Frank Klus - Azaleas Don't Bloom Here

“Hey, this is a time for celebration,” Armstrong said. “We need something for a toast.”

One of the guards said, “How about some bottled water?”

Armstrong guffawed. “Pass it around.” Everyone grabbed a bottle.

“What should we drink to?” Everson Moore said.

Everyone looked at each other, and then Chad said, “I know. Let’s drink to a new beginning.”

Everyone seemed to agree, and so they all raised their bottles of water and shouted, “To a new beginning.”

The administrator came over. “Henry Piper is on his way over. Pamela will be buried next to Redd Piper. Ray and Cassandra are heroes and will be buried in the Field of Honor, where men and women who died to make this country happen are laid to rest.”

As the first wisp of light graced the landscape with the promise of a new day, Sandra turned to Eugene, with a loving smile. “We’re home now.” She was still smiling as she interlocked her arm in his. Then she took a deep breath. “Feel that air.”

Eugene inhaled too. “It feels like the campground my father took me to when I was just a boy.”

“It feels like the park we walked through on the way to school,” she said.

Eugene smiled as he turned to her. “It feels like home.”

“Look!” Sandra said. “The cars!” Dozens of reporters from all over New America descended on the little border area to greet the new pilgrims. They wanted to know who these brave people were, and gain news of what they were fleeing.

The little group stared at the headlights coming around the bend. “God, I wish Pamela, Ray, and Cassandra could see this,” Armstrong said.

“Maybe they do,” said Anna, arm and arm with Dennis now.

“Hey, Eugene and Sandy! The welcome wagon’s here,” Wrenn yelled. But they didn’t hear him, as they were locked in a loving embrace. Freed from the dark forces that tormented them, the two found the love so savagely stolen away. Melting into each other’s arms, they found what they had lost all those terrible months ago.

Cover and formatting by Book Stylings— bookstylings.com

Edited by Amanda Lyons—nightshades44637@gmail.com

Special thanks to Saul Bottcher for help with the book title saulbottcher@indiebooklauncher.com

Firstly, I must say, I do enjoy a good dystopian novel so I settled down with Azaleas Don’t Bloom Here (excellent title by the way) with high expectations of death, destruction and general mayhem.

The opening chapter basically sets the scene: Old Chicago, The Dead District in 2065, a district of decay and hopelessness for anybody living there. The author has a magical pen when describing the setting, for example, the skyscrapers along Michigan Avenue became tombstones. The only problem is, it is a bit of an info. dump. I’d much prefer to be fed ‘broken street lamps’ and ‘broken shards of glass’ whilst the characters interacted; it’d make for a more absorbing read. However, it is well written and the author successfully shows the reader a horrific, if not slightly stereotypical, dystopian world.

In Chapter Two, things pick up a bit. We meet Eugene, the hero of the story, for the first time, and we get a glimpse of the Fortress where all the affluent hang out. On a side note, there is a strong political element to this novel; in many ways it is a commentary on the present world. For example, the Fortress; is it not, simply, a metaphor for a gated housing estate? Keep Out! Trespassers Will Be Shot!

Anyway, at the Chapter Three mark, the pace of the story picks up. There is an element of mystery to the story which kept me happily absorbed until 3 o’clock in the morning. Not surprisingly, for a book of this nature, there is plenty of murder, blood and gore but, thankfully, not too much. The author works hard to offer the reader not only the mayhem of his dystopian world but also a clever plot and strong characters.

If there is anything that needs working on it is the speech between the characters. Often, it felt a little ‘immature’ and rushed. For example, in Chapter 2, Eugene is pulled over by Dennis, by a member of the dreaded Lightning Squad. It turns out that Dennis and Eugene are old school pals but, oddly, they only chat for a few seconds; and what they say is simply what they need to say to further the plot. No ‘How’s life?’, ‘What y’ been up to?’ or ‘The last time I saw you, you were drunk on vodka.’

Well, I finished the novel three nights later and I did very much enjoy it. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep me interested and the characters (good and evil) were interesting and well developed. The ending was also excellent and, closing my computer, I knew I’d be happy to open another of this author’s books.

I always like to end with a ‘what struck me the most’ comment. Well, ‘what struck me the most’ about this novel was the knowledge of the author. He knows this genre very, VERY well and this shows in the depth of the futuristic world he created. It is a very scary world but, still, it’s fun getting lost in it. Enjoy!

Frank T. Klus was born in Chicago, has degrees in business and technology. This is his second novel. He currently lives in Phoenix, Az.

© 2016 by Frank T. Klus. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any written, electronic, recording, or photocopying without written permission of the author. The exception would be in the case of brief quotations embodied in the critical articles or reviews and pages where permission is specifically granted by the author.

Cover Design: BookStylings.com

Formatting: BookStylings.com

Publisher: Self-published by Frank T. Klus ( ftklus@mail.com)

Editor: Amanda Lyons