that I have read to date. I am truly waiting for the next one…and I am not one for sequels! I CAN”T wait to see how this continues. All hail Dutch as he has solidified himself as one of the greats.
I was awed with the way this book flowed. The character development was great. The use of all the characters was flawless. There was not a useless character involved in this one. The drama started very early on. Chapter one blood is shed and keeps going to the very last page in this suspenseful story. I loved the way the story line goes back into time to give a complete account. This author should be writing for a daytime show and showing them how a REAL soap opera is done!
This one is going to be a hard act to follow, so I will say with this novel the statement was made come hard or stay at home. Author Dutch has set the standard and raised the bar. He is with the big dogs now - take your rightful place Dutch. Keep bringing us the best you have and we will stay satisfied!
SiStar Tea
ARC Book Club Inc.
5 star rating
May 25, 2015
I picked this series up with anticipation, based on a few things: the author, word of mouth and my love of reading. First, I absolutely love the Author Dutch and everything he writes. His stories play out like a weekly series, and as an avid reader …this idea a plugged in my book! Second, I heard so many good things about this series from other readers whose opinion I respect. The defining factor factor was when I heard that the TV show Empire was based on this series. I had to move it up my TBR list. Unfortunately, this riveting book soon informed me that the latter couldn't be further from there's truth. However, I'm excited about reading part 2, so stay tuned.
April 11, 2015
Nor should you take Guy Simmons and his family lightly. Guy Simmons is HNIC, of both NC/SC. The plot of the book carries out the entire book. Dutch wrties this tell in manner that no other author can accomplish....he loops each and every character gracefully together. It makes my head spin!!! Dynasty is not your normal book series best urban soap opera every.
This book had me hooked from page one! Pure hotness! Kwame has definitely created another page turner. It's up there with his first classic Dutch....looking forward to the sequel! Job well done Kwame!
This book had me hooked from page one! Pure hotness! Kwame has definitely created another page turner. It's up there with his first classic Dutch....looking forward to the sequel! Job well done Kwame!
Read
September 11, 2010This was a really good book with a lot of twists and turns. I wont spoil it but this book is gangsta.
January 2, 2012
Great book!
March 2, 2012
I loved this book so much, Im still reading 2 but its not as good
August 12, 2016
Good to the very end. Definitively drama, a lot of killing, lots of surprises at the end, well not the end because the is book 2
June 28, 2014
Loved this book. Kept me intrigued with the twists & turns.
Read
January 13, 2015Got to get part two
March 23, 2017
Crazy twist. All I'm going to say is WOW. On to book 2
November 18, 2012
loved it, loved it!!!!!
April 5, 2014
Guy is the southern Niño Brown for sure.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews