“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”
Liberty Bell and the Last American by James Stoddard is a contorted history and pop culture mashup that will leave you rolling in laughter one minute and contemplating every single thing you have ever learned, read, or seen the next. Nothing and no one are safe from James Stoddard’s madcap imagination.
Liberty Bell knows her American history back to front and front to back because she has memorized The Americana, which includes everything anyone ever wanted to know about government and life before the Great Blackout centuries before. Electricity was knocked out, land shifted, many populations were decimated, and all books were apparently destroyed. Thankfully, everything has been recorded in The Americana, even though interpretation and memories and stories run a bit loose and wide when it comes to accuracy: a noticeable nod to the Telephone game, which is both hysterical and a bit disconcerting, right? Well, so is James Stoddard’s latest masterpiece: Liberty Bell and the Last American.
One thing that is crystal clear is that Liberty Bell is a true blue American patriot, walking the perceived “Yooessay” constitutional tightrope with confidence. But when she falls (literally) into a dangerous adventure with Secret Service Agent Antonio Ice, all the stories, beliefs, and facts in The Americana are put to the test. To add a little spice to an already hot tamale of a tale, not everyone is who they claim to be or represent, and the despicable Masked Rider wants domination and is after the other half of the treasure map that Liberty and Antonio are using to find the lost gold at “Fort Knocks.”
Let the Bold Moves begin!
Buried under the superficial layer of mix-and-match narratives and blended names, historical figures, and places, seriousness prevails. The accurate information paired with the twisted truth and misguided misinformation offer the chilling revelation that we believe what we choose to believe, and historical points of view vary based on who is doing the telling. Nothing new there, but this tilted story presents this in such a way as to cause discerning readers to ponder what individuals and entire societies choose to know or remember across the ages. Take away the books, and what do you have? Chaotic and distorted memories passed down until nothing is left except jumbled history, some axioms and actual quotations, and a Grand Canyon full of truths and half-truths, all stitched together into an elaborate archival tapestry. The Americana!
Liberty Bell and the Last American is quite lengthy, but becoming immersed in the extravagant jaunt across the pages is a certainty, with plenty of fantasticoes and surprising turns and pitfalls to keep the plot moving right along at a good clip. As the story takes shape amidst all the mutated reality, the overall themes of freedom, honor, and patriotism take hold and cast everything in shades of red, white, and blue. Greed and corruption never really go away, and history/memories can be fickle and mercurial, but truth will always remain, whether we know it and accept it or not.
Throw in some science fiction, a bit of romance, and a treasure trove that is even more valuable than gold, and Liberty Bell and the Last American moves faster than a “loco Moteev” and looms larger than “teevee.” Keep an open mind and a sense of wonder, and don’t forget to enjoy the ride. It’s yankee dandy!
“Buffalo Bill and Barney Fife had only millisecs to act, or the Ghost Dance would be forever stilled. Bill raised his rifle, Barney loaded his bullet.”
― The Americana
Enter the giveaway below on or before November 4, 2022, for a chance to win some fantastic prizes!
I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.
|
Many thanks for your wonderful review of my novel. I only had two goals when I wrote the book: to avoid making it in any way political, and to remind ourselves that, despite our many flaws, the United States is an incredible country.
My pleasure, and you definitely hit your goals with this one. Great book!
Every review you write costs me money! I want to dive into this one right now. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Definitely worth it!
Thank you for sharing your wonderful review of Liberty Bell and the Last American, this sounds like an excellent read and I am looking forward to it