Title: The Campaign
Author: Hank Silverberg
Publisher: Urlink Print & Media, LLC
ISBN: 978-1647532185
Pages: 402
Genre: Political Thriller / Fiction
Reviewed by: Ephantus M.

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Author Hank Silverberg’s The Campaign is a captivating multi-character story that takes readers behind the scenes of political campaigns in the United States.

President Freeman is eager to unleash an attack on five Iranian nuclear sites as he prepares to declare his re-election bid. Over three hundred members of Congress have approved a resolution calling for a withdrawal from the Iranian conflict, demonstrating a strong resistance to his war policy. According to his detractors, he has been embezzling the country’s wealth, squandering its resources, and leaving a large debt for future generations to pay over this “poorly planned war.”

Because of the large number of civilian losses, his timing and methods do not sit well with his vice president, Amy Roosevelt, and several others following the nuclear strike. His choices have drawn criticism from prominent media players such as Rob Hill of America Speaks and John Conner of the World Broadcasting Network, the former of whom is backing Missouri congressman Joe Bennett, who is also running for the top job. The vice president, on the other hand, thinks of challenging the president for nominations after finding out that he suffers from a chronic ailment and that the polls do not favor his win. Unbeknownst to her is a plot to end her life by Ishmael, a 49-year-old man out for vengeance for the deaths of his brother and young nephew, whose plane was shot down over the Persian Gulf decades ago by people he believes were Americans.

This narrative offers a comprehensive and lucid description of the behind-the-scenes activities in presidential meetings and election campaigns. It also exposes the unnerving, risky, and frequently costly aspects of presidential campaigning, as well as the consequences of war, the seriousness of the president’s decisions, and the deceit politicians use to gain support. A lot of heart-pounding events, adrenaline-pumping sequences, and terrifying admissions make this novel ideal for a movie. It is lengthy, but it breaks up the monotony and keeps the reader interested with small chapters that switch up the scenery frequently.

The Campaign, authored by a prolific author and award-winning journalist who has covered and written about the events that shape the world on radio and TV for four decades, is an easily consumable book that carefully recreates the campaign season. I appreciated reading it after the key 2024 US elections. It is an electrifying and a can’t-miss story that will make you appreciate democracy. I found myself engrossed throughout by its vibrant characters and dramatic drama that builds to a gratifying conclusion.