The Citadel - A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Review in Beaufort Gazette by Ken Bell
Review: "Action, adventure, romance, drama and suspense can all be found by reading The Citadel. Once begun, this book is hard to put down. The drama is captivating. The Citadel is a definitely "must have" for the serious science fiction or political satire collector. " --Ken Bell, The Beaufort Gazette, Beaufort, SC

Although the title causes one to believe this novel is about the famous South Carolina military college, much of the action takes place in the Beaufort area.

The time is 2057 and Bill Clinton, many years earlier, was the last American President to preside over an even partially consensual society. There was a cultural war between the Seculars and the Religious, which the Seculars eventually won in 2027.

Even though the Seculars, also known as the Elite, won the war, there were still pockets of rebels, called Savages, who refused to be bound by a government of which they did not approve.

As the story transpires, the government carries today's developments to the extreme, including health care, cloning, transplants, media manipulation and others. It is from this society that the Savages drop out.

Schroder carries his readers through a horrifying sense of "Big Brother," the federal government, watching every move.

The protagonists are Joe and Sarah, both young and naive. Joe has left his EduCenter to join the Savages in the rural south and live with Sarah and her family.

An awkward romance develops in fits and starts. It begins as playful teasing and grows. The brother-sister relationship slowly develops as the story unfolds.

An uprising breaks out among the Savages aimed at toppling the Elite.

Joe learns of the government's plan to destroy the Savages holed up inside The Citadel, so he decides he must head to Charleston to give warning. Joe and Sarah are captured near Beaufort by government police; only minutes away from death, the couple escapes.

Joe sends Sarah back to her home, saying it is too dangerous for her to continue.

The ensuing battle is one of good versus evil. Government forces use all the new scientific technology available to produce high-powered lasers and unconventional weapons called Seekers, which fly and inject a poison called Death Wish into its victims. The Poison got its name because it was said to drive its victims insane, making them wish for death. Because of Joe's warning, forces inside The Citadel are prepared--they think. The following series of battles hold the reader captive as they escalate. The suspense and horrific events will cause the reader to wonder if this situation could one day exist.

Action, adventure, romance, drama and suspense can all be found by reading The Citadel. Once begun, this book is hard to put down. The drama is captivating.

The Citadel is a definite "must have" for the serious science fiction or political satire collector.

Schroder, a political science professor at King College in Bristol, Tennessee, said he has vacationed many times with his family in the Beaufort area and decided to write the novel using the Lowcountry as its backdrop. His fondness for the areas shows through in his writing.

"The Citadel is intended to be a more relevant version of Brave New World or 1984," Schroder said. "While containing science fiction, romance and adventure, it is also a timely and provocative satire."

"I believe it will appeal to a large audience, but especially to young adults of college age," he said. "The novel should be particularly interesting because most of the action takes place in and around Beaufort and the Citadel."

Rating:
Summary: Review in Hilton Head Island Packet
Review: "The Citadel takes place a generation from now and might be thought of as a 1984 meets Star Wars. The book is exciting."
--Don McKinney, former editor of McCall's

Rating:
Summary: Review in Hilton Head Island Packet
Review: Tom Schroder, an eminent scholar of political science, fast-forwards us several decades into the future of the United States in his exciting and brilliantly perceptive novel. What looks like a strange world on closer inspection shows itself to be none other than our own country. Schroder has taken current trends in society, such as tolerance, media manipulation, self-gratifying public officials, technological breakthroughs, socialized medicine, government regulation of the Internet and milita movements, and takes them to their logical conclusions. This leaves us in an American society that is dominated by the Elites and anyone who objects to the current order and morality (or lack thereof) is labeled an intolerant "savage." It is these Savages that form a component of the movement to resist the regime of the Elite.

This novel is an entertaining yet thoughtful work that combines political theory, constitutional issues, and American history with science fiction, adventure, and romance. Those who are wary of the increasing size and power of the federal government, especially those who harbor states' rights sentiments will enjoy reading this novel. Also, those who have read and enjoyed "1984" and "Brave New World" will favor this similar novel. Tom Schroder has made a believable projection of the future of this country which may serve as a warning to those wise enough to heed the call sounded in this novel.

Rating:
Summary: The Future of the United States?
Review: Tom Schroder, an eminent scholar of political science, fast-forwards us several decades into the future of the United States in his exciting and brilliantly perceptive novel. What looks like a strange world on closer inspection shows itself to be none other than our own country. Schroder has taken current trends in society, such as tolerance, media manipulation, self-gratifying public officials, technological breakthroughs, socialized medicine, government regulation of the Internet and milita movements, and takes them to their logical conclusions. This leaves us in an American society that is dominated by the Elites and anyone who objects to the current order and morality (or lack thereof) is labeled an intolerant "savage." It is these Savages that form a component of the movement to resist the regime of the Elite.

This novel is an entertaining yet thoughtful work that combines political theory, constitutional issues, and American history with science fiction, adventure, and romance. Those who are wary of the increasing size and power of the federal government, especially those who harbor states' rights sentiments will enjoy reading this novel. Also, those who have read and enjoyed "1984" and "Brave New World" will favor this similar novel. Tom Schroder has made a believable projection of the future of this country which may serve as a warning to those wise enough to heed the call sounded in this novel.