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Black Swan #1
Dysphoria: A Novel of America's Coming Financial Nightmare
America's financial doomsday. A wayward son. The epic struggle to survive.
Country music icon Shane Black is this year's headliner for the New Year's Eve bash in Times Square, but when violent riots break out, he'll need more than a six string to escape New York City.
After decades of abuse as the world's reserve currency, the US Dollar's day of reckoning is at hand. Without a functioning monetary system to purchase basic goods, society rapidly descends into abject chaos. Protests, looting, and bloodletting take the place of civility in a country which becomes thoroughly unhinged.
Thrust into an apocalyptic gauntlet of terror, Shane must resort to savage brutality to get out of Manhattan alive.
Could the impending currency collapse be the broken road that leads him home?
Shane left everyone and everything he knew to chase the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. He found fortune and fame but can't forgive himself for abandoning his hometown sweetheart, Julianna. She moved on years ago, but when Julianna shares a secret with Shane, it changes his life forever.
The coming economic meltdown will bring America to her knees.
The impending pension crisis proves to be the catalyst which pushes the US economy to the brink. With no other tools at their disposal, the Federal Government is forced to print an unprecedented amount of new currency. Faith in the dollar erodes and the dominos start falling.
Don't miss this chilling glimpse into America's future. Read Black Swan, a pulse-pounding tale of redemption and survival, today!
As with all works by Mark Goodwin, this book contains no profanity and no embarrassing sex scenes. However, if you're offended by conservative principles and references to Scripture, this book might not be for you.
Country music icon Shane Black is this year's headliner for the New Year's Eve bash in Times Square, but when violent riots break out, he'll need more than a six string to escape New York City.
After decades of abuse as the world's reserve currency, the US Dollar's day of reckoning is at hand. Without a functioning monetary system to purchase basic goods, society rapidly descends into abject chaos. Protests, looting, and bloodletting take the place of civility in a country which becomes thoroughly unhinged.
Thrust into an apocalyptic gauntlet of terror, Shane must resort to savage brutality to get out of Manhattan alive.
Could the impending currency collapse be the broken road that leads him home?
Shane left everyone and everything he knew to chase the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. He found fortune and fame but can't forgive himself for abandoning his hometown sweetheart, Julianna. She moved on years ago, but when Julianna shares a secret with Shane, it changes his life forever.
The coming economic meltdown will bring America to her knees.
The impending pension crisis proves to be the catalyst which pushes the US economy to the brink. With no other tools at their disposal, the Federal Government is forced to print an unprecedented amount of new currency. Faith in the dollar erodes and the dominos start falling.
Don't miss this chilling glimpse into America's future. Read Black Swan, a pulse-pounding tale of redemption and survival, today!
As with all works by Mark Goodwin, this book contains no profanity and no embarrassing sex scenes. However, if you're offended by conservative principles and references to Scripture, this book might not be for you.
276 pages, Paperback
Published July 15, 2019
530 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
About the author
Mark Goodwin
129 books418 followersMark Goodwin is a Christian author and host of the popular Prepper Recon Podcast which interviews patriots, preppers and economists to help people prepare for the uncertain times ahead. His previous fiction series, The Days of Noah spent several months at number one on the Amazon best-sellers list in multiple categories. His first series, The Economic Collapse Chronicles, also hit the Amazon best-sellers list in several categories.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
August 11, 2019
An awakening
Believable. Plausible. Certain to occur within our lifetime. Predictable, unavoidable, all encompassing and fatal. The most significant society soon the history of the world, scuttled by its elected government.
Believable. Plausible. Certain to occur within our lifetime. Predictable, unavoidable, all encompassing and fatal. The most significant society soon the history of the world, scuttled by its elected government.
April 18, 2024
2.5 stars, rounded to 3.
Goodwin writes quick hits that make you think and that can be fun to read. I really enjoyed Days of Noah, and figured this would be similar. And to a point, it is. I'm not taking issue with the situational probabilities or anything like that. My primary issue for this book came with the absolute lack of tension, build up, or development.
This book is basically an outline that deserved much more time. I am not sure if Mr. Goodwin is uncomfortable with writing drawn out conflict or rather he is just trying to make his books concise to the extreme, but there is little to no development here. While providing no understanding of why characters do what they do at anything beyond surface level, he yet simultaneously telegraphs exactly how the entire book is going to play out from the beginning. You know who will live. You know who will die. Highly predictable, and highly related to a characters likability.
It's obvious that Goodwin puts a lot of research into his situational set ups. I just wish he took more time to flesh out his characters and allowed tension to exist between characters for more than a few pages. I wish he would let unlikeable characters stick around and make things uncomfortable- it generally makes for a better book.
