Honeydewby Ben ZalkindPublished by Radiant PressReview by Toby A. Welch $25.00 ISBN 9781998926350 Scholars love to argue that all stories fall into a handful of universal plots: love, good versus evil, coming of age, survival, identity, family, power, justice, loss, and redemption. But within each of those themes is a great deal of variety. Books that stay with me are the ones that resist easy categorization. Honeydew is one of those rare reads. It gave me Ayn Rand vibes – think Atlas Shrugged – but through a satirical and Canadian lens. I had the title Honeydew wrong – I assumed melon, not man. But it’s actually the surname of a main character, celebrity CEO Moses Honeydew. He is described as a “sneaky snake,” a “smarmy dick,” and a “nerd emperor,” among others. Honeydew is an interesting character to watch unfold, but I would expect nothing less from a guy who owns a private space station. Trying to sum up what Honeydew is about without giving too much away is a challenging task. The main character is a spunky gal named Rose Gold who befriends a group of young rebels that are on an uphill battle against a corporate megalomaniac. Their struggle plays out like a high-tech David versus Goliath…
