The Wasted Harvest
People work to stop a deadly crop from reaching Chinese citizens in the intriguing international thriller The Wasted Harvest.
In William Claypool’s thrilling novel The Wasted Harvest, a cancer-causing strain of rice presents a grave threat to a nation.
Mike, a former US intelligence officer, feels depressed and betrayed after a mission gone wrong. Meanwhile, Wei, a Chinese agricultural minister, learns that he is responsible for the proliferation of an invasive, medically dangerous rice plant. Elsewhere, Buddy, the billionaire who created the rice, panics with the knowledge that China is at risk. A duplicitous US agency is further implicated in the rice plot, against which multiple people work to prevent the rice from reaching Chinese citizens’ mouths.
The narrative cycles between points of view to demonstrate how in control the secret government agency is. They have eyes and ears everywhere, and one phone call to the right spy can lead to the manipulation of governments across the globe. In opposition to such demonstrations of power, though, are tidy solutions that strain credulity. Almost as soon as a conflict presents itself, it is resolved, diminishing the book’s tension on the whole. Further, because of the extensive resources at people’s disposal, which are reiterated across the shifting points of view, suspense is limited: There is no guesswork involved for the capable people who are working against the rice plot, and the book’s well-supported heroes don’t ever seem to be in real danger.
Still, the book’s characterizations are revealing and involving. Mike is forthright and compassionate, and he cares about others almost before himself. Wei is agitated by the mistakes he made and exists in horror of the possibility that his government will find out about his missteps and hold him accountable. An agency operative, Samantha, behaves in a brutal manner, developed most as a blunt weapon of her nation. And despite his concerns about his creation, Buddy is also a womanizer who can be callous but exudes a bizarre charm. The cast’s interactions are marked by sharp wit, ensuring engagement even when it seems certain that good will prevail.
Indeed, Mike receives an opportunity for redemption as he works with Buddy to prevent the rice from reaching people. Interest is further generated by the US agency’s ambiguous positioning: They seem nigh omniscient, and the question of whether they will be a benefactor or an enemy lingers. Throughout, people use creative strategies across the globe to save innocent people in time.
The Wasted Harvest is an action-packed thriller about spies, secret operations, and protecting the world.
Reviewed by
Natalie Wollenzien
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
