Book Review for The Chaos of Change by Jim Riggen
The Chaos of Change, by Jim Riggen, is a political thriller about fighting for an illusory idea called freedom, however bloody the path may be.
The book is organized into four parts. In the first part, America is in turmoil; territories between the North and South threaten to engage in yet another civil war, with the West cautiously watching the two sides. Meanwhile, Thaddeus Jackson, the dishonored son of former President Richard Jackson, lives a carefree life in Alaska, alienated by his father’s politics. In the second part, in an attempt to unite the country, FBI Director Shane Wallace has decided to instigate Broken Protocol, a plan that could save the country but also destroy the federal government. In the meantime, each of the territory’s leaders are dealing with conflicts, from mistaken leadership, to internal strife. In the third part, current President Gordon makes one last desperate attempt to bring order, before he is abruptly assassinated. In the fourth and final part, war has descended upon the territories, as negotiations break down, with seeds of doubt planted behind the lines.
Personally, I loved the characters, not because of their attitudes, or their morals, or even their skills, but because I saw them as individual pieces on a chessboard. It’s a matter of what is up for grasp, who is in power, and how well each of them play the game. From Commander Bloom and Governor Olivia O’Brien’s struggles to retain their positions of leadership, to Richard Jackson and his trying family issues, to even the disruption the Independent Nation of Milam had caused, there is growing turmoil that may very well influence the outcome of this game. Their willingness to create, destroy, and betray one another all depends on their strength of wills. And then there’s the Broken Protocol, an independent variable that may either succeed in uniting this Nation, or end up destroying it completely. This game beautifully illustrates the depths of how far people will go to obtain freedom, no matter how wrong it may be. Even if it means trampling on others, and sacrificing morals to become the depraved savages they swore America never was, they’ll still do it.
This leads me to the quotes Riggen used to separate these parts. The quotes shape the story in a way that shows just how horrific things have become. There was one particular quote that haunted me, one from John Adams, the 2nd President of the United States. To be honest, I had to agree with him. Democracy has had its morbid roots entangled in human history for centuries, from the protests in Tiananmen Square, to the American Revolutionary War, to even the obscure impulses of religion that begat the European Witch Trials. Adams reminds us that democracy is unstable, can be nightmarish, even ephemeral. It’s a miracle America has lasted this long. After all, democracy has destroyed itself over and over again. So what of America? What of the North, and the South, and the West, and even Milam? What would they do to overcome this obstacle? Only time will tell it seems.
There were a few mistakes in the book, though none were major detractors; the dark, haunting themes more than made up for them, as well as the intricate game that’s about to take place. Riggen meticulously takes these characters and wraps them in both their pride and arrogance, before sending them off to dance to Death’s tune. As such, I would give this book a rating of a 4.4 out of 5, and would recommend this book to readers who enjoy of Invinciman: A Superhero to save us allby R.T. Leone and Gastric Bypass by Paul Lesko.
