Caldwell's Prophesy
Written in 1952, Taylor Caldwell paints a picture of a world in which the citizens have given up their freedoms and rights one-by-one at the hands of fast-talking politicians who assured them the new laws were for their own good and protection. A world plagued by constant wars, a world that is an even more dismal place than that prophesied by Orwell in his acclaimed ?1984?. A world which could be a stronger possibility than we might choose to believe, unless we take heed.
A courageous movement is forming across the nation, of men and women who call themselves ?Minute Men,? after the original revolutionaries. They have vowed to assassinate the cruel and evil dictator who now leads the government called The Democracy, even if it takes their last breath. The book opens following the capture of a group of ten of these men who are tortured, questioned, and condemned to face the firing squad. Only two men remain unbroken. As they are forced to witness their 8 compatriots die in front of the firing squad, the two are finally brought face to face with Arthur Carlson, the very man they despise. They are offered amnesty if only they will join with him. If not, they will witness the slow and tortuous deaths of their families prior to facing their own promised deaths. With no hope of reprieve, they refuse to talk, setting them on a path which they would never have imagined.
The story was inspired by an old Scottish legend about the Devil being brought to trial. And even with this beginning, it is still a story of hope and the indomitable human spirit. This, is an amazing book.
