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Blood Republic
Blood Republic is a political-thriller for a politically corrupt time. Deceitful politicians, crazed generals, NSA surveillance, and viral hate; Blood Republic examines modern extremism in a heart-pumping thriller with the fate of the country at stake. Will America survive its next election, or collapse into a new civil war of conservative versus liberal?
***Only $1.99 pre-sale pricing until July 4th publication.***
"Fascinating and frightening... a psychedelic thriller which will shake your political and spiritual beliefs to the core." ...Sam Best, author of Genesis Plague and Ashes
During the closing hours of the tightest presidential election in US history, firebrand Annie Daniels is a Democratic-socialist senator determined to win the White House. She dreams of eradicating injustice, and hopefully, saving her dying daughter's life. Major Amos Daniels though, her conservative Green Beret brother, might have something to say about that, if her plans go against his faith. As an Electoral College tie nears, the country erupts into rioting, and Annie and Amos are thrust to opposite ends of a constitutional crisis with guns drawn. Will the Daniels family find common ground above ideology to prevent a second civil war? Or, will an unknown enemy-of-the-state escape justice while plunging the nation into chaos?
Blood Republic will keep you on the edge of your seat guessing at who the true villain is in a divided modern America, and in the end, wondering if anything can ever be as it seems.
***Only $1.99 pre-sale pricing until July 4th publication.***
"Fascinating and frightening... a psychedelic thriller which will shake your political and spiritual beliefs to the core." ...Sam Best, author of Genesis Plague and Ashes
During the closing hours of the tightest presidential election in US history, firebrand Annie Daniels is a Democratic-socialist senator determined to win the White House. She dreams of eradicating injustice, and hopefully, saving her dying daughter's life. Major Amos Daniels though, her conservative Green Beret brother, might have something to say about that, if her plans go against his faith. As an Electoral College tie nears, the country erupts into rioting, and Annie and Amos are thrust to opposite ends of a constitutional crisis with guns drawn. Will the Daniels family find common ground above ideology to prevent a second civil war? Or, will an unknown enemy-of-the-state escape justice while plunging the nation into chaos?
Blood Republic will keep you on the edge of your seat guessing at who the true villain is in a divided modern America, and in the end, wondering if anything can ever be as it seems.
462 pages, Paperback
Published July 4, 2016
240 people are currently reading
359 people want to read
About the author
James R. Duncan
2 books6 followersJames R Duncan has earned a degree from Montana State University, is an alumnus of the prestigious Breadloaf literary conference, has had short fiction published and two independent screenplays sold. His proudest moment thus far, however, has been raising the finest black lab the world has ever known. He prefers writing things that wrestle with big questions, but where something eventually blows up.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 25, 2016
The battle between the Blue Shirts (Democrats) and Red Shirts (Republicans) begins here.
Duncan kept me on the edge of my seat as he wove a tale of deceit, murder, corruption, etc or as we like to call it, politics in America.
Great summer read. Pick up a copy and enjoy this thrilling story.
Duncan kept me on the edge of my seat as he wove a tale of deceit, murder, corruption, etc or as we like to call it, politics in America.
Great summer read. Pick up a copy and enjoy this thrilling story.
November 28, 2019
Blood Republic by James A. Duncan
Reviewed by Jules Mermelstein, Esq.
Imagine an America divided by ideology. Neither side concerned with facts. Each side believing anything they find on the internet that confirms what they already believe. Each side not believing anything they find on the internet that contradicts what they believe. Indeed, one does not need a great deal of imagination for this. Just log onto any social media site and follow the conversation while refusing to get drawn into it, and one can see it. Our civil society seems to be getting less civil and more accepting of fake news that confirms one’s beliefs while less accepting of facts that contradict one’s beliefs.
As lawyers, who deal with facts every day and use them to convince clients of their best course of action, or try to convince juries to find for our clients, this should concern us greatly.
