Customer Reviews

Greensword: A Tale of Extreme Global Warming (Five Star Science Fiction and Fantasy Series)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Don Bingle is an excellent wordsmith who tugs at your emotions . . . anger, sadness, fear, and above all tickles your sense of humor. I fell in love with Zeke and Milo, and I enjoyed every page of the book. This tale has the potential to come true. But I hope not!

Thanks, Don, for giving me such an excellent read.

The overwhelming fact about GREENSWORD is that it will make you smile and laugh even as you turn each page wanting to find out what happens next. This is not by accident but rather is the intent and the talent of its author. Significantly, along the way, the dialogue and action will make you pause and think, "Huh," about your own opinions on global warning. With a deft hand, Bingle comes down evenly, challenging the cliches spoken by both sides of the issue, and does so not by being preachy, but through the action of the story that weaves in scientific fact to add to the author's respect for the reader and the story. With GREENSWORD's combination of humor and honest, intellectual challenge, this story accomplishes what books should accomplish: nutritious thought for the brain along with the sugar of pure fun. It doesn't hurt, either, that the focus of the book is also our society's current focus, and will be for decades to come. A special note - don't skip over the Acknowledgments section of the book or you'll miss part of the pleasure.

What if you had to save the planet? Not next century, not next decade, but now. What would you do? How far would you go?

A small environmental group, funded by a wealthy actor, is threatened by losing all their funding unless they do something NOW to stop global warming, so the actor's beachhouse doesn't slide into the ocean. There's only one plan that would work - but is it worth it?

GREENSWORD (subtitled "A Tale of Extreme Global Warming") explores this kind of fanaticism in a darkly funny - and appropriately horrific - kind of way. And risks pissing off a lot of people along the way. I'm going to take a look at the plot, the characters, and the philosophy of the book.

The plot is just intricate enough to keep it from being predictable, the pacing is spot-on. I found myself wanting to find out what happened next throughout the whole book. I really can't say more than that without spoilers; let's just sum up by saying that this book really could happen.

The main characters - the members of GreensWord - are only slightly exaggerated cariactures of some "socially conscious" media stars and activists. Zeke is a zealous (wannabe) leader fed up with the sellout lobbying environmentalists, Milo is fervently anti-capitalist (unless they make good first person shooters), and Brandon is very much the geeky number-crunching vegan environmentalist. They are to real environmentalists I've known like Beavis and Butthead were to my metalhead friends when I was growing up. And true to that comparison,
there's quite a bit of humor throughout. Some of it is through the characters, but there's also a few Easter eggs for the observant reader. I had more than a few LOL moments as I was reading.

The secondary characters really shine; we get to know quite a few other characters throughout the book. They're all quickly characterized - and done well enough that they're all distinct. There are no "extras" in this world. In many ways, I know as much about Dalton, Malbranche, Maggie, and unlucky Guiterrez as I do about Zeke, Brandon, and Milo.

And that might be the weakness of the book. Brandon is easily the most sympathetic of the protagonists, but not that's not saying much. I found myself more emotionally invested in the stories of the secondary characters - even ones that were "onscreen" for just a few pages - than in the members of GreenSword.

That also explains why I don't have as much of a problem with the philosophy of the book. In the acknowledgements, Mr. Bingle asks "Can you make fun of the guys on your side of the debate too?" I don't think the members of GreenSword *are* on my side of the debate; they're selfish people using the green movement for personal gain. In that way, they're just as bad as any corporate "greenwashing" campaign. For example, I saw a cafeteria recently reducing the number of napkins given to customers in order to "go green"... while still serving food on styrofoam plates. Canada made impossible commitments with the first round of Kyoto talks - thus making everyone question their level of real committment. This book is not a panacea to the "Drill Baby Drill" contingent either. I suspect Mr. Bingle would be easily capable of skewering the fallacies of their arguments as well.

Until he does so, I recommend the graphic novel _Concrete: Think Like a Mountain_ as an equally powerful counterpoint to GREENSWORD.

GREENSWORD serves as a cautionary tale of letting one's dogma get in the way of thinking things through. It is a darkly humorous, plot-driven book that can make you seriously think about the way you view the environment and environmentalism.

GREENSWORD, a novel by Donald Bingle is one of those stories that works on so many levels. First of all, you hope to god it will never come true. The story centers on what a tiny environmental group is willing to do for the cause they believe in--stopping global warming.

