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Government Man (The Light Behind Shadows Part 1)
by
As a government agent, Caleb Weiss is accustomed to taking orders and keeping his head down. Somebody has to do the dirty work. He knows his government is crooked, but he has no reason to tip the status quo...until they push him.
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MAN. This story just absolutely blew me away! Having read both Dawson's Creation of Jack series and her Lost Empire series (and both are amazing by the way), I've come to have very high expectations when it comes to her stories. Yet never did I expect a story as short as this one could have such a well developed, complex protagonist, and make me feel so many things. I felt pleased when Caleb finally realized his mistake, I felt warm and fuzzy when Weiss reconciled with his wife, and I felt both
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I tend to really enjoy well-made Dystopias (in other words, pretty much anything except Divergent), so I was engrossed in Government Man from the very first paragraph. And the rest of the story did not disappoint! Admittedly, I did not find the dystopian government in the story particularly unique or impressionable among the vast array of dystopian governments that already exist in literature—but this, I felt, was surprisingly one of Government Man’s foremost strengths. Rather than focusing prim
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E.B. Dawson has a knack for short stories. Despite the length, it had all of the elements of a full-length novel. Engaging characters, fast-paced plot, intriguing politics, a couple of plot twists, and an ending that both closed this story beautifully yet also made me want to know "what happens next?" The two things I enjoyed most were the characters. Caleb was a well-developed protagonist, with both his external and internal conflicts plain to see, making you sympathize with him throughout the
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That was SO INTENSE. Oh my goodness! So, I’m not a big fan of dystopian type stories, but this one was super fascinating and kept me very intrigued the whole time. ACK. It was so well-written and fascinating (I know I keep using that word for this author’s stories, but I can’t help it because it’s true). I loved Caleb, our point of view undercover character. It’s set in a dystopian society with some of the usual things, but somehow unique too, and I loved some of the new spins on it. Especially
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I’d been looking forward to reading Government Man for a while, and when I finally dived in, I was not disappointed! It’s a dystopian adventure told through multiple POVs, following one man’s journey to the realization that he’s been fighting the wrong war all along. Each of the POV characters were unique, and I found myself chuckling more than once while reading the descriptions of Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. (After all, don’t we all know people like that?) And even though the story wrapped up nicely
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E.B. Dawson is an incredible author. And nowhere is that shown more than in her short stories. She has the ability to really bring a lot of power to a piece of short fiction. Just showing you enough to drag you in, and leaving clues that will grow a universe in your mind but only let you experience a piece of it.
Government Man is an impressive piece of short fiction. I say this knowing just how HARD short fiction is to write. She packs this short story full of twists and turns, strong characte ...more
Government Man is an impressive piece of short fiction. I say this knowing just how HARD short fiction is to write. She packs this short story full of twists and turns, strong characte ...more
Amazing, thought-provoking story! I cannot wrap my mind around all of the great world-building and character development that took place in such a short story.
The world portrayed in Government Man is very large, grey, and impersonal. I got an immediate sense of insidious propaganda and misplaced loyalties, but there was enough ambiguity to keep me guessing as to who was good, who was bad, and what exactly was going on. I loved that I felt in the dark when the main character did and enlightened a ...more
The world portrayed in Government Man is very large, grey, and impersonal. I got an immediate sense of insidious propaganda and misplaced loyalties, but there was enough ambiguity to keep me guessing as to who was good, who was bad, and what exactly was going on. I loved that I felt in the dark when the main character did and enlightened a ...more
Didn't know if this would be my kind of story. I tend to shy away from the dystopian genre but the characters, plot and world building were great!
This was my first E.B. Dawson story and it won't be my last.
This was my first E.B. Dawson story and it won't be my last.
Dang. Sometimes I wonder if Dawson purposefully does this with her work... teases and teases and then boom. It’s over. WHY!?
Well, for starters, Government Man was everything I was hoping it would be. Per usual, the questions Dawson asks are always compelling without being slammed into your face. This story is no exception. The characters are immediately relatable. I only wish we could have seen more emotion. While on the one hand that characters are in-depth, on the other sometimes I felt like ...more
Well, for starters, Government Man was everything I was hoping it would be. Per usual, the questions Dawson asks are always compelling without being slammed into your face. This story is no exception. The characters are immediately relatable. I only wish we could have seen more emotion. While on the one hand that characters are in-depth, on the other sometimes I felt like ...more
I’m in awe at how much emotion Dawson packed into such a small word count. She built a dystopian world that seems not too far from our current one, and managed to hint at worlds of depth beyond what we saw in the pages. Her characters were great, and she surprised me by turning a couple tropes on their heads. "Government Man" sucked me in and kept me reading straight through—and now I want to go fight injustice and protect the innocent!
I loved this short story... it was quick pace and I fell in love with the protagonist instantly.
If I might complain though, I wish this was a long novel, because I want MORE. So please join me in protesting against E.B.Dawson and her amazing short stories. Because I want more.
Or maybe I can blame her for my agony when this short story ended due to the fact I couldn't handle it when it was over.
Really though, don't protest, just support her and her amazing short story skills instead. Because I h ...more
If I might complain though, I wish this was a long novel, because I want MORE. So please join me in protesting against E.B.Dawson and her amazing short stories. Because I want more.
Or maybe I can blame her for my agony when this short story ended due to the fact I couldn't handle it when it was over.
Really though, don't protest, just support her and her amazing short story skills instead. Because I h ...more
This is an excellent concept that is beautifully executed. The tight pacing and and compelling characters suck the reader right into the story from beginning to end.
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I grew up in Southeast Asia. My first experience with America was when I was six years old. Sometimes I amuse my friends by telling them stories of my first impressions of this country (clean bathrooms, Toy Story, Taco Bell, getting lost in department stores).
My family moved to California when I was eleven and completely changed the course of my life. On the outside I'm a well-adjusted American a ...more
My family moved to California when I was eleven and completely changed the course of my life. On the outside I'm a well-adjusted American a ...more
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