The Ameriad: The Untold Founding of America By the Survivors of Troy

by Duane Gundrum

The Greeks has their Iliad and Odyssey, the Romans had their Aeneid, and the British had their Britannia and those continuously changing King Arthur stories, starring wannabe Shakespearean actors slumming it until something better came along. But America got nothing. Until now. Finally, an epic has emerged, from the lost annals of time (whatever that means...just go with it...it sounds scholarly), that tells the true story of America's foundation.

The Ameriad tells the story of the Trojan warrior Amereaus, who has been chosen by the gods to found a new land somewhere across the Great Sea (capitalized because it's that great a sea). Running away from his domineering wife Democrita, Amereaus travails the many forgotten lands of yesterday to battle new gods and new evils (because the old ones were boring), leading to a new land previously occupied by other people until Amereaus kicks them out. For the glory of a new land that will one day be called Amereausland (placeholder until a better name comes along).

So join Amereaus, his much smarter assistant Lyddius, and a cast of many others (because it's a novel and just having two characters would have been really boring), including a translator of the epic who really should have never quit his day job but just so happened to be in the right place at the right time to become the greatest translator of all time (Editor's Note: Please do not let this guy write any more of his own back copy!)

Genres: Humor

236 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2013

About the author

I have been writing novels pretty much my entire life. Influenced early by authors like Stephen King, Clive Cussler and Daniel Boorstin, I was probably ten years old when I tried to write my first novel. And yes, it was pretty bad. I recently re-read it and laughed out loud for about an hour because I still can't figure out what I was trying to write back then.

I've evolved a lot since that first attempt.

My first published novel was INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY, which takes place in the corporate world of Los Angeles, involving a murder, a set-up and lots of action. It was written when I was in the Army, stationed in Germany and struggling to balance my writing life with a military career. As a counterintelligence agent, I then started moving into espionage fiction (DEADLY DECEPTIONS).

My genres cross all sorts of fields these days. I have a series of science fiction/fantasy novels about the world of Reagul (DESTINY) as well as a number of other science fiction novels (LOSER, THOMPSON'S BOUNTY). LOSER is the story of an Exterminator whose job it is to hunt down the failures of the future, called Losers, before he starts to suspect that the Losers may be more than what they appear and that the government may be hiding secrets that may change the course of humanity forever. THOMPSON'S BOUNTY is the story of a Coast Guard lieutenant who chases a ship into the past, finding himself in the world of pirates, privateers and a vindictive English admiral.

I was born in Santa Monica, California, where I grew up before finishing up high school in Moorpark, California. I attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and served in the US Army for a number of years in counterintelligence. After the Army, I became an investigator, a web page designer, and then a low level programmer for a software gaming company. I have designed numerous games over the years, including PRISONER OF Z'ANTH and US AIR FORCE'S STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND. I have completed degrees at San Francisco State University, Western Michigan University and the University of the Pacific. I hold master's degrees in communication and political science. My Phd work was in political science at Western Michigan University.

I currently work in the health care field, creating and maintaining web content for a large hospital system.

My latest completed novel is called THE AMERIAD, a humorous Greek epic about the founding of America by the survivors of Troy. It has not yet been published, as I am still searching for a publisher. It's amazing how hard it is to get humor published these days if you're not a well known stand up comic.

My current project is another Reagul novel (the first in a series) called A SEASON OF KINGS.

Reviews

[James Field · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gothic story offers an alternative theory to how and why America was discovered and colonised, a parody mixing ancient Greek mythology with modern American culture. The primeval and long forgotten Greek gods give a Trojan warrior the task of discovering a new land and laying claim to it. The warrior faces many weird obstacles, challenges and battles in his endeavour.

Duane Gundrum demonstrates his considerable talent as a humoristic writer in this book. His brand of humour reminds me very much of 'Monty Python', some of which is brilliant and some of which is absurdly silly and childish. My own tastes in comedy are fairly basic: Laurel and Hardy's vintage antics are still amongst my favourites. In 'The Ameriad', Duane Gundrum utilizes cutting irony to expose the idiocy behind many issues; such as alcohol, the lottery, credit, slavery, powerful corporations, communists, the atom bomb, junk food, racial discrimination, modern morals, parking lots, immigration – the list goes on. In one scene, where the Trojan Horse is being delivered and inspected, the Trojans discover a strange, undecipherable text: 'Made in China'.

A simple but adequate plot held my interest to the last page. Most of the characters are portrayed in the same humoristic style, which tended to stereotype them, and a certain amount of inactive writing slowed the pace. But overall, a fun read with many chuckles. I shall definitely check out other works by this author.

I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest, nonreciprocal review.

[C.N. Faust · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a shameless fan of classic civilizations as well as Greek Mythology in general, I found “The Ameriad” to be a delight. The parallels to mythology are cleverly drawn and the structure itself pays homage to the traditional Greek epic. (It even opens with an invocation to the Muses!) Some of the humor is a bit ham-fisted for me. Some areas are too obviously “meant” to be funny. On the whole I found “The Ameriad” to be a nice, light read and I would certainly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of mythology.
I received a free copy of this book and was in no way obligated to give a positive review.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big thanks to Goodreads, since I won this as a giveaway. This was an interesting book. Okay, by interesting, I mean ridiculous. Extremely. But it was supposed to be, so don't let that deter you. It's essential an Iliad parody. (Go figure, looking at the title, right?) Sometimes it was just weird, other times it was downright Monty Python-ish. A fun read however you look at it.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you love satirical writing then you don't want to pass this up. I found this to be an easy and enjoyable read. I did enjoy the storyline and was engrossed in the book until the end. Would definitely recommend this book to friends and anyone who enjoys satires and/or mythology.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was hilarious. It's about an epic battle among the gods, but also a fun romp. And completely fictional. It starts out as if it is a translation of an account of historical battles, but it's funny and sarcastic and was such a nice light read to kick off summer!