Now imagine an America in which conspiracy theories are not only believed, but might actually be real. An America in which the government uses the term Islamic terrorists against any group they want to either deny rights to or want to commit acts of violence against. An America in which the belief of alternative conspiracy theories cause people to react with violence against those they perceive to be anti-American. Again, given the recent violent clashes between white supremacists and anti-fascists, one might not need a great deal of imagination for that.
Imagine the whole country divided, fighting, killing relatives on the “other side”. Yes, another civil war. Now you have the plot of Blood Republic, one of the most intriguing, scary, and realistic-to-a-point political thrillers this reviewer has ever read.
Blood Republic was originally published on July 4, 2016, before the results of the 2016 presidential election were known. It revolves around a presidential election in which the Democratic ticket wins the popular vote but there is an apparent tie in the electoral vote as we head into actual voting by the electors. Given the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, it is assumed that if the electors tie, the House will award the Republicans the win.
As an aside from someone who taught the Constitution, I could not help but notice that the novel assumes that one ticket or the other would win, ignoring that the House picks the president and the Senate picks the vice-president. The vice-presidential candidate on the Democratic ticket is the president pro tempore of the Senate, indicating the Democrats have a majority in that house. Of course, by tradition, the president pro tempore is the most senior member of the majority party in the Senate. But, in our novel’s case, it is a 36 year old senator. Aside from these distractions, the plot is believable and scary.
The Republican side has a slogan of “Make America Great Again” and the Democrats champion a program they call voluntary but if someone elects not to participate they suffer a heavy tax burden for making that choice. The Republican presidential candidate is an elderly man with a large mop of blond hair who became famous through television, although as a televangelist not by hosting a reality television show.
Duncan does a masterful job of describing people on social media, so we can immediately identify with the description and also see their similarity. Two examples:
@jessejameskickass was a thirty-two year old steelworker in Birmingham, Alabama. . . . He was white, had one brown tooth, lived in an apartment from the 1980s that reeked of fungus, and every night saw examples in television beer, car, and phone commercials of how glorious his life was actually supposed to be. . . . He had never considered himself a racist, but did have a Confederate flag on his main social media page, a symbol of his favorite country band. . . . . [Strangers on social media] claimed, as a white man, he should be more grateful and respectful for everything he had in life, but @jessejameskickass was pretty sure what he had sucked. He was beginning to suspect someone was intentionally screwing him, but he didn’t know who. Black people? Liberals? Foreigners?
. . ..
@socialjusticewarrior was a young, Buddhist, semi-pro Frisbee player in Seattle, Washington, who tried to stay current on the most enlightened, progressive, and socially redeeming thoughts and trends despite the incessant rain. He often saw beer, car and phone commercials showing how his life was supposed to be, and suspected he wa getting screwed.
This dystopian novel of what our country may be becoming is eerily realistic, even if one does not buy the conspiracy theories within it. The solution to prevent it is in our power, especially as attorneys who still have some credibility as a profession. Without giving away any plot lines, here is what one character says, which might very well be the moral of the story:
You may think you know God DOES exist, but you don’t, and even if you did, it’s not your place to judge. Everyone needs the free will to make mistakes, travel their own path toward truth. And you may think you know God does NOT exist, but you don’t KNOW that either. And even if you were right, then personal responsibility matters even more. With technology evolving exponentially, it won’t be long before almost every individual has the ability to destroy us all, so if we don’t have faith in a moral code beyond our personal interest, we’re done. So it’s just about your sincerity to that higher truth, only up to you and you alone.
In short, I highly recommend this novel to anyone with any ideology who is concerned with the level of discourse in the United States today.
Reviewed by Jules Mermelstein, Esq.
Imagine an America divided by ideology. Neither side concerned with facts. Each side believing anything they find on the internet that confirms what they already believe. Each side not believing anything they find on the internet that contradicts what they believe. Indeed, one does not need a great deal of imagination for this. Just log onto any social media site and follow the conversation while refusing to get drawn into it, and one can see it. Our civil society seems to be getting less civil and more accepting of fake news that confirms one’s beliefs while less accepting of facts that contradict one’s beliefs.
