This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Writer. Dystopian/noir fiction devotee. Practices law to keep the lights on. Obsessed with The Clash, used bookstores, and his three kids.
Reviewed by Vincent Dublado for Readers' Favorite
The first installment in the Tiber City Blues, Kingdom by Anderson O’Donnell is a dystopian story that will trigger our faculties to the possibilities of a grim “what if.” Tiber City is a harsh, authoritarian world predisposed to social unrest and further made volatile by a brewing rebellion from people’s discontent. In a place where surviving rather than living is the norm, three people attempt to stop a scientific research project, code-named Project Exodus. Jonathan Campbell is a fugitive from his dark past, swept by unfortunate circumstances that lead him to Tiber City. Meghan Morrison is determined to rectify the wrongs her father had done. Dylan Fitzgerald is trying to escape through the temporary allure of drugs polluting his blood and soul.
The totalitarian system that exists in Tiber City is a typical staple of dystopian fiction. In its taut pacing, Anderson O’Donnell builds an immediate awareness for his audience of the potential dangers when totalitarianism blends with a messianic complex. Dystopian genres are on the rise, but what sets this work apart is that the third person narrative gives us an equal glimpse of the travails of each of the three characters. The crisp sensory details as a means of establishing reality allow for an effective means of representation. It has no fancy trimmings of a false utopia. The plot goes straight to the root of the matter, as it provides a measure of realism by showing the ramifications of a future as the by-product of our search for perfection. This first installment will remind us about the value of our relationship to society and will leave us waiting for what the second installment will remind us of next.
