When the Giant Wheel Doesn’t Stop – Book Review

by Ezi Mu

I was super excited to get a review copy of this brand-new release, When the Giant Wheel Doesn’t Stop. I was intrigued by the title and the book description and wanted to dive right in! By the end, I was so glad that I did. Let’s take a look at what it’s all about.

A gritty, thrilling journey into the urban maze of New York’s most sinister nooks, When the Giant Wheel Doesn’t Stop shows how every choice has a cascading effect. A compelling, dynamic story that catches you by the collar and won’t let go, it’s guaranteed to be an exciting read.

Tension erupts in the atmosphere from the opening page. The city is chaotic, frightening, and unquestionably alive, breathing like a living beast. Despite having a vicious drug lord at its core, this tale is about more than simply crime and power. It is about the human spirit that endures even in the harshest environments.

I also enjoyed how it began with an introduction to the main characters we are going to learn about in the story. It’s a bit like a glossary of terms – but for the people in the story, providing a bit of background into who they are and helping set the scene.

The Prelude begins in the near future – 2030 – in a countryside in the United States. And then chapter one takes us back to 1972 New York. I love stories with time jumps, so this captured my attention from the start. As we move through time, each section is defined clearly so we don’t get lost. And it’s beautifully written, with descriptive language that pulls you right into the scene as if you are there watching it yourself.

Mu’s skillfully written novel revolves on the idea of cause and effect, or action and reaction, like an unstoppable wheel – this concept was fascinating to me, and I was excited to see what direction the author would take with it. A life can be changed or destroyed by a single choice. This is something we all know, but seeing how it plays out in this story was an exciting journey.

Each character, enmeshed in the increasingly complex web of their own circumstances, is riveting, unvarnished, and genuine. And they are relatable – through all of the ups and downs. However, the heart of this book is what really makes it unique. It’s not always a happy story, but it’s one that needs to be told, nevertheless.

There is grace beneath the grime. There are glimpses of tenderness behind the violence. Instead of providing easy solutions, Ezi Mu challenges us to look for glimmerings of kindness, hope, and redemption amid the shadows. Leaning in rather than turning away is a bold request, but the benefits are profound. And this is something I think we can all take with us in our own lives.

I don’t want to spoil it all for you, but I want to instead talk about how it made me feel to read it and experience it. It’s clear the author has a knack for storytelling, and I look forward to reading more from Mu in the future.

Reading When the Giant Wheel Doesn’t Stop makes you feel as if you are balancing on a tightrope over a live wire. It’s moving, thought-provoking, and thrilling all at once. If you’re interested in a story that challenges you to see the person behind the headlines and asks you what it means to live with your soul intact, you’ll be thinking about this book long after you’ve finished reading it.

Strongly recommended for readers who appreciate heart-pounding, gritty literary fiction and who think that there is always light worth pursuing, even in the most hopeless situations. At novella-length, it’s a fairly quick read, and one that I found very enjoyable.

It’s 5 stars from me! Available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle, as well as Kindle Unlimited.