Opening Bell

Rating:
Summary: Richmond, Virginia Review
Review: hope you get this Keith. I am a good friend of Corrine and Ted's here in Richmond. Ted brought your book over to my house and he asked me to read. Given my conservative slant I loved this book. For your first effort, it is one to be proud of. Ted's copy is making it's way around the Midwest now and has received resounding positive feedback. I have recommended your book to my fellow conservative friends. Kudos to you. I look forward to reading your next book. I know your family is proud. Your Mother is smiling down on you!!!!

Rating:
Summary: A brilliant novel!
Review: Opening Bell is Keith D. Cummings very fascinating first novel about Marc Reid, an idealistic bond trader who plots a takeover of the U.S. Government. The flow of the story has a very Pulp Fiction like quality as it jumps between different points in Marc Reid's life, which serves to give some insight into his future actions. Cummings develops his protagonist in a manner that leads the reader to empathize with Marc Reid and believe in his cause, even though it becomes apparent that Reid's ultimate goal is autocracy. It seems as though, from this reader's viewpoint at least, that Opening Bell is not so much a statement about how the U.S. Government is corrupt and oppressing, as it is about the importance of examining the feasibility of the alternatives.

There are certain parts of this book that try to take the reader to a point beyond what is reasonable. For instance, despite all of the planning involved in the coup, the relative ease at which Marc Reid assumes power over the government is a bit mind-boggling. Additionally, Cummings leaves a small hole in the character development of Marc Reid in that he does not really explain why Reid's ideology changes so dramatically once he assumes power. This does not however detract from the overall excellence of this novel. The plot is simply brilliant and the ending of course was unexpected. Overall, this is an excellent novel and one that I highly recommend!

Rating:
Summary: A brilliant novel!
Review: Opening Bell is Keith D. Cummings very fascinating first novel about Marc Reid, an idealistic bond trader who plots a takeover of the U.S. Government. The flow of the story has a very Pulp Fiction like quality as it jumps between different points in Marc Reid's life, which serves to give some insight into his future actions. Cummings develops his protagonist in a manner that leads the reader to empathize with Marc Reid and believe in his cause, even though it becomes apparent that Reid's ultimate goal is autocracy. It seems as though, from this reader's viewpoint at least, that Opening Bell is not so much a statement about how the U.S. Government is corrupt and oppressing, as it is about the importance of examining the feasibility of the alternatives.

There are certain parts of this book that try to take the reader to a point beyond what is reasonable. For instance, despite all of the planning involved in the coup, the relative ease at which Marc Reid assumes power over the government is a bit mind-boggling. Additionally, Cummings leaves a small hole in the character development of Marc Reid in that he does not really explain why Reid's ideology changes so dramatically once he assumes power. This does not however detract from the overall excellence of this novel. The plot is simply brilliant and the ending of course was unexpected. Overall, this is an excellent novel and one that I highly recommend!

Rating:
Summary: A fictitious account of one man¿s attempt to create a Utopia
Review: Reviewed by: Tyrone Banks of Betsie's Literary Page
Highly Recommended
5 out of 5 points

A fictitious account of one man's attempt to create a Utopia in a country where bureaucracy has created the need for a revolution. Absolutely breathtaking from the beginning to the end!

I received Mr. Cummings' Media Kit almost 2 weeks ago and the level of perfection portrayed by the documents enclosed has also been applied to his novel. Mr. Cummings has done an excellent job in the development of the plot and the characters that are bound to the pages of Opening Bell. You can see a sense of purpose similar to that of John Grisham, where current events take on a life of their own.

Marc Reid is an intelligent, calculating, wealthy and able man - with a vision of perfecting welfare, eliminating affirmative action and downsizing the corrupt government. These are a few of the motivations that have inspired Marc Reid to plot a takeover of that government, a plan that took over 20 years to reach fruition. He has recruited a team of "visionaries" with similar goals and on May 10, 2010 at 8:30 A.M. they take over the financial functions regulated by computer and effectively take over the United States of America.

Marc has his own personal motivations for this coup d'etat (The sudden overthrow of a government by a usually small group of persons in or previously in positions of authority.) In his late teenage years he felt that he was the victim of government policy as he witnessed the demise of his small but affluent family. His father's fortune was "stolen" by the family's attorney and his mother was reduced from a proud matron of the household to a prisoner of a reality that she created to deal with the tragedies that poured into her life.

Marc was powerless to make any effective change to his life during that time. Therefore, as an adult, he created and executed this plan to effectively change everyone's life and exact vengeance at the same time. Somewhere between Marc's vision of a better society where welfare and the IRS no longer existed and the stifling bureaucracy was downsized, Marc's vengeful goals were accomplished. His own personal agenda became the country's agenda. He had attained a level of power that one could even consider a dictatorship. Even his fellow revolutionaries could see that their goal was over exceeded and Marc's will controlled everything.

This is a true journey through the harsh cycle of power and helplessness. A lot of issues inspired by nonfiction are included and developed by this piece of fiction. Opening Bell is a beautiful book for your library as well as an excellent and well-planned novel.