Tag Archives: international

New featured images – Governance

The Writing Life of a Tadpole
April 18 2020

As part of an update to my website, I am revamping all my featured images (https://polywogg.ca/new-featured-images-astronomy/). Having already tackled a small one (astronomy) and a large one (website and computers), I am turning my attention to a different challenge — governance. I actually have multiple categories that fall into a “governance” theme, although in many ways, “government” might be a better term for some.

I have an actual category specifically called governance, and I tend to write about a variety of things related to running a government. Elections, public administration, audits. I have more of a technical bent to my topics, and if I was completely candid, it seems like public administration would be the more likely heading. Except from time to time I go above that and intersect with policy and politics. The running of a government at a level above. Not often, but occasionally, and usually related to how the two realms — politics and public administration — intersect.  » Read the rest

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Two O’Clock, Eastern Wartime by John Dunning (PWBR00176)

The Writing Life of a Tadpole
January 12 2020

Plot or Premise

The year is 1942, and Jack Delaney is working as a writer for the local radio station where weird things happen, like actors going missing and potential German spies hiding in plain sight.

What I Liked

The story starts off confused, and a hint of someone in trouble. Delaney has to escape a chain gang to help a woman he loves, even if she is already spoken for in his mind. And the trail leads to a radio station on a coastal town where he gets work. At that point, the story is three-fold — a mystery involving German spies, a love story of sorts, and him learning about the radio busiiness as a writer. The radio business part is awesome.

What I Didn’t Like

The German mystery is confused and the love story doubly so. Most of it makes very little sense and is more “hinted at” than “made real”.  » Read the rest

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Catch Me: Kill Me by William H. Hallahan (PWBR00082)

The Writing Life of a Tadpole
April 16 2016

Plot or Premise

Set in the 1970s, and a Russian poet has sought asylum in the U.S. Days before he qualifies for citizenship, he is kidnapped from Grand Central Station. Why was he taken? How can they help him? Where is he?

What I Liked

The story diverges on two tracks — a black-bag CIA operative comes in from the cold just enough to maintain full deniability while he looks for the man and an FBI manager keeps poking and prodding trying to find out why. Neither one knows the other exists, and the two stories remain fully compartmentalized.

What I Didn’t Like

The opening is extremely descriptive, almost one-step removed from the action, and it takes a while until you are fully engaged in the two tracks.

The Bottom Line

I see why it won awards.

My Rating

🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪️ – 4/5 Enjoyable

Signature, happy reading

Links To My Other Book Reviews

PolyWogg.ca
GoodReads

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Fools, Knaves and Heroes: Great Political Short Stories by Jeffrey Archer and Simon Bainbridge (Editors) (PWBR00080)

The Writing Life of a Tadpole
April 11 2016

Plot or Premise

This is a collection of short political stories from various famous authors dating back to the 1800s.

What I Liked

The best story of the collection is by Mark Twain, entitled The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg (an interesting story of greed that corrupts an inuncorruptible town, prompted by a man wronged by the town). James Thurber’s story, The Greatest Man in the World, is a slightly different take on flying around the world, as a man flies non-stop while the media and public scramble to meet him and the government tries to hide the fact that his character isn’t that great. L.E. Jones’ story, The Bishop’s Aunt, focuses on occupied Eastern Europe during the war and questions of sacrifice, faith, martyrdom, and strategy. And Jeffrey Archer’s own story, The Coup, has two business rivals stranded in Nigeria during a coup, and having to resolve their differences.

What I Didn’t Like

Three stories were good, but not as good as the rest.  » Read the rest

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The Eleventh Commandment by Jeffrey Archer (PWBR00057)

The Writing Life of a Tadpole
March 21 2016

Plot or Premise

Connor Fitzgerald is an assassin for the CIA. Black ops at its best. But when the CIA director orders a hit, and then wants to hide her involvement from the President, she tries to send Fitzgerald on an one-way futile assignment to Russia to prepare an assassination of the Russian Premier. Fitzgerald’s ex-mentor gets involved and figures out the plan, but too late to save CF from getting caught. A couple of twists later, however, and Fitzgerald is back in the States with the same mission — kill the Premier while he sits next to the President.

What I Liked

The storylines were inventive and well done. Not quite at the level of Clancy or De Mille, but well done still. The writing is first-rate and the story moves along at a good clip.

What I Didn’t Like

The relations between the CIA and Fitzgerald, and between the CIA and the Oval Office are not sufficiently fleshed out, leaving the story as having a little too light of a touch for the genre.  » Read the rest

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