Kindle Edition An Old Path to a New Future Category:  Science Fiction Publisher: The James Gang Type: Fiction Pages: 200 Copyright: May 9, 2020 Price: $3.99 (eBook) War of the Institutes, the fourth and final book of The Modest Proposal Institute dystopian sci-fi series, ends this disturbingly real near-future fictional history The Modest Proposal Institute, which began in 2018 with such high hopes of saving the future progress of mankind, has broken into rival factions by 2030. Book 4, War of the Institutes, brings to an end this dystopian young adult, near-future sci-fi, history of Earth. Alexis and his pioneers have set up home on the moon and Mars. Shane and his ocean pioneers are establishing mankind's presence on the seabed. Nadia and Tomas reign supreme in Western Europe and would like to extend their dominion across all the old Western lands. A splinter group, led by Jamie, wishes to live free in North America. All would be well if only they would be happy with what they have -- but not everyone can and on Earth mankind returns to its pre-industrial state. Excerpt Space, 2050 Once his spaceplane was airborne and on autopilot, Alexis eased himself out of the pilot seat and walked back to the small cabin of his plane to pass on the good news he had from Nadia and Tomas. He felt reasonably confident he’d get buy-in from Jamie and Shane on what he’d agreed to. Tomas and Nadia had been happy to explore the proposition that all parts of the Institute have say on Jamiestown’s defense and their terms were sensible, generous even. The moment his plane left the communication blackout bubble Tomas and Nadia kept around their fortress home, he called up Jamie and Shane. Their response was immediate and angry. It took him some time to calm them down enough to discover why. When they explained, he became angrier with Tomas and Nadia than even the others were. His anger was so genuine it convinced Shane and eventually Jamie that he had known nothing about the coup. “It’s great you’re angry now,” Jamie said, “but what are you—we—going to do about it? And don’t imagine they aren’t listening in right now. We thought our communicators were solid and it turns out they’ve been listening in from the start.” “I don’t think they care,” Alexis said. “After all, they must have known I’d learn of their trickery the moment I left.” “Whatever we do,” Shane said, “we can’t discuss it until we’re out of their hearing. We need a repeat of that other time. You remember?” “Agreed,” Alexis replied. “I’ll land at one of the island airports and you can pick me up from there.” “It’s not so easy for me to get away,” Jamie said. “We’re practically under house arrest here.” “I’ll call them,” Alexis said. “They can’t expect me to make the case for what we discussed if I can’t meet with you.” His mind was conflicted. He had to save the Institute from its Earthbound leaders and yet he couldn’t now accept Tomas and Nadia as heirs to the Institute. With Jamie locked in Jamiestown, the meeting wasn’t so easily arranged. It was early the following year when they finally they met, and when they did, the meeting wasn’t a success.

The Competition Increases
The quest for global domination intensifies as the original students of the Institute fight to protect their borders of their land from each other while Earth 2.0 continues to develop. Competition, greed and miscommunication shift attitudes and increase distrust. The story reaffirms that no matter how technologically advanced or intelligent we humans are, our basic human nature doesn't change, or rather, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
"All Jamie wanted—a stable, prosperous land where people managed their own affairs without interference from those who thought they could mold societies to a better way of behaving—had been destroyed."
I've enjoyed this series. It's well written with a plausible futuristic story-line. Thanks, James.

A gifted writer back again!
The premise of these stories is unique, wholly plausible, and as always, well-presented; the characters are vivid and entirely relatable. I have loved every book in the series, and this one was no exception. There is a brief introduction for new readers, but I do recommend that you go through books one to three before starting on this one, because you'll enjoy the experience! The author returns us to a now-familiar world with new and compelling developments and a futuristic look at how change comes hard to humanity regardless of technological advancement. Another great read.

Engrossing read
Tyrants, technology, scifi and more kept me turning the page as the author also explored basic human needs and wants even in a dystopian future where extreme artificial longevity is a thing. I would recommend reading the first book at least to know what the Institute is and the second and third books to see how the book's world has developed. I would not say this is a standalone book. Great series and recommend for anyone who likes good scifi. To me, the ending was left open for a new series, perhaps? Either way, looking forward to what the author writes next.