Loading...
296th out of 2,438 books
—
1,909 voters
The Usurper
by
Cliff Ball (Goodreads Author)
Gary Jackson is raised to hate. Hate the United States, its people, and everything they have ever stood for. His mission is to destroy the United States from within, allying himself with America's enemies to accomplish the deed, and he stops at nothing to get what he wants. A small group of Americans decide they need to stop him. Will they succeed or will the US be relega...more
Paperback, 160 pages
Published
July 14th 2010
by Cliff Ball
(first published July 2010)
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
240)
I'm an avid fan of Tom Clancy so this book was very interesting to me. I read to escape and enjoy the world writers create so the fact The Usurper is considerably conservative didn't hinder my anticipation for reading it. However, it's slanted so far and mimics current events/issues so closely that I was unable to fully enjoy it but it does have considerable potential.
It may be because of my expectations and from reading so much Tom Clancy and Stephen King, but the story and character...more
It may be because of my expectations and from reading so much Tom Clancy and Stephen King, but the story and character...more
I decided to download The Usurper on the recommendation of one of my friends, who enjoyed The Usurper themselves. It starts off with the story of Mary when she makes a big mistake and later regrets it. Followed by her son, who is the main antagonist in the novel, and is raised to be like a Manchurian Candidate in American politics. While this is sort of parallel to what's going on now as far as SOPA and the like, that's just it, its sorta parallel, like a mirror universe of sorts. Last I looked,...more
I enjoyed reading this novel. It's definitely not a cookie cutter political thriller, which made it more interesting to me. Ball does a good job of keeping his reader turning pages to find out if the authors' plot follows what the reader thinks will happen. This is the mark of a good action adventure writer.
This novel is very similar to current events, written a year or so ago, with a frightening back story created. This back story was, unfortunately, plausible. It builds off of the fe...more
This novel is very similar to current events, written a year or so ago, with a frightening back story created. This back story was, unfortunately, plausible. It builds off of the fe...more
I enjoy political thrillers, so I figured I'd give it a try. I really enjoyed reading this.
It follows the story of Gary being indoctrinated by the communists so that he can eventually help to take down the USA. If you follow any news at all it is kinda similar, Gary joins up with unions to intimidate his enemies, his friends and allies bribe and intimidate voters, etc. In this novel, unlike the incompetant dummy in the White House now, Gary gets everything he wants without any pushbac...more
It follows the story of Gary being indoctrinated by the communists so that he can eventually help to take down the USA. If you follow any news at all it is kinda similar, Gary joins up with unions to intimidate his enemies, his friends and allies bribe and intimidate voters, etc. In this novel, unlike the incompetant dummy in the White House now, Gary gets everything he wants without any pushbac...more
February 7, 2011
I have just won my 2nd book from Goodreads! This one really sounds exciting. Thanks, Goodreads!
February 15, 2011
The USURPER has arrived in the mail. I will take it with me to read on the plane when I leave in two days for England. It sounds like it will be a great "airplane read."
March 15, 2011
I was sure that I had taken this book with me, but when I got on the plane, I did not have it, so I did not have the chanc...more
I have just won my 2nd book from Goodreads! This one really sounds exciting. Thanks, Goodreads!
February 15, 2011
The USURPER has arrived in the mail. I will take it with me to read on the plane when I leave in two days for England. It sounds like it will be a great "airplane read."
March 15, 2011
I was sure that I had taken this book with me, but when I got on the plane, I did not have it, so I did not have the chanc...more
view 1 comment
You know, I liked this concept and it was very good and believable in a "this could happen" sort of way..... until about 95% in. That's when it felt like the author backed himself into a corner story-line wise and was trying anything to get out of it. The Rapture? Invading Chinese armies? Really? Not like those aren't possibilities, but were they your only options? Sort of a cheap rushed way out of things.
Ended very poorly. I would have given it at least 4 stars without the l...more
Ended very poorly. I would have given it at least 4 stars without the l...more
This review is from Manic Readers.com: http://www.manicreaders.com/index.cfm?di...
The usurper, Gary Jackson, is a hateful soul. His entire life was planned by the Soviet Union before he was even conceived by a volunteer KGB agent. Gary was raised to hate the USA and all of its citizens and ultimately be the man of the countries undoing.
