Ultimatum [Paperback]

 

 

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A thriller, especially at the end, in a setting much like the TV's West Wing. Brings the perils of Global Warming to the fore in the US. The review in The Economist was what led me to buy it and now I am giving it to my friends.

How likely the scenario is depends on your expectations of global warming and of the world's response so if you think, as I do, that the response will be too little and too late in terms of reducing carbon dioxide emissions, you will like this. If you are sceptical about global warming or think the world will cut back a lot on emissions, you probably will not find the book realistic enough to enjoy it. I liked it a lot! Ultimatum

Ultimatum by Matthew Glass

Matthew Glass has given us a thriller that is all too possible, drawing the reader in from page one. The book begins innocuously enough in the year 2032 in a mood of energy and optimism for rebuilding the nation's basic foundation. The bright and popular newly-elected U.S. president has won his seat with an unprecedented majority on a platform of honesty, decisiveness, and trust. The excitement is contagious as the population celebrates their president-elect, but hidden clouds are on the horizon when he learns that the agreements he has inherited will challenge his government's integrity..

Engrossing, tense, and tightly knit, Ultimatum is written with a strong sense of political process, heart-stopping decision-making, and intrigue. Although a work of fiction, it bestows a feeling of stark realism and drama as crises build. How these crises are approached by the president and the many people who form his government are quite fascinating to this Canadian reader. The characterizations are full-on, the plot development plausible, even perhaps ultimately probable. This book is a strong and shocking wake-up call involving the whole world.

Previous policies on global emissions have done nothing to prevent the looming disaster that had escalated to extreme proportions but the severity had been downplayed. This is where the president finds himself as he takes office. President Benton is a strong presence throughout the book and the author has smoothly if urgently demonstrated the transitions in rapid succession. His torment is felt as he wrestles to keep the honesty and trust promised in his platform. The world turns upside down and inside out within the first several days of his presidency as he becomes more aware of deals made by the previous government.

The story begins within the U.S. but the pace of global warming is overwhelming in its path of destruction. The horror is the speed and loss of land worldwide. Coastlines have disappeared and relocation of populations is in the millions.

Matthew Glass has set a momentum that does not let up but constantly accelerates. He definitely keeps the tension building. This novel is indeed a roller-coaster of a thriller. The action keeps the reader involved from start to finish, second-guessing outcomes, trying to predict responses, and what the final horror will be. This book will definitely bring some new thoughts on how much the world is really one; how things must be tackled worldwide, parts played by arrogance and greed. Very spellbinding and thought-provoking. Great writing, Matthew, I really enjoyed my adventure into the world of politics.

Although this hard-to-put down novel is set some 20 years in the future, it is really about the "here and now" and the difficult choices and consequences we face both individually and as a people.

The plot is conceivable, Global Warming is a reality, but how to deal with this? Negotiation?, Status Quo? Engagement? Deliberate force? The author relentlessly builds up the pressure throughout the book.Yet, the past is is hardly put to rest as readers might recognize a former political figure from The Bush Administration (Jr.), cloaked in a new avatar playing, once again, a prominent role.

Purposely, the "weakest" character is the central character - the President -, someone who is really quite conscious of his political legacy ambitions,the Washington system, but, at the same time wants to do the right thing.But, the author uses this approach to examine the issues and Up the Ante in this Doomsday poker game.

In an manner reminiscent of Dr Strangelove, the descent into Armageddon is a first benign but, in the end, brutal.

Ultimatum, is a great read.

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1.0 out of 5 stars Look for better...
Not much to like here. I suppose the plot generates some tension and suspense that could lead to late night page turning except it is so damn implausible it's hard to take... Read more

Published on Aug 25 2009 by RondoReader

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