The first novel by noted non-fiction writer Boston T. Party, Molôn Labé! tells the story of a man with a plan to restore liberty to at least one small corner of the United States of America.
Together with some like-minded locals, Preston begins to formulate a plan that will see his state - Wyoming - become a place of freedom for those willing to live and work there. But such a road isn't an easy one, and government officials actively work to discourage such actions once they become aware of them. Meanwhile, it's not just Preston and his camp that find certain developments in government frightening or just plain unconstitutional. A few take action of their own, including an heroic elderly man who has decided that he's had just about enough. With all of the previous writing experience Boston can bring to bear, he manages to avoid many of the pitfalls of first-time fiction writers. He doesn't overuse particular phrases, and his background information doesn't contradict itself from one scene to the next (of course, his substantial knowledge base of his topic also helps). It may be tempting to say that his characters aren't adequately fleshed out, and to an extent that's true; on the other hand, it's so largely because there are a number of characters involved in a substantial and complex story, and to flesh them out fully would consume significantly more pages than the 454 pages that it does. Despite that, each of the main characters are well-established enough that what happens to them next does matter to the reader. Boston T. Party's other books are so popular in part because they're educational. He seems to be a natural teacher, and that also comes through in Molôn Labé! as you go along. In fact, the final pages of the book are background material that one character or another mentions in the book, or which go to support plot points. While that does make the story even more real, there are a few occasions when characters within the story itself tend to expound rather than to simply speak like we might to each other. But the circumstances usually make it plausible, so I can't say it interrupted the flow of the story. And I suspect that with a little more practice in the fiction arena, such information will in the future be delivered to the reader more naturally. Lady Liberty's Read: Molôn Labé! is a compelling read, not simply because the story itself will hold your attention but because it does bear some resemblence to the real-life Free State and Free State Wyoming Projects. While you'll be able to use this book as many other novels as an enjoyable escape of sorts, I suspect you'll also find it an interesting commentary on today's America, and how we might address the problems that we see. I enjoyed Molôn Labé! very much. I've been moved to tears or laughter by books before, but I must confess that Molôn Labé! is the first I've read that actually moved me to hope. Molôn Labé! is available for purchase directly from Javelin Press. |
Molôn Labé!
In
the novel, James Preston is a military veteran and a decent man whose
faith in the government and the American justice system is severely
shaken when a local man goes on trial. The man is accused of a crime
Preston doesn't see as being a criminal act, and adding insult to injury
is the fact that some on the side of the prosecution are so anxious
for a conviction that they step well over an ethical line.