Mark IV

In our world of increasing complexity and the resultant human and physical constraints--overpopulation, global warming, rampant stupidity, unchecked evil, corruption, scientific advances used for ill--what is to be done?

Are even the best governments incapable of maintaining order? Is the future of humankind at stake? How many of us have wondered what we would do if we had some kind of world dictatorial power or other absolute influence? Many would find that conjecture to be overwhelming. Yet what if we limited our scope to, say, evil and corruption?

The next barrier to fighting such iniquity would be the realization that too often world governments are inept when it comes to such endeavors. Inadequate due to legal, religious, intellectual, political and traditional moral strictures. In view of that, what then if a choice had to be made between the world falling into chaos, and one in which there is secular salvation, but only through efforts that lie outside the normal bounds of the best of civilizations?

There are immeasurable individuals and groups outside the laws who are vile and malevolent; why not a last-resort counterpart--unfettered by normal laws; practical and down-to-earth--dedicated to good, but who find it necessary to resort to harsh measures? Those who realize that we have come to a point in history where we must fight fire with fire.

Enter Ragnarök, a secret organization that inflicts punishments in the forms of Mark I, II, III, IV, or worse, Mark V (death).

"This novel's protagonist, Bors, first attempts to fight evil with evil, enlisting in an organization delivering an escalating series of warnings and drastic punishments to the corrupt. Too late, he finds his attempts to back out of this decision interrupted by violent resets beyond his control and about which he lacks memory. Bors' tribulations reminded me of K's attempts to deal with his "case" in Franz Kafka's "The Trial". A good read, with a lot of hidden philosophical depth." ***** Jerry Attrich -- On Amazon       
Readers of political thrillers will find Mark IV excels in a style of intrigue that combines issues of social control with an exploration of a secret organization, Ragnarök, which has evolved its own form of policing the world. It is exacting its own revenge for evil and corruption though progressive punishments that go up to Mark IV (death).
Operating within this backdrop of social control is Dereck Bors, who at first supports the idea of a decisive, effective dictatorial group taking the reigns to quash all evil in the world.
Soon, however, he discovers that not only is membership in this secret group irrevocable, but any attempt to leave it results in a controlling punishment that erases memory and returns the straying member to a compliant believer status .
How can anyone fight a group that holds the power to alter personal reality and erase any form of rebellion down to its psychological, philosophical, and ethical roots? Bors might actually be the only individual able to stand up and fight...but is he fighting for good, or evil? As Bors begins to repeatedly question his role, readers are invited into a world of murder, subterfuge, and domination. All these are conducted in the name of a greater good by individuals who hold their differing rationales for their actions: "...what the hell did it matter what he and his cohorts called it? Justice? An effort to save all of humanity from worldwide self destruction as per the Doomsday Clock? Opposing ultimate moral corruption? Or whatever others in Ragnarök thought they were doing, though he didn't know what they thought because they never met each other, and because he didn't give a tinker's damn what motivated them."
As fellow member and new lover Rhamnusia fills him in on more aspects of the organization and changes in how it treats and punishes agents around the world, twenty-three-year-old Bors faces assignments that not only pair him with her, but require that he met out Mark II, III, and other punishments. He is marching towards the inevitable goal of goal of snagging a higher-up assignment. And his nightmare is just beginning. Thriller readers are well used to stories embracing tension, international intrigue, and often murder and mayhem. James Ostby embraces all these devices, but adds a philosophical and ethical hand to the plot that results in a much more intriguing story than one of political maneuvering alone.
As other characters, spiritual insights and focuses, and the ideal of noble activities designed to save mankind from itself take center stage from Bors' activities, readers are guided through a world of intrigue and insanity. One is forced to consider not only Ragnarök's clandestine activities and ideals, but how they move into mainstream acceptance in the U.S.
The characters set lines for themselves, then cross them. While Mark IV will be chosen by fans of the political thriller genre, its literary and ethical foundations should not be overlooked. Readers looking for more than just an action-packed read will find Mark IV satisfyingly replete with relationship and ethical conundrums that keep readers thinking beyond the story's conclusion.
- D Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review