In The Usurper, we follow Gary’s mother for a short time but the star in the novel is undeniably Gary. He is trained and educated with the ...more
The usurper, Gary Jackson, is a hateful soul. His entire life was planned by the Soviet Union before he was even conceived by a volunteer KGB agent. Gary was raised to hate the USA and all of its citizens and ultimately be the man of the countries undoing.
In The Usurper, we follow Gary’s mother for a short time but the star in the novel is undeniably Gary. He is trained and educated with the ...more
Surprising twists
Cliff weaves an interesting story with enough connections to real happenings in the world today that this book seems to be non-fiction.
Just when you think you know where the story line is going Cliff changes up on you. While some things are predictable others are not, which adds to the enjoyment of the book.
Some events catch you totally off guard. While it may seem to start slow stick with it, you will not be disappointed.
Cliff weaves an interesting story with enough connections to real happenings in the world today that this book seems to be non-fiction.
Just when you think you know where the story line is going Cliff changes up on you. While some things are predictable others are not, which adds to the enjoyment of the book.
Some events catch you totally off guard. While it may seem to start slow stick with it, you will not be disappointed.
I just finished reading The Usurper and enjoyed the book. I love the concept of this book and the ending caught me totally off guard. The Usurper is a quick read. There are many correlations with the real world that most of us can relate to. If only they had turned out differently. The book smacks of conspiracy theories. Who knows, this book could possibly be one of those that, in a few years, will make us wonder, "How did the author get so close to the truth?"
The Usurper is not usually my favourite type of novel but Cliff Ball really surprised me. This is a very fast-paced, action-packed book once you get past the first few chapters. I think what impressed me the most was Ball's very accurate depiction of the power of indoctrination. In many ways it was a rather chilling view of what 'could have been'. If you like political thrillers then I highly recommend it. I only gave three stars because it wasn't really my kind of book so I couldn't get as l...more
Amazing- edge of your seat thriller- The Usurper is the Real thing!! Cliff Ball makes both characters and plot come alive in what is one of the most scariest thrillers I have read. Scary because it is so possible. Read this and wonder at the talent of a top notch thriller writer.
Rick Friedman
Founder
THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB
Rick Friedman
Founder
THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB
I have no idea how this book got such a high rating; perhaps the author's friends all got on Goodreads to help out. I read several chapters before deciding to quit, and was also influenced by my mom who read it and thought the whole book was ridiculous. Honestly, it reminded me of the draft I put together when I decided to write a book - the criticism I got is that everything was moving too fast and needed way more development. Ball's story should have been two or the times the length that it...more
This is the first Cliff Ball book I've read...and I'd have to say that if he writes another political thriller ... I'm in! "The Usurper" is a fast-paced fictional story that has non-fictional elements in it of events that really happened. Cliff makes you think 'could this really happen?' He makes it all seem possible...which is a scary thought! This book had lots of twists and turns that kept the reader on the edge of her seat throughout the book. I gave this book to my dad to rea...more
La-Shanda
added it
Possibly linked to the movie "Salt" with Jolie
Fantastic concept, engaging read!
I believe this story might have made a good plot for an animated film or comic strip, but lacks the depth to make a convincing novel. A number of real life events are woven together (with fictional names for some real people)with fantasy to develop a conspiracy theory based on a USA centred view of the world.
Lynne
marked it as to-read
Thank you so much for letting me win this free book from First Reads. Looking forward to reading it. Thank you.
Sue Turner
added it
Color me a quitter. I just couldn't get into this book.
Desiree
marked it as to-read
Karen
marked it as to-read
Tiffunee
marked it as to-read
Christos Tsiailis
marked it as to-read
Carol
marked it as to-read
Jeri Stallard
marked it as to-read
Jasmine Kohler
marked it as to-read
Linda
marked it as to-read
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Book Giveaway for The Usurper | 1 | 7 | Aug 15, 2010 03:10pm |
I'm a Christian first and foremost. My novels are written from my worldview, so they have either Christian or Conservative themes in them. I live in D/FW, have a BA in English, going for a 2nd BA and Technical Writing Certificate from UNT.
In order of original publication:
Out of Time - 2008
Don't Mess With Earth - 2009
The Usurper - 2010
Shattered Earth - 2010
...more
More about Cliff Ball...
In order of original publication:
Out of Time - 2008
Don't Mess With Earth - 2009
The Usurper - 2010
Shattered Earth - 2010
...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
