THRILLER REVIEW: THE PHOENIX YEAR BY DAVID L. BLOND

 
The Phoenix Year 
David L. Blond
Publisher: Wattle Publishing
Published: Out Now!
Pages: 332 
Review by : Sandra Scholes

Well versed in the use of predicting the data for global economic models, Blond started his career working for the United Nations in Geneva in the 70s and currently works as a private economic consultant where he analyses economic data. It is likely his job rubbed off on him as he has created a novel, though fiction is build as a could have happened scenario where a bunch of billionaires can change the world if they put their minds to  it. "...from out of the fire, would rise a new order, like the legend of the phoenix. There would emerge a new world, a new super economy..."

The novel's title is basically to do with the billionaires who have come back after the anniversary of their induction into the Society of the Phoenix. They plan to change the world and all are very powerful in their own way; Heinrich Von Kliese being the leader, Michael Ross is an economic advisor to the president, Ben Masters is a property tycoon who has recently been disgraced, Natalya Avramowitz is a spy and Russian economist and Kim is a CIA agent.

As the society is using these people and their influence against their will, they  have to find a way to prevent financial breakdown if they and the rest of the world are to survive. At the heart of this plot is Kliese who is involved in  insider trading, human slavery and corruption inside the government.

Though this is a work of fiction, Blond has used his knowledge of economic models and government figures to great effect giving readers a good idea of what might happen if we relied on a truly corrupt and inefficient government. He knows that Kliese's idea of a new world order would only cripple the public and later the ones at the top, creating a global catastrophe of devastating proportions. Wanting to atone for their past sins, the billionaires decide to club together to prevent Kliese's ideal world becoming a reality, but they have to act fast, as fast-paced as this action thriller is. The story draws on the financial problems readers have heard about for over the past ten years and all the fears they bring with them. Many will enjoy reading about the lives of the billionaires mentioned above and what they can do in the present to make sure a financial armageddon doesn't happen. The main point of this thriller is to say that if these influential men and women can't prevent this imminent catastrophe, what will happen to them and the rest of the world during the collapse.

There is a sense of real-life drama about Ross, Masters and Avramowitz as they tackle the problems they face head-on. I liked the strong characters, the pacing and the ending very much as it's a character driven roller-coaster of a novel.