(Ms.
Bixler served as an editor for Rainbow's End Publishing Company. Ms. Bixler also edited the works of individual
published authors, including Enid Portnoy, Make Their Days; Joseph Fortney, One Man's Madness; Meredith
Campbell, Righteous Warriors, Thomas Kemp, The Road From Here to Where You Stay, et. al.
Bloom
By William Gallaty
A
WAG Productions Book
ISBN: 1440468001
270 Pages
I was thoroughly enjoying the action and
adventure! And, if William Gallaty, author of Bloom, had not added that last twist—that last surprise, I might
have enjoyed his book better. But when he did...he added the realism that made it more believable and thus more memorable—more...unsettling!
And it all started with three tiny seeds!
Although defeated, Hitler had initiated many hateful
activities. One of them was to commission scientists to find a way to murder and eliminate all peoples of a given nation!
The method to be used was to create food products that would ultimately destroy the people who consumed them! The seeds were
never used during the war; however, once over, a certain scientist saw a way to make his own fortune and he sold three seeds
to another group who hated, who wished to eliminate entire nations. But to do this, it would require someone who
would become a traitor to his own people, so that the food would be grown and accepted where it was needed. Unfortunately,
that was not hard to do! From those seeds, a multinational company, Manna, was created from which nearly all food products
were bought and used, with notable exceptions...
Years have gone by and Collette
Dubois, a doctor working in Africa, and in communication with another friend in India, have begun to realize the high morality
rate for infants. As individuals start talking and conducting research, they are more and more convinced that the problem
could very well be with the food that the countries’ populations and their animals are consuming. Indeed,
Collette is one of the first to put it in words, “she had been party to what might be considered a long-term form of
genocide.” (p. 65)
Interestingly, the author chooses an investment
firm executive to be one of the leading characters rather than, say, a scientist. It’s not surprising, because the money
angle definitely was one of the leading factors leading to the catastrophe; however, in my opinion, by choosing the financial
leader, it allowed an entirely different scenario to be developed and explored—a potent angle that proved to be exciting
and unique. For Brad Sanders realized that he had to potentially go against one of his major account owners, while at the
same time, he had to consider the potential market losses of other major clients.
There are sufficient terrorist “hits” of all those attempting to verify and announce what has been happening to
provide great action and suspense! However, I must say that the overall storyline, frankly, was “scary,” and perhaps
more horrific because of the realism! Gallaty added to this feeling by adding quotes by Hitler, religious books and politicians
at the beginning of each chapter so that readers are forced back out of the story to realize that there are, indeed, actual
people and events that daily erupt across the world in acts of terrorism.
Readers, take the
time to fictionally delve into today’s reality: “All they needed was a starving world searching for a way to cure
hunger...” (p. 256). For many reasons other than that I enjoyed this book, I have to consider it a “must
read!” Well-written!
G. A. Bixler