As lawyers, who deal with facts every day and use them to convince clients of their best course of action, or try to convince juries to find for our clients, this should concern us greatly.
Now imagine an America in which conspiracy theories are not only believed, but might actually be real. An America in which the government uses the term Islamic terrorists against any group they want to either deny rights to or want to commit acts of violence against. An America in which the belief of alternative conspiracy theories cause people to react with violence against those they perceive to be anti-American. Again, given the recent violent clashes between white supremacists and anti-fascists, one might not need a great deal of imagination for that.
Imagine the whole country divided, fighting, killing relatives on the “other side”. Yes, another civil war. Now you have the plot of Blood Republic, one of the most intriguing, scary, and realistic-to-a-point political thrillers this reviewer has ever read.
Blood Republic was originally published on July 4, 2016, before the results of the 2016 presidential election were known. It revolves around a presidential election in which the Democratic ticket wins the popular vote but there is an apparent tie in the electoral vote as we head into actual voting by the electors. Given the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, it is assumed that if the electors tie, the House will award the Republicans the win.
As an aside from someone who taught the Constitution, I could not help but notice that the novel assumes that one ticket or the other would win, ignoring that the House picks the president and the Senate picks the vice-president. The vice-presidential candidate on the Democratic ticket is the president pro tempore of the Senate, indicating the Democrats have a majority in that house. Of course, by tradition, the president pro tempore is the most senior member of the majority party in the Senate. But, in our novel’s case, it is a 36 year old senator. Aside from these distractions, the plot is believable and scary.
The Republican side has a slogan of “Make America Great Again” and the Democrats champion a program they call voluntary but if someone elects not to participate they suffer a heavy tax burden for making that choice. The Republican presidential candidate is an elderly man with a large mop of blond hair who became famous through television, although as a televangelist not by hosting a reality television show.
Duncan does a masterful job of describing people on social media, so we can immediately identify with the description and also see their similarity. Two examples:
@jessejameskickass was a thirty-two year old steelworker in Birmingham, Alabama. . . . He was white, had one brown tooth, lived in an apartment from the 1980s that reeked of fungus, and every night saw examples in television beer, car, and phone commercials of how glorious his life was actually supposed to be. . . . He had never considered himself a racist, but did have a Confederate flag on his main social media page, a symbol of his favorite country band. . . . . [Strangers on social media] claimed, as a white man, he should be more grateful and respectful for everything he had in life, but @jessejameskickass was pretty sure what he had sucked. He was beginning to suspect someone was intentionally screwing him, but he didn’t know who. Black people? Liberals? Foreigners?
. . ..
@socialjusticewarrior was a young, Buddhist, semi-pro Frisbee player in Seattle, Washington, who tried to stay current on the most enlightened, progressive, and socially redeeming thoughts and trends despite the incessant rain. He often saw beer, car and phone commercials showing how his life was supposed to be, and suspected he wa getting screwed.
This dystopian novel of what our country may be becoming is eerily realistic, even if one does not buy the conspiracy theories within it. The solution to prevent it is in our power, especially as attorneys who still have some credibility as a profession. Without giving away any plot lines, here is what one character says, which might very well be the moral of the story:
You may think you know God DOES exist, but you don’t, and even if you did, it’s not your place to judge. Everyone needs the free will to make mistakes, travel their own path toward truth. And you may think you know God does NOT exist, but you don’t KNOW that either. And even if you were right, then personal responsibility matters even more. With technology evolving exponentially, it won’t be long before almost every individual has the ability to destroy us all, so if we don’t have faith in a moral code beyond our personal interest, we’re done. So it’s just about your sincerity to that higher truth, only up to you and you alone.
In short, I highly recommend this novel to anyone with any ideology who is concerned with the level of discourse in the United States today.
June 27, 2016
The timing of this nerve-wracking book couldn't be more prescient. And Blood Republic pushes political thrillers into the realm of literature. It's filled with intrigue and all the distrust and judgments of our two-party system. This combined with a riveting Plot and tremendous character development elevates this book to a new level of Political Thrillers. James R. Duncan could be the literary love child of Leo Tolstoy and Ayn Rand!