Goodwin writes quick hits that make you think and that can be fun to read. I really enjoyed Days of Noah, and figured this would be similar. And to a point, it is. I'm not taking issue with the situational probabilities or anything like that. My primary issue for this book came with the absolute lack of tension, build up, or development.
This book is basically an outline that deserved much more time. I am not sure if Mr. Goodwin is uncomfortable with writing drawn out conflict or rather he is just trying to make his books concise to the extreme, but there is little to no development here. While providing no understanding of why characters do what they do at anything beyond surface level, he yet simultaneously telegraphs exactly how the entire book is going to play out from the beginning. You know who will live. You know who will die. Highly predictable, and highly related to a characters likability.
It's obvious that Goodwin puts a lot of research into his situational set ups. I just wish he took more time to flesh out his characters and allowed tension to exist between characters for more than a few pages. I wish he would let unlikeable characters stick around and make things uncomfortable- it generally makes for a better book.
September 5, 2019
I wanted to like this book since I think the premise of a disastrous crash of the economy is not only a different take in this genre, but a very real and very scary possibility. The flow of the writing is decent as is the editing. Unfortunately, for me, this book fell short in so many ways. First, in the intro, he said that Social Security is an unfunded liability. Really? We all pay into Social security with each paycheck, hardly unfunded, and it was the Reagan government which allowed SS to be taxed and become fund that the government could "use" when needed. The premise of this book has the fall of the economy start with having to fund social security which had been depleted. So the cause really isn't SS needed an emergency influx of funding, but the fact that the government robbed from it in the first place, right? There is also an over-emphasis on religion which I always find annoying. Shane starts out as a true good guy and the scene with the little girl in the car accident was nicely done. However, by the middle of the book, Shane has become a character in a bad country western song. Lilith and Bridgette were just terrible caricatures of stupid, ditsy women. Several characters were predictably and conveniently removed to make way for the main characters to bond. I just don't see a reason for me to continue the series.
January 10, 2020
Another great trilogy from Goodwin. The individual books were a little short, but I get that's how the industry is going these days. The character cast was original with Shane, a country music star, caught amidst the escalating protests in Time Square on new year's eve. His body guard, who was probably my favorite character. And, a good deal of drama among the characters themselves, let alone the world around them during a financial collapse.
Mark always does a great job of bringing realism to his stories, whether it be the characters themselves, the dialogue, the plot or even just the little events in between. You know you're sucked into a story when you start berating characters aloud when listening in the car. Shane may have been frustrating from time to time, but I feel like that just added to the realism.
Mark always does a great job of bringing realism to his stories, whether it be the characters themselves, the dialogue, the plot or even just the little events in between. You know you're sucked into a story when you start berating characters aloud when listening in the car. Shane may have been frustrating from time to time, but I feel like that just added to the realism.
April 7, 2020
My New Favorite Author
Since Covid 19 I've started reading a lot about end times again. It's among my favorite genres and this novel has bits and pieces that are actually happening now. Promises of solving a financial crisis with a stimulus to restore faith in our government, chaos, fear, lawlessness, etc. I love the Bible references and quotes from well known philosophers and leaders that open my eyes to the fact that this is not a new scenario, but a continuation of controlling the masses. Good vs evil is a choice we make.
Since Covid 19 I've started reading a lot about end times again. It's among my favorite genres and this novel has bits and pieces that are actually happening now. Promises of solving a financial crisis with a stimulus to restore faith in our government, chaos, fear, lawlessness, etc. I love the Bible references and quotes from well known philosophers and leaders that open my eyes to the fact that this is not a new scenario, but a continuation of controlling the masses. Good vs evil is a choice we make.
February 4, 2024
A book that will get you thinking now is the time for action. The end of the dollar and the nightmare that will shortly follow Are you prepared, do you have food stored that would feed your family for possibly a year or longer,plenty of water? I Think this book is pretty prolific when we see the current situation. The story lines within the crisis, with those who are gathered together add to the creation of a book that keeps you wanting more. Thank god there is more to come…on to the next one. Note- if you use audible books the narrator KEVIN PIERCE is amazing and easy to listen to.
August 16, 2019
So Realistic!
Mark never disappoints. His books are realistic because they are based on possible if not likely scenarios. In this book, Shane Black is a country music superstar. His band has been tapped to play at the New Year's Eve "ball drop in New York City. Just before they play the economy tanks and government promises don't help the situation. For the fast-paced rest of the story, read the book. I definitely recommend this book!
Mark never disappoints. His books are realistic because they are based on possible if not likely scenarios. In this book, Shane Black is a country music superstar. His band has been tapped to play at the New Year's Eve "ball drop in New York City. Just before they play the economy tanks and government promises don't help the situation. For the fast-paced rest of the story, read the book. I definitely recommend this book!
