Book Review - Arrogant Wealth by Thomas Thompson
Category Book Review Thomas Thompson Arrogant Wealth
Arrogant Wealth by Thomas Thompson is a near-future reality novel that presents some interesting ideas and concepts for a novel. Set in 2031, the US is financially strong with low unemployment. A breakthrough in solar power has led to some technological marvels, primarily an underground transportation system that is like a high-speed conveyor belt system for vehicles. To fund this development, there is an extra tax on those who are extremely wealthy. A new agency, the Federal Bureau of Collections is tasked with making sure that those who are subject to the tax are paying what is owed. Joey Sans, part of the FBC, has been tasked with looking into the main solar power company to check on tax compliance. As he digs into their records, things look a little *too* clean to be real. But he also finds that there are some very powerful and influential people who may be part of the story, and he's not sure who he can and can't trust. The wrong decision might have deadly consequences for him.
Arrogant Wealth has potential to be a very good story, but it's in dire need of an editor. It's written in a style that felt awkward. Instead of a third-person perspective telling what happened, it's written in present tense. Instead of phrases like "Joey said" or "Dawn thought that", it's "Joey says" and "Dawn thinks that". There were numerous occasions where the style would lapse back to what I'd consider normal, which made some of the narrative hard to follow. Some misspellings and incorrect word usage (such as "your" and "you're") detracted from the reading experience. I think an editor could have also asked questions to draw out character development and explain why certain choices were made.
Writing a novel isn't easy, and putting a first novel out for public consumption is hard. With some solid editing, Arrogant Wealth could be a solid novel. I'd certainly enjoy reading more novels of this style.
Disclosure:
Obtained From: Author
Payment: Free
Arrogant Wealth by Thomas Thompson is a near-future reality novel that presents some interesting ideas and concepts for a novel. Set in 2031, the US is financially strong with low unemployment. A breakthrough in solar power has led to some technological marvels, primarily an underground transportation system that is like a high-speed conveyor belt system for vehicles. To fund this development, there is an extra tax on those who are extremely wealthy. A new agency, the Federal Bureau of Collections is tasked with making sure that those who are subject to the tax are paying what is owed. Joey Sans, part of the FBC, has been tasked with looking into the main solar power company to check on tax compliance. As he digs into their records, things look a little *too* clean to be real. But he also finds that there are some very powerful and influential people who may be part of the story, and he's not sure who he can and can't trust. The wrong decision might have deadly consequences for him.
Arrogant Wealth has potential to be a very good story, but it's in dire need of an editor. It's written in a style that felt awkward. Instead of a third-person perspective telling what happened, it's written in present tense. Instead of phrases like "Joey said" or "Dawn thought that", it's "Joey says" and "Dawn thinks that". There were numerous occasions where the style would lapse back to what I'd consider normal, which made some of the narrative hard to follow. Some misspellings and incorrect word usage (such as "your" and "you're") detracted from the reading experience. I think an editor could have also asked questions to draw out character development and explain why certain choices were made.
Writing a novel isn't easy, and putting a first novel out for public consumption is hard. With some solid editing, Arrogant Wealth could be a solid novel. I'd certainly enjoy reading more novels of this style.
Disclosure:
Obtained From: Author
Payment: Free