Review: THE FRACKING KING IS THE DEBUT OF THE YEAR!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 1, 2014
A slang term for hydraulic fracturing, "fracking" is the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at a high pressure in order to fracture shale rocks to release natural gas inside. It is a technology that the energy industry hopes to use to expand natural gas production in the United States.With such a serious subject as an essential element of a debut novel, environmentalist James Browning has taken upon himself an onerous task. Yet, The Fracking King is not just about hydraulic fracturing, but it is also about the world-famous board-game Scrabble, a boarding school and a high school junior who has a part in all.Set in Hale, Pennsylvania, it is the story of Winston Crwth whose life is no ordinary one. Hale Boarding School for Boys is the third school he attended in as many years. Sadly for him, a Scrabble prodigy, the game is not allowed in his school. Ironically, he won his scholarship partially through Scrabble. And the scholarship is funded by Dark Oil & Gas Company which is responsible for fracking in the area.With support from unlikely allies, Winston managed to have the ban on Scrabble rescinded, allowing him to compete in the Pennsylvania State Scrabble Championship. His determination is driven by his desire to meet Governor Linda King LaRue and present her a jar of Hale water to prove the devastating effects of fracking. There are several fascinating and memorable characters - the poet laureate of Pennsylvania Tom Urlacher, his son Richard Urlacher, and Hale school headmaster's daughter, Thomasina.In short, The Fracking King by James Browning follows Winston Crwth - a boarding-school kid, loner, and Scrabble prodigy -- who becomes an unlikely hero in the fight to stop fracking in Pennsylvania.#I'm grateful to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC for honest review.