The Plantation

Rating:
Summary: absolutely terrible
Review: ...

First, the writing style is very flat and I find it quite hard to believe that Kuzneski actually taught English as he told me he did. The protagonist is constructed in an utterly horrible manner. He is a two dimensional rich playboy who never worked an honest day in his life having inhereted a bunch of money from his parents. He lives in a big house and drives a big car and has a pretty girlfriend who he shacks up occasionally and for whom he installs a home security system. Very unintentionally creepy, very shallow. Not too much imagination there Chris.

It gets worse.

All of the villains in the book are black. The main plotline involves a militant black group as the villains, but reading it one cannot help but think of "The Birth of a Nation" with its racist imagery. One scene has a black man sexually assaulting a white girl. Actually throughout the book we are introduced to black villains like the African drug kingpin (do they even grow drugs in Africa?), the African mercenaries, and other various "evil" black people. Now of course Kuzneski does throw in the occasional good black person, such as the protagonist's sidekick, but that comes off as contrived.

If you're into white supremecy you might find this book entertaining, otherwise, trust me, stay away.

Rating:
Summary: Doesn't live up to its blurbs
Review: I don't even know where to begin with a review of this novel. What is it that bothers me so much about this story? Is it the constant adolescent, homophobic banter between the two main characters? Is it the fact that the characters are all one-dimensional without any seeming motivation for their behaviors or even a shred of realistic humanity about them? Is it the cartoonish "I would have gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids" twist that the story kept taking? Was I just in a bad mood while reading this story?

Perhaps the author is writing for a demographic that doesn't include me. That's fine, and I can accept that. Perhaps I just don't understand the inner male mind. I can accept that as well, although I have to say that I do not know any *adult* males who joke constantly about gay sex, genitals, buttocks, and bodily functions. Perhaps I was just unable to suspend disbelief to the extreme that I would have needed in order to relax and enjoy a story like this. I will accept the blame on all counts.

But this story just never rang true for me at all. The villains were not very believable. The "slaves" were passive sheep with no independent thought. Ariane was, at best, a watered down version of a heroine. Payne and Jones were supposed to be super trained military experts who were the best in the world but who couldn't figure out some pretty basic things about their quest. Every character seemed more like a caricature to me rather than a real human being. For me, this book read like a straight-to-video action movie screenplay.

This novel features some rather graphic violent scenes. Actually, these were the highlights in my opinion. Kuzneski indicates that he did extensive research into plantations and the treatment of slaves and wanted to convey the extreme horror of their treatment in his story. None of this bothered me in the least, and this level of violence made sense within the context of the plot. I just simply could not get into the story because of numerous typos, misspellings, and outright errors and because of a narrative that was quite disjointed. This is a novel that is heavy on dialogue and short on character development. I wish this author the best of luck in his writing career, and I hope that opinions like mine are few and far between.

Rating:
Summary: The Plantation
Review: Isn't it wonderful that we don't all like the same things? How boring life would be! I am not going to repeat the basic plot because I think it has pretty much been covered. For a first book, I thought Chris Kuzneski created a book that will really hold your attention. The first 50 pages are too loosely connected, but the reader begins to see where the plot is heading. I am an avid reader, and I devour two to three books per week. I found it hard to put this one down once the girlfriend was kidnapped. Yes, the characters needed to be rounded out a little better, and I wanted to warn Payne & DJ not to trust Levon. Their approach to the problem doesn't match what special forces soldiers would do. They are just too trusting. Even I questioned the scene at the tattoo parlor; however, the suspense starts to build, and I am afraid I neglected my chores so I could finish the book. It is a very entertaining read. I was not offended by the black enslavement of whites, as one reader noted. The writer did a nice job of justifying why a black man would be motivated to create this project. It was plausible. I did get a little squeamish over the torture scenes, but the sexual byplay was minimal. I can imagine what an author like Jack Ketchum would have done with the scene in the cabin or the one with Susan Ross and the knife. This is not great literature, but I don't think anyone would consider their money wasted. I, also, look forward to the next book, but I hope his characters are a little more developed.

Rating:
Summary: The Plantation
Review: Isn't it wonderful that we don't all like the same things? How boring life would be! I am not going to repeat the basic plot because I think it has pretty much been covered. For a first book, I thought Chris Kuzneski created a book that will really hold your attention. The first 50 pages are too loosely connected, but the reader begins to see where the plot is heading. I am an avid reader, and I devour two to three books per week. I found it hard to put this one down once the girlfriend was kidnapped. Yes, the characters needed to be rounded out a little better, and I wanted to warn Payne & DJ not to trust Levon. Their approach to the problem doesn't match what special forces soldiers would do. They are just too trusting. Even I questioned the scene at the tattoo parlor; however, the suspense starts to build, and I am afraid I neglected my chores so I could finish the book. It is a very entertaining read. I was not offended by the black enslavement of whites, as one reader noted. The writer did a nice job of justifying why a black man would be motivated to create this project. It was plausible. I did get a little squeamish over the torture scenes, but the sexual byplay was minimal. I can imagine what an author like Jack Ketchum would have done with the scene in the cabin or the one with Susan Ross and the knife. This is not great literature, but I don't think anyone would consider their money wasted. I, also, look forward to the next book, but I hope his characters are a little more developed.