February 12, 2021
My view of this book is colored by the fact that i was reading it in the midst of watching the impeachment hearing of Trump. This book is a political thriller involving a presidential election which has ended in a tie of the electoral votes. Both sides are prepared to do anything to tip the balance in their favor. Imagine if Trump's right wing paramilitary groups were met by an equally vociferous left wing mob. Then imagine the military is involved as well. That gives you just a taste of what is involved in this book. I'm not sure how i feel about the book itself. Ordinarily i would probably think it was over the top. Not feasible. But in this world where a president tried to keep his power by force, it seems less unbelievable. There are few good guys in this book. The one main one ends up being a less than believable. The ending kinda sucked.
October 12, 2020
Confusion and madness
I loved this book,full of action ,story of greed, power,misinformation,conspiracy and heroics.
It is difficult to like most of the characters but there's Henry and Amos who has to go through a trial and tribulations to become a hero.
Then there is Mr Bilderbeck, who is he, what is he, what is his ultimate goal.
The book makes you feel the rising confusion panic and madness
Love it,waiting for the seqyak, I suggest you read it
I loved this book,full of action ,story of greed, power,misinformation,conspiracy and heroics.
It is difficult to like most of the characters but there's Henry and Amos who has to go through a trial and tribulations to become a hero.
Then there is Mr Bilderbeck, who is he, what is he, what is his ultimate goal.
The book makes you feel the rising confusion panic and madness
Love it,waiting for the seqyak, I suggest you read it
February 2, 2021
I’m not a huge fan of political based books whether fiction or nonfiction, but I really enjoyed this. Although this is a work of fiction, this book touches on several themes/ issues that we are currently experiencing in the U.S. This book does a good job of showcasing and foreshadowing what could potentially happen here in the states if we (citizens, politicians, and officials in power) don’t work harder to be more united instead of divided.
September 30, 2020
Now
This book really mirrors the present times and what can so easily happen in our country due to politics and greed. God help us all. I recommend this book and plan to read the sequel.
This book really mirrors the present times and what can so easily happen in our country due to politics and greed. God help us all. I recommend this book and plan to read the sequel.
May 15, 2022
I loved this story. Yes, the editing problems were there, but the story was so good, that most of the time I didn't even realize it.
The cause and effect that was shown for the different characters took me on a roller foaster ride within the pages. I am looking forward to the sequel!!
The cause and effect that was shown for the different characters took me on a roller foaster ride within the pages. I am looking forward to the sequel!!
September 12, 2023
Pretty action packed book. Story about what happens when the country starts breaking down on political lines, and plays off the 2016 election chaos. Sometime hard to follow, but definitely interesting.
December 28, 2020
imaginative and scary...touches on some truths of today
February 6, 2021
Interesting ?
I didn't go for a 5 star hit a part of the book that confused me. And had to reread to straighten out. But a good subject for today's political climate.
I didn't go for a 5 star hit a part of the book that confused me. And had to reread to straighten out. But a good subject for today's political climate.
February 8, 2021
I was very disappointed in the ending!! Too rushed! Too many unanswered questions. But, all in all a good story!
October 3, 2016
I read this book through my Kindle Unlimited account and was very impressed with the storyline and details. The author used social media feeds and news reports to make the plot more engaging and realistic and I really liked that. I also felt a lot of depth with the characters as I got to know them more and more as the story progressed as well as understand their personalities whether I liked them or not. There are a lot of extreme views in this book that led to the fall of the United States of America as a nation and some of them may be hard to digest. I can easily see the average reader dismiss this story as the work of some right wing lunatic. But as I have done my own research over the past decade and see the trends in modern day current events, I wouldn’t be surprised if this story shed some light on our nation’s future within the next 10 to 15 years.
November 16, 2016
Good book. I mostly related to @mrsCee789. "Be positive fuckers!" Funny how that all worked out.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews