Title: Madam President: 2024
Author: Lem Moyé
Publisher: Trafford Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-6987-1575-9
Pages: 239
Genre: Historical Fiction / Alternate History
Reviewer: Jason Lulos

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Madam President: 2024 is an absolutely riveting “what if” story about recent current events. This novel is a blend of real people and fictitious characters rendered in a very engaging and very plausible plot. While the book market has been awash in a sea of non-fiction works on political commentary, works of historical fiction and alternate history stand out as both more entertaining and just downright more interesting. And Madam President does just that. It’s a captivating tale about a series of, yes plausible, hypothetical scenarios that rock American politics and the world stage.

Our first hypothetical: there is an aging democratic president. Just two months before the election of what would be his second term, his health crashes. His vice president struggles to get the votes to be interim president while he’s still alive, being met with automatic and unsurprising republican pushback. When the ailing president dies, the untested vice president assumes the role of Commander in Chief and must prove herself by making extraordinarily difficult decisions. Author Lem Moyé deftly does not name these two characters, perhaps attempting to inject some objectivity into some readers who might otherwise have preconceived notions about the real-life people they so clearly allude to. I think this was a brilliant move in keeping the “fiction” part of this story of historical fiction. Some, but not all, characters are also fictitious as well. But the very few real historical actors in this novel keep the book in the realm of plausible real world “what ifs.”

The new president finds herself faced with the ongoing war in Ukraine. She makes the decision to send tanks in to retaliate against Putin’s latest attack which used nerve gas to kill tens of thousands of Ukrainians. Her retaliation leads to a countermove on Russia’s part and sets the world on the brink of World War III as other countries become involved while the United States is dealing with a new president and their chess game with Russia. With the help of her chief of staff, the new president shows self-doubt then self-reflection then self-confidence in choosing when to fight and when to use diplomacy. The author shows poignant insight into just what a president must be thinking in times of great global strife and vulnerability. It’s a humanistic approach showing the roller coaster of emotions and choices that must be made with logic and historical knowledge that a president must have to make the right moves.

This writing in Madam President: 2024 is stellar. Lem Moyé’s descriptions of the movements of the armed forces and the seemingly chaotic but systematic series of inter-political discourse in any administration is compelling and vividly rendered. It’s a page-turning work of fiction in and of itself, but the novel is rooted in real possible outcomes which makes it even more intriguing. Lem Moyé shows superb historical
knowledge mixing beautifully with real world alternate possibilities. I definitely recommend this book to readers who love current events and especially to those fascinated by the “what ifs” only historical fiction can provide.