a review of Citadel by Susan Kemp
SusanWKemp5.0 out of 5 stars Hard-hitting book by a good writer I’m giving this book such a high mark for three reasons. First, its sheer audacity. It really doesn’t hold back. Each chapter holds a new and horrifying view of our world and its possible future. The book is hard-hitting and very uncomfortable at times, but the book never stops, and it shows how the future could be if we don’t change our present. Reading this novel reminds me how little it takes for the world to transform. The second reason is that there is enormous creativity in Citadel, with concepts presented in a way that I’ve never seen before. Who knows what the future holds, but this is a version that most people wouldn’t see coming. There can’t be any other books like this out there. The third reason is that Jack Remick is a good writer, with many gems throughout the book. This quote doesn’t really epitomize the book but is by one of my favorite characters, Bett, and made me smile: “I tend bar at the Desert Rose, the last stop on the road to Emptyholesville. Ain’t nothin’ I ain’t heard, ain’t nothin’ I ain’t seen, some shit I ain’t done, but there’s still time.” And then there’s this, more in the feel of novel: “Camille shifted in her chair. I expected to see insects flit off her, dust to scatter. She was a ghost. Unearthly. A mind so sharp it cut ruthless and deep and remorseless. Truth.”