3 out of 4 stars
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In his book The Lion Roared ‘FREEDOM’ André R. Black delves into pertinent issues plaguing society and toys with the idealist view of whether unconditional love is the silver bullet that will save humanity from imminent self-destruction. The author presents this point of view in a captivating work where science fiction meets philosophy and erotica.
The story revolves around four main characters; Gábor, his wife Helena, their son Leo and their good friend Ivan. Gábor and Helena found each other and as their interaction with each other grew, a steamy love affair brewed culminating in the birth of Leo. The happy couple’s blissful bubble burst when their bundle of joy began to develop an unknown condition which caused excessive hair to grow all over his body and his physical appearance to morph into that of a cat.
These changes negatively affected Leo’s parents and when one doctor suggested that they take Leo to see a veterinarian, it dawned on them that they had a huge problem on their hands. They arrived at an amicable decision which led them to abandon their family and friends and hastily relocate from Hungary to Canada to shield their son from the harsh realities of the world. With their marriage on the rocks, Helena and Gábor’s love life dwindled, but they had to save face for the sake of their son. Along the way, more compromises were necessary but who knew that amidst the turmoil, a silver lining would emerge for this young family.
As I flipped through the pages, the author’s riveting writing style and the unique premise of the story kept me hooked and yearning for more. The book’s deep philosophical nature kept me reflecting on my own life, and I ended up picking a few principles that I intend to apply to my own life. Although this is a work of fiction, it canvases various topics such as religion, human interaction, world peace and sexuality.
The characters themselves are relatable, and it was a wonderful experience to be a bystander throughout their trials and tribulations. Their strong opinions inspired me; their moral dilemmas had me involved in their decision-making processes, their breakthroughs had me rejoicing with them, and their low points had me urging them to stay strong.
As much as I liked the story, the downside is that it lacks an antagonist and in instances where I was looking forward to getting more immersed in the characters lives, raunchy sex scenes popped up and almost watered down the reading experience. A significant reduction in these scenes would allow room for more significant material to enrich the story, thus eliminating the massive cliffhanger at the end. Although this makes sense because The Lion Roared ‘FREEDOM’ is the first in a series of ten books and the cliffhanger seems to be the building block for the next book, I still feel that there’s room for improvement.
My verdict then is that the pros far outweigh the cons, which include the multiple typos I spotted throughout the book. The remedy for this would be a round of editing. I will, therefore, award this book a rating of 3 out of 4 stars and recommend it to any open-minded adult.
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The Lion Roared FREEDOM
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