July 1, 2020
Intense, fast paced, excellent story...
Was not sure to expect, but I am glad I took a chance on this book. The characters and storyline are well thought out, believable and like-able. Although this is a work of fiction with everything happening in our world I could see this, or some version playing out in real life. Makes you think am I ready, what would o do, etc. with reading!
Was not sure to expect, but I am glad I took a chance on this book. The characters and storyline are well thought out, believable and like-able. Although this is a work of fiction with everything happening in our world I could see this, or some version playing out in real life. Makes you think am I ready, what would o do, etc. with reading!
August 16, 2019
Inspiring
This is truly scary, too close to reality. A storyline that pulls you in and you become absorbed, pulling all the ranges of emotions to the maximum. I found myself feeling closer to God after finishing the book, & wanting to read more of the Bible. Hopefully the second book in series will be coming soon, need answers to several cliffhangers!
This is truly scary, too close to reality. A storyline that pulls you in and you become absorbed, pulling all the ranges of emotions to the maximum. I found myself feeling closer to God after finishing the book, & wanting to read more of the Bible. Hopefully the second book in series will be coming soon, need answers to several cliffhangers!
August 18, 2019
A lamentation of black swans
Following a country star as his rich and famous life dissolves and as America faces several economic nightmare situations was an interesting and thought provoking story. I recommend that you read it now, to understand the black swan analogy, as Mark Goodwin describes it clearly and concisely. I highly recommend.
Following a country star as his rich and famous life dissolves and as America faces several economic nightmare situations was an interesting and thought provoking story. I recommend that you read it now, to understand the black swan analogy, as Mark Goodwin describes it clearly and concisely. I highly recommend.
August 21, 2019
Another Great Mark Goodwin Book!!
Discovered many titles by Mark Goodwin about a year ago. Quickly read every one I could find, as they definitely do not disappoint. Always a great array of characters and multi dimensions to the stories. Black Swan Book 1 is another great read. Can't wait for Book 2!!
Discovered many titles by Mark Goodwin about a year ago. Quickly read every one I could find, as they definitely do not disappoint. Always a great array of characters and multi dimensions to the stories. Black Swan Book 1 is another great read. Can't wait for Book 2!!
September 27, 2019
Couldn't Put It Down
Chose this rating due to the fact it was a very descriptive book of what can happen. I don't want to be a "Lilith" with my head in the sand but I pray this will stay fiction and not become prophetic. It's amazing how small mistakes can change your life and affect the lives of others. Great job. Thank you.
Chose this rating due to the fact it was a very descriptive book of what can happen. I don't want to be a "Lilith" with my head in the sand but I pray this will stay fiction and not become prophetic. It's amazing how small mistakes can change your life and affect the lives of others. Great job. Thank you.
November 23, 2019
Hard Truth
Just an action novel but loaded with prophetic action. Well worth reading just for the heads up but also well written and entertaining. We are indeed facing dark and dangerous times and getting prepared for the very real possibility of a societal breakdown is in every thinking person’s best interest.
Just an action novel but loaded with prophetic action. Well worth reading just for the heads up but also well written and entertaining. We are indeed facing dark and dangerous times and getting prepared for the very real possibility of a societal breakdown is in every thinking person’s best interest.
December 15, 2019
As Usual Mark Goodwin has another winner
The storyline is very believable, especially considering what has recently went on with the global banks. Our financial system could easily come crashing down and we are just days away from complete chaos. Here's hoping Mark's books will wake up some people into getting prepared.
The storyline is very believable, especially considering what has recently went on with the global banks. Our financial system could easily come crashing down and we are just days away from complete chaos. Here's hoping Mark's books will wake up some people into getting prepared.
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June 7, 2020 On the Mark
Once again, Mark Goodwin has put together a story that grabs your attention from cover to cover. As we are living through this pandemic and the world as we know it has made such drastic changes, it almost seems he was inspired to write this series of books as a guide help prepare us for the "new normal" which is quickly becoming a reality.
Once again, Mark Goodwin has put together a story that grabs your attention from cover to cover. As we are living through this pandemic and the world as we know it has made such drastic changes, it almost seems he was inspired to write this series of books as a guide help prepare us for the "new normal" which is quickly becoming a reality.
August 24, 2020
Frighteningly real!
I find it hard to read how quickly Christians can resort to killing. The level of violence escalates immediately and you must decide what you will do. How do you protect your family and your preparations without becoming a killer yourself. I can't imagine a time like this. I hope I never have to see it close up.
I find it hard to read how quickly Christians can resort to killing. The level of violence escalates immediately and you must decide what you will do. How do you protect your family and your preparations without becoming a killer yourself. I can't imagine a time like this. I hope I never have to see it close up.
