Mallcity14 [Paperback]

Shaun A. Saunders (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 6, 2006

THE TRUMAN LEGACY

American Foreign Policy 1945-2004

Fascism-Communism-Terrorism

How did an American president, less than 10 years after Pe

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

M. Lawrence Waxler was a product of the Cold War in the days when Americans were building on their own personal bomb shelters. Practice air raid sirens wailed every Saturday at noon in cities, towns and villages across the nation. School children were instructed to duck under their desks and cover their heads as part of the air raid drill in the event of a Soviet nuclear attack.

Mr. Waxler served for 4 years in the U.S. Air Force during the tumultuous years of the Hungarian uprising; the British and French venture to regain control of the Suez Canal after Egyptian nationalization; Communist China's attempt to invade Taiwan; and a civil war in Lebanon.

In 1958 the author was stationed at Brize-Norton, a British Royal Air Force base shared with the U.S. Air Force near Oxford, England. Early in his tour at the British Base he participated in a special high-profile military operation. It commenced with the Eisenhower administration ordering the Pentagon to send Mr. Waxler's Strategic Air Command (SAC) bomb wing squadron to an American Air Force base in Terrejon, Spain, just north of Madrid. This action was in response to Soviet Premier Khrushchev's threat of military intervention in the Lebanon Civil War if the Americans sent in military forces to assist that democratic government under siege by radical Islamics. The Soviets backed down from this show of force.

Four years later the author took advantage of his specialized training and applied as a civilian technical adviser at the Strategic Air Command Bomb Wing at Homestead AFB, Florida. It was the period between the Bay of Pigs political fiasco and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Mr. Waxler had been following the events on the Communist island 90 miles south of Key West and the exploits of Gerry Patrick Hemming and his band of compatriots.

His meeting with the flamboyant and controversial Hemming took place in the Little Havana section of Miami in 1962. Hemming, an ex-Marine and paratrooper, had gone from close ties with Fidel Castro to training anti-Castro commandos for the Bay of Pigs mission. Hemming was also alleged to have been connected with the JFK assassination.

Mr. Waxler's last ''adventure'' before turning to writing was as a logistics coordinator with Riddle Airlines for the U.S. Air Force units based at Miami International Airport during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Product Details

• Paperback: 226 pages
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing (July 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1412031826
• ISBN-13: 978-1412031820
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,271,606 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tale of modern life, April 18, 2005

By 

Alan G. Malsem "Al Mal" (Newcastle, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mallcity14 (Paperback)

This is a book everyone should read and is the first instalment of what Saunders' hints could be the beginning of an exciting series.

Saunders' novel is purposely structured on a number of levels. Set in the "not to distant future", Saunders depicts the story of the coming of age of a teenage boy, who, after becoming frustrated with being forced to conform to the accepted way of life, leaves it all behind for the sanctuary of a village free from the burdens of modern consumerism. In the process he finds his first true love, gains an understanding of the world and develops a tolerance for the choices made by others.

At the higher level, the world Saunders has created is cleverly disguised as the world we live in today. Saunders criticises society's plunge into consumerism, consumption driven debt cycles, status anxiety and the emergence of "people databases" and personal tagging devices. After reading this book you begin to realise that the actions of the characters are not too dissimilar to your own, to the point where you begin to analyse and trivialise your own behaviour.

Saunders' novel not only provides a prediction of where the path of modern consumerism is leading us into the future, but leaves us with the question of who is really in control of democratic society - Governments or "the invisible hand" of the free market? Is it really that absurd to portray a society where your right to vote is determined on your ability to consumer?

I can't wait for the sequel!!!

Al Mal

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating take on the future, May 5, 2005

By 

Jason Gonella "philosopher" (Lancaster, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mallcity14 (Paperback)

This is the most refreshingly different dystopia to be released in a long time, and should be read by all interested in the genre. Unlike other dystopias, this has not one distorted society, but two - an official opposition that is being used by the lords of society.

The story starts in hyper-consumerist hyper-mercantilist Mallcity 14 where everyone is required to purchase as much as possible and go as far into debt as possible, where the only value is newness and everyone is bombarded with commercials and computer surveilance. The hero escapes during a computer glitch, and is brought to those who oppose Mallcity and the rampant consumerism.

Some will notice what may be an anti-capitalist theme to the book, never noticing that this really isn't capitalism but a distorted type of monetarism. The alternative society is communal.

As this dystopia was recently written you will notice many parallels to our current society, which is the way a dystopia is supposed to operate: extrapolation from current trends. That will be quite a refreshing change from 1984 or Brave New World.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real wake up call for us all, February 19, 2008

By 

Robert Selden "Bob Selden, What To Do When Yo... (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mallcity14 (Paperback)

I don't normally read books of this type, but a friend suggested I have a look at this one. I'm very glad that I did.

In Mallcity 14, Shaun Saunders paints a picture of life on earth as it might be ... soon! In some ways very frightening and in others very enlightening. Frightening because Saunders shows what can ultimately happen with the end result of today's technological advances. And it's the insidious way that these things are slowly taking over our lives that's also quite scary - implanted chips in people, video surveillance and even thought transference! Enlightening because it shows how we can prevent the ultimate big brother society from happening.

I also liked his underlying (well overt, actually) dig at our consumerism driven society with his Bureau of Consumer Confidence, where everything must be bought. Where will it end? Saunders' story of rebellion, told through the eyes of a teenage boy, provides some possible answers.

This book could have quite easily been another doomsday purveyor. But Saunders with his fluid writing style, great sense of humour and ability to paint vivid, humane pictures, turns this book into an exciting future journey. A journey that you and I are already on and one that you should find out more about.

Highly recommended.

Bob Selden, author What To Do When You Become The Boss: How new managers become successful managers