Official Review: Iago in the Land of La Mancha

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juliusotinyo
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Official Review: Iago in the Land of La Mancha

Post by juliusotinyo »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Iago in the Land of La Mancha" by Michael Funnell.]
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2 out of 4 stars
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Iago in the Land of La Mancha: Behind Canberra's smoke and mirrors, is a fictional novel by Michael Funnell. The book has 424 pages in PDF format; it was self-published and released in 2016. Follow the newly elected conservative government and Jeremy Iago, together as they chart the treacherous political landscape in the Land of La Mancha.

After years in the political cold, the conservative Liberal (obvious misnomer) party has just won the elections in Australia. The story begins with the victory party. Peter Hodge, the new Prime Minister is overwhelmed by his new role. He balances loyalties and conflicting policies in his attempt to run a tight ship. Skullduggery takes center stage as party loyalists compete and continuously jostle for power in the new cabinet.Alliances will be made and broken in the crowded contest. Add in conservative old guards, lobby groups, the media, a gullible public, and the stage is set for a contest of Machiavellian proportions.

The typical party hierarchy in this book is in descending order; Prime Minister (PM) – Ministers – Junior Minister– Member of Parliament staff (MOPs). Jeremy Iago is a MOP in the Environment ministry – Rivers and Water Resources section; he served under Barry the minister while in the opposition. Barry assigns him to his subordinate as a spy. His current boss is the junior minister, Richard Moore.

Richard is a political greenhorn and a member of parliament for Venice, Melbourne. He denies Iago the coveted position of Chief of Staff opting for the less privileged media advisor. This earns Richard his wrath and he's now all too happy in exerting his revenge.

Unknown to Iago, he's part of a wider conspiracy by his backers who think lowly of him. It is true when they say that never join politics for the sake of making friends. Watch as the Shakespearian-like Iago plots his many moves against equally cunning foes, will he make it? Or will he end up like the similarly named character in Othello?

I needed a break. For over a month now, I've been reading non-fiction titles for personal improvement purposes. What better way to let loose than a refreshing take on political satire -
served Aussie style. Besides, who can resist Shakespeare? Unless you are Australian, please make sure you go through and continuously reference the glossary section while reading this book--Aussies speak and do things differently. Suffice to say, this book is written in Australian English which is more similar to British English.

Iago in the land of La Mancha has a lot going for it. Both the titles Iago and La Mancha come from 2 very famous books. Attributes of the Machiavellian Iago and the macho-chivalrous La Mancha knight, are exhibited by the characters.

Being a satirical piece, it just had to be funny. The author was creative, especially with the names of the Ministers and their ministries. My favorite was Fred Flintstone, the minister for "Pretending to like Science." There's also Drac Ula and Attila Dogwhistler. The conversations were a riot; my kids thought I was insane when they found me laughing by myself – which never happens. The funniest scene has to be the Soldiers of Vegemite protest march to Parliament buildings. I risk spoiling the experience for potential readers by revealing any more information. Just a learning point; never go protesting half drunk, on foot, in sweltering heat with highly inebriated colleagues. They don't mix well.

The book had multiple errors which include missing punctuations and poor grammar. The worst was on page 81; labor-labour, these words are used interchangeably and repeatedly to refer to the labor (US spelling) party. Missing commas and full stops form the bulk of the rest. This interfered with the flow several times as I struggled to find my bearings and correct.

I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. There were multiple funny scenes that kept me entertained. But, the book had so many characters, who had long conversations. Some of these conversations were drawn out needlessly, or rather, the joke/satire gets reused enough it becomes stale. I believe this book would have been better if it was a shorter story.

I would recommend this book to lovers of political satire. There's just something about political experiences that are common to everyone no matter your location. Consider the following passage, "Politics is all about appearances not reality…lasting impressions are made by emotions, not facts."

******
Iago in the Land of La Mancha
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Alicnim
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Post by Alicnim »

I too need a break. Sounds like quite the book, except for those errors. You always write interesting reviews.
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Post by kandscreeley »

Sounds like with maybe a little editing it could be funny. Unfortunately, I don't think it's for me at the moment. Thanks for the review, though!
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Post by juliusotinyo »

Alicnim wrote:I too need a break. Sounds like quite the book, except for those errors. You always write interesting reviews.
Thanks Alicmin for your support, I'll always return the favor. Don't be discouraged by the review, you might just like it. I tend to be too critical sometimes, especially if I had high expectations.

-- 30 Aug 2017, 17:40 --
kandscreeley wrote:Sounds like with maybe a little editing it could be funny. Unfortunately, I don't think it's for me at the moment. Thanks for the review, though!
Kandscreely,
Thank you for your valued opinion. Yes, it just needs a few tweaks and it would be a hit. Also, the story was too long for satire
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Post by Manang Muyang »

I was chuckling while reading your review, Juliusotinyo. Drac Ula must suck haha. Oh my, I think I need more sleep!

Thanks for sharing the fun!
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juliusotinyo
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Post by juliusotinyo »

Miriam Molina wrote:I was chuckling while reading your review, Juliusotinyo. Drac Ula must suck haha. Oh my, I think I need more sleep!

Thanks for sharing the fun!
Molina,
Hahaha, you are quite the comedian. I should have had that punchline ?

Yeah, Drac Ula sucked! ?... Still laughing...

-- 30 Aug 2017, 20:54 --

Seriously, get the book and check out the protest march. Hands down, funniest skit ever.
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Post by Ayosinmi »

Hahahaha. Nice and funny review. You outdid yourself in this one dear, I hope the editorial score reflected it.
Keep writing. It's always a pleasure reading your reviews.
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Post by juliusotinyo »

Thanks, always a pleasure having you by.
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Post by Quinto »

Hey! I thought I was dealing with a Mexican novel here, from the title of the book,that is, till I read your review. Yes politics sucks doesn't it? Just a show no one takes seriously, not unless your the constituent or been "stabbed in the back"

Nice and funny review, keep it up!
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juliusotinyo
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Post by juliusotinyo »

Quinto wrote:Hey! I thought I was dealing with a Mexican novel here, from the title of the book,that is, till I read your review. Yes politics sucks doesn't it? Just a show no one takes seriously, not unless your the constituent or been "stabbed in the back"

Nice and funny review, keep it up!
Hi,
Thanks, I am happy it made you laugh. Your name, it is similar to a character in the original La Mancha novel by Cervantes, Don Quixote!?
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Post by Ayosinmi »

Hmmmm. Nice.
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Post by juliusotinyo »

Ayosinmi wrote:Hmmmm. Nice.
My dear, don't you ever sleep? Should be like 2am those sides.
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Post by Alicnim »

Thanks Alicmin for your support, I'll always return the favor. Don't be discouraged by the review, you might just like it. I tend to be too critical sometimes, especially if I had high expectations.
I've just read it. wasn't that thrilled.
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juliusotinyo
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Post by juliusotinyo »

Alicnim wrote:
Thanks Alicmin for your support, I'll always return the favor. Don't be discouraged by the review, you might just like it. I tend to be too critical sometimes, especially if I had high expectations.
I've just read it. wasn't that thrilled.
You've given up, did you at least reach the skit of Constable Highsmith?
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Post by Alicnim »

juliusotinyo wrote:
Alicnim wrote:
Thanks Alicmin for your support, I'll always return the favor. Don't be discouraged by the review, you might just like it. I tend to be too critical sometimes, especially if I had high expectations.
I've just read it. wasn't that thrilled.
You've given up, did you at least reach the skit of Constable Highsmith?
I have, it was funny at first, but they kept going at it for forever. Sometimes even repeating the same question over and over :snooty:
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