Seth Daniel Parker delivers an intellectual gem with The Greater Good. From the origin story of a divided America with its dystopian outlook to the impressively detailed sessions Thomas has with his fellow inmates, there is evidence of thorough research combined with realistic storytelling in this work. Virgil’s conversations are an ideological delight to follow and the warden's antics add a bit of the Big Brother aura to the book. The best part for me has to be Thomas’ reaction to Liam’s journal. That Parker is still able to insert a romantic element into this work displays the dexterity of a true master storyteller in weaving his subplots into a fantastic finale. With its thought-provoking moral, The Greater Good deserves a place among legendary works such as George Orwell’s 1984. Parker has outdone himself with this engrossing novel.
A dystopian vision of a divided America comes pouring from the pages of The Greater Good by Seth Daniel Parker, a relentless prophecy of a novel that will make you shudder with recognition. A Job-like protagonist escapes the matrix of a mind-shattered nation to become a firebrand for the next revolution. With ominous and poignant undertones of Kafka, Orwell, Heller, John Kennedy O’Toole, and even Hunter S. Thompson, the author pulls back the curtain on a sick society, while poking fun at our unspoken and collective terrors with wit, shock, and raw storytelling power. Laced with timely social critique and epic characters, this gut-punch of a novel depicts an all-too-familiar battle for the soul of America.