BOOK REVIEW: Clover Caste by Matt Burgin

TITLE: Clover Caste
AUTHOR: Matt Burgin
PUBLISHED BY: Independent publisher

The premise of this book interested me from the start and once I started reading, I was immediately hooked. 

The author ponders that one in ten thousand clovers have four leaves instead of three and nobody knows why; a somatic mutation changing the DNA sequence of the plant is one explanation. He then goes on to ask, what if a similar DNA mutation occurred in human beings, but instead of having four leaves they had four lives. And, what if these lives were to run consecutively with the soul transmigrated from the old to the new body? It is an interesting idea and it then begs the question, what advantages would there be to a person having four lifetimes of experience and knowledge embedded into their memory record rather than just having the one.

Furthermore, what if these people formed a secret supra-society, one that would function as an organic whole, which ensured all money and possessions were passed down through each life? Maybe these people are living amongst us; we ‘Normals’ will never know.

This really is a mind-blowing concept, the answer to which, will appeal to many readers, as it did to me.

Protagonist, Jack Marwood discovers he has four lives and is certain of three things; one, he was brutally murdered in his first life, two, he is in grave danger in his second life and three, he cannot trust anybody, especially his friends. But there is one thing he has yet to figure out, which is, are his extra lives a gift or a curse?

This is an intriguing and technically brilliant must-read; it is challenging and rewarding; a conundrum wrapped in a dilemma. It is an incredible hypothesis but one I can almost buy into and believe to be true. This innovative science fiction story immediately gets the grey matter working; it will hold the attention of its readers as it is quirky and well-written. I was intrigued from the start and couldn’t put it down. It is evident that the author has spent a lot of time researching the concept and gives clear and concise explanations of his intriguing notion. Cleverly written and interweaving fact and fiction, such as the murder of John Lennon, whilst dropping other well-known musicians into the plot, such as Bob Dylan, Pete Townsend and The Beatles, adds to the fascination of the storyline which becomes more believable as the plot unravels. Moreover, short chapters in novels are always appealing to me as readers are able to dip in and out effortlessly and pick up where they left off with ease. It is a sci-fi story which is intriguing and credible, an almost horrific and frightening concept which will appeal to many. It is an outstanding novel and a superb read; readers will enjoy the unique aspect with the down-to-earth plot and the scientific explanations.

Reviewer - Anne Pritchard