ARA Review by RuthMitchell of Final Notice

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RuthMitchell
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ARA Review by RuthMitchell of Final Notice

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[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, Final Notice.]
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4 out of 5 stars
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Final Notice
by Van Fleisher

Fleisher presents a science fiction precept in real time based on his unabashed values and concerns for our society due to profit-driven legislation that puts gun sales before human lives. Written in the time of Donald Trump’s presidency, this work of fiction brings to light our diminishing cultural values. It is as if we have journeyed through a war zone and now coming out of the fog of warfare, can be appalled at the lack of humanity during this time.

Imagine a culture so similar to ours but insert one very important element, the Final Notice watch. The VT2 watch invented by a brilliant immigrant Doctor, cleverly mirrors the ingenious qualities of a smart phone, but has one added feature that makes the entire premise of the book work. The phone has the capability to predict a person’s death within thirty days.

Given to suspend our belief and this watch truly is possible, we are taken through this all too uncomfortable journey by the author with various scenarios as different actors wear the watch in clinical trials through the suggestion of their medical doctor. These unlikely people, who might otherwise never commit murder, end up choosing this option with the knowledge of their own demise close at hand.

Fleisher’s straightforward writing style creates an eerie ‘realness’ to the story that sometimes feels like we are not reading fiction, but the headlines could be coming straight from our own news sources. The book is definitely a wake-up call for any novice who toys with the idea of owning a gun.

We are immersed into the lives of such innocents as Trudi and Vince, who get lured into gun-ownership due to heavy promotion of the NRA and their own bizarre circumstances which cause them to seek revenge. Fleisher also explores the dalliance of one aging Republican Senator who tries to denounce the surge of his party into inhumane activities.

Another theme presented in the book is a look into the plight of modern immigrants to the U.S. who are treated with less than kindness merely for existing in our society despite their many contributions.

The finale of the book ends up in a fireworks-display shoot-out at an NRA convention providing a good dose of irony for the reader. We are not so much surprised as we are concerned for the perpetrators, who have come there to make a statement, but are met with the knew-jerk reactions of people carrying weapons designed to kill. The blood-bath comes as no surprise.

I give Final Notice a 4 out of 5 star rating. With most of the weight going toward the execution of a Sci-fi concept deftly executed in a glaring look at our gun-toting society as a whole. If you lean to the left politically, you will be nodding your head a lot while reading this book. If you lean to the right, and you are open to another way of thinking, then this would be a good book for you to read.

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