Confederate Nation
Special Appearance by Elvis Presley

Michael Loyd Gray

Grail Hudson is a professor in the University of Illinois, his specialty Confederate Nation history. Although he lives in the United States rather than the Confederate Nation, he is one of the foremost students of the country that has won the War Between the States when they had taken the White House and captured Abraham Lincoln.

Now, over 140 years later, the United States and the Confederate States are considering reunification. Grail finds it difficult to believe, but the political climate seems to be leaning toward just that road. The two countries have been political allies since the original split. Now they believe that they should once again be one country rather than two. Grail finds himself being invited to the final stages of reunification. Among the people he meets there are the retired Elvis Presley and the retired porn star, Robert "Wad Upshot" Whitfield. With them, he embarks on a search for long lost family in the "Rebel Nation".

On the back of the book Michael Loyd Gray describes his book this way: "Is this a great book? Probably not....But is it entertaining? Yes." He is absolutely right. No, it's not great literature. But it is certainly entertaining. Confederate Nation is a quick, easy, fun read. It also isn't long enough. Gray has some good ideas here, none of which are fully developed. It feels like Gray has combined some short story ideas into a small novel. Gray has ideas that he only touches on. So stories feel chopped off short.

Despite that, I had an entertaining few hours while I read this novel. Elvis Presley is believable as a semi-retired icon who is able to laugh at himself. Grail Hudson is an interesting, lost man who at 40ish is finally finding himself. Enjoy Confederate Nation.

Author provided for review