
The Chaos of Change by J T Riggen is a political thriller set, perhaps not too very far in the future. The citizens of the United States have had enough of the Federal Government. They no longer believe that the Federal Government is working for their best interests. The country has effectively split into four factions; the Northern Alliance, made up predominately of states on the north eastern seaboard of the US; The Southern Alliance, which tends to follow the makeup of the Civil War confederacy; the Western Alliance, mainly California; and finally a small group of Federal Government people, led by CIA Director Shane Ripley, who are determined to bring normalcy back to the United States. Ripley and his team, recruit Thaddeus Jackson, the estranged son of a former President (now the leader of the Southern Alliance) to try to be the diplomat that stops all out Civil-War from developing.
In The Chaos of Change, J T Riggen has brought to life a scenario that seems frighteningly familiar to those watching current events unfold in the US. The cultural schisms we currently see occurring in US society may indeed lead to the type of scenario outlined in this story. This is a fast-moving, action-filled novel of politics and war that is easy to read and identify with. It is worth noting, for potential readers, that this novel is merely the first of what is no doubt planned to be a series on this subject. As such, the ending does leave the reader (a) wanting more and (b) waiting for the second book in the series. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing at all, but readers should be aware. The characters in this book are as interesting, as they are diverse as are some of the technologies the author has come up with, to give the story some future aspect. I enjoyed the read and, if only for the parallels to today’s America, I would definitely recommend it to lovers of political thriller and intrigue.