You can read GREENSWORD and just think about what's happening on the page, but there's much more there. Bingle examines the nature of the modern American thinking about how to solve problems today. You go for the quick solution, the expedient one, right? This novel of both hilarious and frightening fiction explores the insanity of the our modern world and points out how a "noble" idea can be taken so far you lose sight of the original goal. It shows that even the best of intentions might be a tad misguided. It pokes fun at our world and makes you wonder about the state of the planet in a whole new way.

In my final analysis, I was drawn into the book and couldn't put it down. Despite the fact that I disliked most of the characters, I was intrigued by them and secretly rooted for them even though I knew I shouldn't. Keep in mind that many of these characters are not meant to be liked. They are there to serve the story and entertain, of which they do an admirable job.

I judge a lot of books by their ability to make me keep reading. This one did. I simply had the need to see what happened next. I read the whole thing it two sittings, reading the last 200 pages in the second sitting. It's a short book, just over 250 pages, so it'll be a quick read either way. If you aren't able to pick up a copy, ask your library to order one for you, then sit back and enjoy an extreme tale of global warming.

Happy reading,


Paul Genesse
Author of The Dragon Hunters
Book Two of the Iron Dragon Series
www.paulgenesse.com

I read this in one sitting because the action, humor and tension kept me reading. It's basically what would happen if your favorite geeks took on a task they ought not and couldn't stop themselves along the way. I thought about the plot for days afterward and it really worried me that zealous gamer/geeks really could do the right thing by doing the wrong thing, or maybe they did the wrong thing and it ends up the right thing. I'm still thinking about it. On a side note, Bingle writes very well, a lost art in many stories.

Greensword: A Tale of Extreme Global Warming (Five Star Science Fiction and Fantasy Series)

A gripping read that I wasn't able to put down until I finished it.
It can be read at face value as you follow the protagonists through to the end of their plot. Or you can realise after not many pages that this book can be read at a deeper level, questioning the motives and ethics of people on both sides of the global warming debate.
A small group of eco-activists are told by their sponsor to make things happen or lose their sponsorship. Their plan is frighteningly simple in concept, complex in execution, and almost brilliant in the getaway plans.
I say almost brilliant because while they go to great pains to circumvent almost everything they've ever seen on CSI or any similar TV show, they leave out one glaringly obvious thing. They don't cover the money trail. This was so obvious I just had to keep reading to see when one of them would realise the flaw in their plan. Unfortunately, they don't realise it until after they are caught. Perhaps Don was showing there's no perfect crime, but this jarred me so much I can "only" give the book four stars.
It's not the money trail that leads to their downfall, so no spoiler there. But that's what would have had them caught if not by other means.
The scary thing is the entire story is plausible. It could happen, and it could happen just about anywhere. Food for thought.

Greensword is a science-fiction novel about global warming, but non-scientific readers will have no problem enjoying it. Bingle writes so the science neophyte can appreciate it as much as the afficianado. The story is fast-paced, the characters each have distinct voices and personalities, and while the possibilities may be fantastic they still are real. The three main characters are almost caricatures, but Bingle knows how far he can go without crossing the line into disbelief, and they remain real. They give a touch of humor to what is ultimately a tragedy. It's a good read!

GreensWord is a small environmental protest group that is dying; the only major benefactor Hollywood star Matthew Barrington has warned the members he will move his funding to a competitor if they fail to prevent global warming from relocating his Malibu Beach front property from sliding into the Pacific.

The trio who predominately make up the peaceful protest organization Milo, Zeke and Brandon fear they not only might have to work for a living, they no longer will be able to use Greensword membership to pick up impressed girls. Desperate they come up with a plan to save Barrington's beach house. They steal a nuke, set it off in Mt Rainer to activate the volcano leading to nuclear winter, and voila no more global warming. Based on TV crime shows, the threesome figure they can thwart the aftermath inept government investigation so they do not have to do time as that would crimp their Mojo picking up girls.

Although the government Katrina like response to prevent the ecoterror attack is too Keystone Cop to be taken serious, GREENSWORD is an engaging satire that lampoons extremists on both sides of the environment issue. Neither side worries about the consequences of their actions. Fans will enjoy the obstinate threesome as they plot to end global warming with an extreme counter surge, but alas the HSD response is so feeble it ironically defuses the ecoterrorist story line.

Harriet Klausner