Rating:
Summary: A Pretty Good Read!!
Review: It's not often that writers are also football players. But Chris Kuzneski played football at the University of Pittsburgh, where he graduated with a degree in writing and a masters in teaching. After teaching for five years, Chris produced his entry novel, The Plantation, to rave reviews from people such as James Patterson and Nelson DeMille.

People are being kidnaped. Jonathan Payne is oblivious, being otherwise occupied with his 13,000 foot mansion; his position as CEO of his family's company; and his stunning girlfriend, Ariane Walker. As a ex-member of an elite military team called the MANIACS, Jonathan has little to fear. He and Ariane are looking forward to a long weekend, which doesn't materialize when Payne finds her kidnaped from her apartment:

"Well, my guess is that she was drugged or knocked out. The set of three footsteps that the Listener originally detected were Ariane's and the two assailants. They broke into her place, gagged her, drugged her, then dragged her out. That's the only thing that fits the facts."

Payne and his best friend, former MANIAC partner, and employee David Jones (no relation to the Monkee) embark on what turns out to be a trap that ensnares them into a White slaving operation borne out of an intense desire for revenge by a group of Black Supremacists. Payne and Jones have to pull out all the stops, including calling upon their old unit, to match wits and break up a slaving operation that crosses continents.

Kuzneski is a talented and passionate writer whose tightly paced plots, intense characters, and excruciating detail produces a book guaranteed to make the reader squirm even as it mesmerizes us. His action is nonstop; his love story is tender and fresh; and the moral circumstances of the story are accurate and educational, no matter how painful it is for us to take in.

The Plantation is not only a smash beginning for this versatile and knowledgeable word smith; it is the advent of a career that will rival his mentors who helped put him on the map. It is a must read for anyone interested in racial roots or thrillers in general.

Shelley Glodowski
Reviewer

Rating:
Summary: Thriller of the Year
Review: The Plantation
by Chris Kuzneski
Reviewed by Robyn Glazer, Myshelf.com
Jonathon Payne and Ariane Walker have been planning their long weekend
together for a quite a while. Nothing is going to keep them from having a great time together. Well, except for the fact that ten minutes before Ariane
is supposed to meet Payne, she is kidnapped. When Payne arrives to find
Ariane gone, he automatically knows something is wrong. He calls his best
friend, David Jones, who just happens to be a private investigator. Together
they begin an investigation that will take them places that they never knew
existed. Using every tool that Jones and Payne have access to, their plan to break into the Plantation is the only thing that can save Ariane's life.
The Plantation is the kind of book that can sky rocket an author's
career. The writing is crisp and never falters. This book never let's you go
and will keep your heart beating triple time. Jonathon Payne is the shining
star of the whole book. He is so funny, it gives the reader a chance to
laugh and ease up on some of the seriousness. I absolutely loved this book! I highly recommend you run out and buy The Plantation.

Rating:
Summary: I Can't Sleep!!!!
Review: Typically I read at night, in bed, so I can fall asleep. I haven't slept in two days! I don't know how anyone can put this book down! The plot is so intriguing that I say to myself, "I'll read just one more page." Then, "Just one more chapter." Thank God it's Friday and I can finish The Plantation tonight and catch up on my sleep this weekend! I really don't know if my body or my career will survive another thriller like this from Chris Kuzneski. But I'm willing to risk it. Hurry up and write another!

Rating:
Summary: I Can't Sleep!!!!
Review: Typically I read at night, in bed, so I can fall asleep. I haven't slept in two days! I don't know how anyone can put this book down! The plot is so intriguing that I say to myself, "I'll read just one more page." Then, "Just one more chapter." Thank God it's Friday and I can finish The Plantation tonight and catch up on my sleep this weekend! I really don't know if my body or my career will survive another thriller like this from Chris Kuzneski. But I'm willing to risk it. Hurry up and write another!

Rating:
Summary: Great reading!!
Review: Unfortunately, I don't get much time to read for enjoyment. Once I started this book, there was no stopping me! Great suspense, interesting storyline. I was bummed when the story was over!! I'll look forward to more Jonathan Payne action! Nice job and congrats Chris!!! :-)