August 10, 2019
One of best book I have read
This is one of Mark best books. I couldn’t put it down I read the book in a day and half. I can see the relationship of what is happening in America today.
This is one of Mark best books. I couldn’t put it down I read the book in a day and half. I can see the relationship of what is happening in America today.
August 30, 2019
Black Swan
I’ve really enjoyed following Shane Black on his journey
To deal with the failing economy and his search for Christ.
Very realistic with today’s headlines intermingled throughout the story
I’ve really enjoyed following Shane Black on his journey
To deal with the failing economy and his search for Christ.
Very realistic with today’s headlines intermingled throughout the story
September 3, 2019
Excellent
Once again a great story by Mr Goodwin, not that I have come to expect anything less than excellent from him. Very likeable characters, a great storyline, believeable back story all contributes to a story3that will keep you spellbound from the first page to the last.
Once again a great story by Mr Goodwin, not that I have come to expect anything less than excellent from him. Very likeable characters, a great storyline, believeable back story all contributes to a story3that will keep you spellbound from the first page to the last.
September 13, 2019
Very believable
Starts off like another day
The slope is tolerable at first.
Then add in a high level of denial and men taking the boy out path of least resistance.
Mix in some liberal opinions and actions.
Then wonder why the wheels came off.
Will the boys ever man up?
Starts off like another day
The slope is tolerable at first.
Then add in a high level of denial and men taking the boy out path of least resistance.
Mix in some liberal opinions and actions.
Then wonder why the wheels came off.
Will the boys ever man up?
October 8, 2019
Well written!
Very well written, interesting and realistic! This should serve as a wake up call to every reader to prepare and pray that our country can make the tough decisions to change the unsustainable policies that will lead to exactly this kind of situation!
Very well written, interesting and realistic! This should serve as a wake up call to every reader to prepare and pray that our country can make the tough decisions to change the unsustainable policies that will lead to exactly this kind of situation!
December 8, 2019
Fantastic
Another great Christian based novel! And you don't have to be Christian to appreciate good fiction. It does not try to influence anyone but tells a very good take of post apocalyptic world and the way people deal with it.
Another great Christian based novel! And you don't have to be Christian to appreciate good fiction. It does not try to influence anyone but tells a very good take of post apocalyptic world and the way people deal with it.
January 20, 2020
Black Swan
Have you ever heard of a black swan, and no I am not talking about a bird. Neither have i. Until now are you prepared for an event that could bring us to our knees. And I am talking about the United States of America.
Have you ever heard of a black swan, and no I am not talking about a bird. Neither have i. Until now are you prepared for an event that could bring us to our knees. And I am talking about the United States of America.
February 5, 2020
Loved it.
I enjoyed this book. I'm normally a slow reader but this story kept me at a rapid pace. It gave me a lot of food for thought regarding these last days. I look forward to the next book.
I enjoyed this book. I'm normally a slow reader but this story kept me at a rapid pace. It gave me a lot of food for thought regarding these last days. I look forward to the next book.
April 30, 2020
Great book
Couldn't put it down! The author grips you from the very first page to, "what!, It's over already!" . Thank goodness that he has a second and third book. I am sure it will be just as exciting as the first. And informative...
Couldn't put it down! The author grips you from the very first page to, "what!, It's over already!" . Thank goodness that he has a second and third book. I am sure it will be just as exciting as the first. And informative...
November 9, 2020
Great
Another great book by Mark Goodwin. I love the characters in this series. I would recommend this book and all of Mark’s books. I’m listening to the complete box set on Audible.
Another great book by Mark Goodwin. I love the characters in this series. I would recommend this book and all of Mark’s books. I’m listening to the complete box set on Audible.
May 5, 2021
100% prophetic
If you’re still living under a rock, in denial or are one of the many missing a significant part of your brain, do yourself a favor and read this trilogy. This book spells out exactly how the end of America starts.
If you’re still living under a rock, in denial or are one of the many missing a significant part of your brain, do yourself a favor and read this trilogy. This book spells out exactly how the end of America starts.
October 29, 2021
Very good story
I really liked the story. Only thought is that with fuel unaffordable and money almost worthless, why was the power on and television and cell phones were working? Maybe people lived at the power plants?
I really liked the story. Only thought is that with fuel unaffordable and money almost worthless, why was the power on and television and cell phones were working? Maybe people lived at the power plants?
December 24, 2021
An excellent story with biblical overtones. The characters appear real and their lives are seemingly like those of everyday people attempting to do better, even sometimes blinded by their attempts at prosperity only to find that there's more to life than that.
January 8, 2023
Another realistic adventure into a world that seems relatable with all that is currently happening. The wisdom of this author, wrapped up in fictional format, all while equipping us to thrive in the midst of chaos is genius.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews