BOOK DESCRIPTION
Debut Novel
Synopsis
An unidentified object parked on the moon – and no one seems to know where it came from. Gustavo, a middle-aged computer programmer with a comfortable and grey life, decides to make a list of what he would need to survive a hypothetical attack. He becomes obsessed with the list, spends a fortune, robs a drugstore: his own family thinks he is going insane. However, after the attack, it’s the insane who are well prepared for a new era in society. First Book of a trilogy.
Excerpt:
– Have you been watching me, Gustavo? – He said slowly in a low tone.
– This village is too small, everybody knows everything, Ramiro.
– Has power driven you crazy, Gustavo?
– I don’t do this for the power, Ramiro, I do this for our children, so that the future generation doesn’t have to live in an unequal, corrupt and unprincipled society. I don’t want to be in power forever, I’m in favor of creating a law that one will only be able to be in public positions no more than eight years; after which, no privileges or special treatment are reward so that they have to go back to their work. Politics will be seen as a contribution to society and not as an opportunity to get rich and find well-paid state jobs for your friends. I do this so that your daughters and my children only hear about Swiss banks, tax havens and stock exchanges, like Wall Street, as things of a dark and greedy past from a lost society. I won’t allow you and your friends to change my view of the future.
– And what are you going do to shut me up? – Ramiro feared Gustavo’s answer, he predicted something was going to happen, he looked around and saw nobody, the camera was aimed at the path and Gustavo seemed to be unarmed.
– You will be the new “Che Guevara”. Do you know that Fidel Castro sent Che to Bolivia because he was tired of him and his opinions in Cuba? Che was too honest and too much of a good person and that isn’t too helpful in a dictatorship, so by sending him to die in Bolivia, he created a myth for a generation, a symbol of fight and resistance. Ramiro, you will be our Che, there will be statues and flags with your face and streets with your name.
REVIEW
The Good Dictator I: The Birth of an Empire, April 18, 2017
Whatever flaws we might identify or frustrations we might feel are trivial in comparison to a reader’s pure joy in losing himself/herself in a narrative. When all the elements come together: an intriguing plot, thoughtful, profound themes, complex, troubling, characters, and language that make us shudder for its honesty, clarity, and confidence; we gratefully set all analysis aside and give ourselves up to the sheer magic of a great book. And for me, The Good Dictator I: The Birth of an Empire is such a book.
The story had every element a good story should have. An exciting plot, attention to detail, but best of all fleshed out, well-written and well-rounded character development. There’s an abundance of well illustrated scenes that really make you feel like you are right there in the story, and that’s something I really look for in a good book.
This captivating and commendable work had me immersed from the beginning. The story flows from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows exceptional skill when it comes to storytelling. There are twists and turns in this page turner that will take the reader on a gripping journey.
It’s one of those stories that come along once in awhile that makes you want to read it non-stop until you get to the end. And that’s exactly what I did. I’m giving nothing further away here. And this, I hope, will only add to the mystery and enjoyment for the reader!
If you are unfamiliar with this author, you don’t know what you’re missing out on! I’ll certainly be looking forward to reading more from Gonçalo JN Dias in the future. I would definitely recommend this book. Five stars from me.
AVAILABLE @
AMAZON AMAZON UK
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gonçalo JN Dias was born in Lisbon in 1977, and graduated in Environmental Engineering and Natural Resources of the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco. He lives today in the Basque Country, Spain.
The Good Dictator I, was his first novel, become a bestseller in Portugal and Brazil, consequently it was translated in two more languages.
Before writing the second part of the Good Dictator, he’s now writing a crime fiction
Besides writing, he is an Ork Tree Expert and Ornithologist.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33014831-the-good-dictator
Tweets by GoncaloJNDias
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