Title: On Top of the World (Until the Bell Chimes)
Author: David Lamb
Publisher: Woolly Mammoth Books
ISBN: 978-0986445309
Pages: 246
Genre: Fiction/Romance
Reviewed by: Ella Vincent
Hollywood Book Reviews
It’s Good to Be King is a witty and charming romantic novel by David Lamb that readers will love. The unconventional story combines a modern urban take on A Christmas Carol with a romantic story about true love.
The novel centers on Scrooje Ebonyzer, a Kanye West-like rap mogul with a lot of talent and a lot of ego. He is named after the Dickens character and is miserly like Scrooge as well. Scrooje alienates his first love and lawyer, Belle, by cheating his fellow rappers out of their money and selling music that’s derogatory to women and African-Americans. Soon, one of his deceased rappers on his label, Marley, haunts Scrooje and tells him of three ghosts that will visit him. The ghosts of past, present, and future visit Scrooje and show him how his life will be if he continues to shut out Belle and the other people in his life. The glimpses into his past and future make Scrooje question whether gaining the world as the king of hip-hop is worth losing his soul.
It’s Good to Be King is an entertaining read that perfectly combines humor and romance. The satire of David Lamb’s writing is worthy of being compared with Charles Dickens. Lamb’s depiction of Scrooje as a selfish rapper that sells mindless songs glorifying ignorance to the public is a sly commentary on the music industry and celebrity worship. The characters and situations in their lives are complex and relatable; from Scrooje’s conflicted feelings as a heartless rap star to Belle’s no- nonsense but sensitive approach to stardom. While the novel is realistic, it also seamlessly mixes fantasy as well with the ghosts haunting Scrooje. The novel also has a fresh, original take on Dickens’ A Christmas Carol that readers will appreciate and may make them want to reread the classic Christmas story.
It’s Good to Be King would be great for readers of satire who want to read about heavy matters like race and class with humor worthy of a Mark Twain novel. Lamb’s writing about Belle and Scrooje’s love story is also perfect for readers who like light romance novels, which have also an inspirational theme. One clever use of this book might be if used in schools for an English project comparing the classic version of A Christmas Carol to modern-day characterizations.
The bottom line is this novel is a heartwarming and humorous look at love, faith, and fame. It’s Good to Be King is a book that will entertain as it enlightens readers. I totally enjoyed paging through the hauntingly familiar story set in today’s Tweet-laden world of cell phones, bling and Hip-Hop.