"Power and political ambition in a post-Brexit, post-truth world — this political thriller dissects the state we’re in with razor-sharp incision and style"
At once of the recent past and of the moment, Alan Rhode’s The Eagle and the Cockerel is a meaty political thriller served in a distinctively wry style.
As frictions run high between European nations in a post-Brexit world, Vincent d’Amont, a former mayor of Paris, makes an audacious suggestion as part of his audacious comeback campaign: Germany and France should unite as one nation. As the author explains, the idea of a Franco-German union was, in fact, proposed by the German Chancellor Adenauer in 1950. But back to the book…
With the people due to vote on this monumental issue, it comes to Vincent’s attention that Miss Cliché, an investigative political vlogger who was “deeply in love with Europe”, believes he’s “playing on the people’s worst feelings”. She also says he‘s “all sizzle and no steak”!
Brilliantly comic on personality politics, and sharp on big picture politics, political comms, AI, and social media, The Eagle and the Cockerel exposes the absurdities of political games and power play in all their treachery, arrogance and self-serving cronyism.
| Primary Genre | Political / Legal Thrillers |
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Inventive and powerfully written thriller about social media, politics power, and intrigue!
Alan Rhode offers a powerful and alternative look at world politics, and how things could look in the future. Essentially a political thriller, I found the pace and tempo of the writing just right, and was gripped write to the end. Power, politics and social media are at the heart of this novel, which is set in a post-Brexit and post-truth world. It kept me gripped right up until the last page.... Read Full Review
Is this the future round the corner? Are we already being played by the mega media-giants? What a concept!
Lucia Morè is the famous political vlogger behind Miss Cliché and a fervent Europhile.
Vincent d’Amont is a former Mayor of Paris and the face of Charlemagny, the movement which is pushing for the union of France and Germany.
ROME is the social network of Europe. It controls everything and is now proposing to organise a vote – not a referendum, certainly not - for the citizens of the two countries: to unite and break away from the European Union or to stay with the status quo?
This is a fast-paced thriller with a definite sense of threat running through it. But who is threatening who? Who is Marlene Gäch, the elusive founder of ROME? And is Employee Zero to be wholly trusted?
The characters are interesting and believable and the plot is refreshingly unusual.... Read Full Review
