Chocolate Lenin by Graham Diamond

The Russian Federation is planning to celebrate its 25th Anniversary Jubilee, and Vlad Petrovsky is at the center of the public relations effort. It’s a plum assignment; long hours away from his family and dealing with crisis after crisis will all be worth it to Vlad if he succeeds. In the midst of this, he is pulled away from his assignment and tasked by the Prime Minister himself to support a vital, secret mission that threatens the future of all Russia.

At the center of Chocolate Lenin is a race against time to prevent a scientifically reproduced version of Vladimir Lenin from instigating another revolution. A special team of scientists, police, secret agents and the likable Vlad has been cobbled together to counteract a brilliant scientist’s radical plot to use Lenin to bring down Russia. The elements of the pursuit read like a thriller as the team works to track ... Read More

Chocolate Lenin by Graham Diamond

At the heart of Graham Diamond’s social satire Chocolate Lenin is a bit of sparkling whimsy: the cloning of Vladimir Lenin with chocolate. The newly reanimated political leader, who has a mixture of premium chocolate and rum coursing through his veins, is a confectionary golem in a dystopian Russia. As one character says, “Has everyone gone mental?...  Are we chasing a walking, talking chocolate bar?”

Despite this original, promising premise, I didn’t enjoy Chocolate Lenin. I thought the pacing was wrong and that the book had an identity crisis. It wanted to be a satire and a techno-thriller, and because of that confusion, it failed at both.

A few years in the future, Russia is preparing for a 25 year Jubilee. Vlad Petrovsky is the director of the nationwide celebration. He is approached by his old friend Boris, ... Read More