2012: Dr. Strangelove Returns As Frank Cassidy The Sundown Kid -- Review of Phil Whitley's "Sundown Two"

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Reviewer: Forrest Schultz schultz_forrest@yahoo.com 770-583-3258

Blog Address: http://newsciencefictionandfantasyreviews.blogspot.com

November 15, 2011

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Dr. Strangelove Returns As Frank Cassidy The Sundown Kid

A review of

Phil Whitley [and E. Don Harpe] Sundown Two (Flint River Press, 2011)

                      248 pp     $15.99     ISBN-13: 978-0615504773     ISBN-10: 0615504779

Reviewer: Forrest W. Schultz

     I have no idea if anything Armaggedonish will happen in 2012, but it is clear that stories are being written about it, such as the one under review by Riverdale author Phil Whitley [ in conjunction with E. Don Harpe], who decided to get in on the fun. Whitley, who has during the past several years written two Indian stories [Keechie and Granny Boo], in this story takes note of several Indian prophecies, and also remarks that traditional Indian knowledge and skills would be useful for coping with the destruction of civilization, which occurs at the outset of the story when a super moon crashes into the Sun producing superstrong electromagnetic pulses which "fry" computers and cause floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes. And, as if this were not enough, it turns out that there was supersecret superfoolish military planning in the past which created a doomsday device called Sundown, which is capable of destroying the surface of the Earth in the event of invasion by space aliens. Even though there is no evidences any aliens have arrived, there is a crazy Colonel, Frank Cassidy, who is determined to make sure that Sundown happens because, like the mad scientist film character Dr. Strangelove, he has decided to "stop worrying and love the Bomb!".

     Attempting to thwart Cassidy are the President and a group of survivalists called The Promised Land, who need to hurry because the countdown has begun and the deadline for stopping Sundown is fast approaching. The story has a surprise ending, the moral of which is the same as that for the Dragonriders of Pern saga: "Be careful how you read an important document!".

     Information on Phil Whitley is available at www.phitlwhitleycom.