Title: New World Orders
Author: E.G. Talbot
Genre: Science Fiction, Conspiracy Theory
Released: 21 May 2008 – 12 November 2008
Located: iTunes, Podiobooks, Author’s Site
Formats Available: Podcast only at this time.
Recently I was trolling for new podfiction and stumbled upon a trailer for New World Orders by Edward G Talbot. I found the trailer intriguing enough to give it a listen. I know that isn’t much of a backstory for a review, but hey, it’s the truth.
So, on to the review.
Synopsis: In the nineteen-sixties, a group of wealthy men concludes that it’s already too late to stop global warming from destroying the planet. But they have a plan to save themselves.
Twenty years later, Jack Crowley and Jim Patterson stumble onto the conspiracy, and every answer they find is accompanied by more questions – and more deaths.
Jack is a former idealist, turned cynical by his years working as a New York tabloid editor. But his enthusiasm returns as he looks into the work of a NASA scientist who tells Jack about cover-ups at the space agency. Jim is a detective with little patience for conspiracy nuts. But he hates loose ends, and is unable to let go of the inconsistencies in another suspicious NASA death. Soon, his investigation leads him to Jack, and they join forces.
As Jack and Jim dig deeper, they are targeted by the type of killers that don’t usually miss. From Washington to Las Vegas to the Middle East, they manage to stay one step ahead of their pursuers in a race to expose the truth, and maybe, just maybe, save the world.
Production: New World Orders is another example of a podcast that begins completely satisfactorily and then continually. New World Orders does make use of a The Story So Far, and unfortunately, it would fall in to the category of a bit of a cumulative recap in some places. All production elements are fine and the podcast is enjoyable to listen to.
Cast: The cast for New World oder is fairly small, but is still a voiced podcast. There are, I believe three regular cast members. Considering the number of characters being voiced and the number of accents available, this is fairly remarkable. I won’t say that each accent is “dead-on” but each voice is distinct and recognizable, and really, what else could I ask for?
Story: I am not a conspiracy theorist. The few conspiracy theorists I know personally are grating and annoy me in a unique way. Although I enjoy a good espionage or military novel on occasion, I don’t usually purchase fiction based on conspiracies. I also don’t subscribe to the science of climate change. New World Orders is, in it’s simplest form, a novel built upon the premise that climate change has been covered up by a world wide conspiracy. The story also “flashes” forward in several places. It does so usually with a transition chapter siting newspaper headlines about the intervening passage of time, usually tying those headlines into the conspiracy. The writers are often brutal to their characters and no character is truly safe.
Verdict: With the previous paragraph stating so many things I am not a fan of, you might think I would give this story a pass. Nope. You see, even if a story isn’t my exact favorite, I will try to recommend it to a particular audience and not just pan it. With New World Orders, I don’t have to try that hard because I DID enjoy it. One thing I’ve never understood is how come so many people get perturbed over fiction. Dan Brown’s stories suck because he is a terrible writer, but he can write whatever fiction he wants and it won’t sway my beliefs. In a similar fashion, New World Orders was an interesting story all on its own and I really enjoyed the characters. The authors had fun with this story, and I appreciated the sarcasm poking fun at themselves in several places. This really was a very large story, and the authors did a nice job tying in a number of actual headlines into their conspiracy theory. If you like Michael Crichton type stories, with a bit of non medical Robin Cook thrown in, I would definitely suggest you give New World Orders a try.
Disclaimer: Ed Parrot, featured in last weeks “How I do it!” started following me on Twitter (@egtalbot) when I announced I was going to give New World Orders. I have returned the follow, and though not the most verbal, his tweets are quite steady and full of community (both things I approve of). I wasn’t offered, nor did I accept, anything in return for this review.
View from Valhalla 
Leave a reply to Richard Green aka Mainframe Cancel reply