Luck by Chris Coppel
Power is a dangerous thing in the wrong hands...
Luck is the story of Daniel - a man born with the gift of being able to influence others. He learns that he can both charm as well as destroy. As his ability grows, so does his craving for acceptance.
Once his ability is unleashed on the American political stage, Daniel finds that he no longer has to settle with charming the few. Now he can control the minds of the masses, as his own sanity descends into a tormented oblivion.
FIVE STARS: 'There was a huge concave crater where a quarter of his brain had once rested’ ‘‘California author Chris Coppel is the author of many screenplays and has taught advanced screenwriting at UCLA. He is also an accomplished drummer and guitarist. His chosen genre for this novels is horror stories and to date he has published FAR FROM BURDEN DELL, LEGACY, THE LODGE, and now LUCK.
It is refreshing to encounter an author who is able to transport the reader into the realm of terror with the facility that Chris Coppel has achieved. Having read three of his novels, this reader has developed great respect for Chris’ talent. The story he weaves in LUCK is as visual and compelling as the experience of sitting in a movie theater during a scary film. The mystery and momentum of the story is suggested in the opening chapter: ‘Daniel Traap had always been lucky. His parents had died between the level-crossing gates, just outside the town of Glenwood Springs in Colorado. The GenRail Starliner hit their car at over ninety-eight miles per hour, giving the eight-year-old Ford Focus and it occupants little chance of survival. Witnesses seem to agree that the car was driven carefully onto the tracks by Ellen Darnell, The automated gate then lowered on either side of it, Onlookers claim to have seen the couple look at each other and smile, seconds before the impact…’
Distilling the progress of a psychological thriller is a challenge: invite readers’ attention while not giving away the dénouement and finale: ‘Power is a dangerous thing in the wrong hands...Luck is the story of Daniel – a man born with the gift of being able to influence others. He learns that he can both charm as well as destroy. As his ability grows, so does his craving for acceptance. Once his ability is unleashed on the American political stage, Daniel finds that he no longer has to settle with charming the few. Now he can control the minds of the masses, as his own sanity descends into a tormented oblivion...’
Fast paced and well sculpted, this is a horror story that rises to the top of the genre. Chris Coppel is an author with the gift! Recommended.”
FIVE STARS: With Great Power Comes Great… ‘‘Luck,’ the latest offering from L.A.-based author Chris Coppel, is a tight, thoughtful piece of satire that takes aim at the continued absurdity of our current hyper-charged political climate.
‘Luck’ essentially tells the story of Daniel—born with a lucky streak and the inexplicable ability to influence the hearts and minds of others, Daniel Trapp (presumably modelled after another (in)famous politician with the initials D.T.) begins his life with the best of intentions, eventually settling into a life of politics. But Daniel’s thirst for attention knows no bounds, and he quickly becomes engulfed in a chaotic, self-destructive quest for anonymous adulation. What follows is a classic dark comedy cleverly outlining a train-wreck of a life.
For his part, Coppel’s prose is tight, engaging, and laced with a dry wit in a way that reminded this reader of John Irving circa 1985. And while there’s an obvious allegorical element to ‘Luck’ that clearly tethers it to the current political climate, Coppel has succeeded in weaving just enough mythology into his narrative to give the whole thing a sense of ‘timeless’ buoyancy that is sure to resonate for years to come—unless, of course, the apocalypse is already upon us, in which case this is essentially an eerily-apt prophecy masquerading as a politically-charged novel.
From the brilliant cast of flawed characters to the satisfying conclusion (of course, mileage may vary depending on your political leanings), ‘Luck’ is just the sort of story we need at this unprecedented time in history.”
FIVE STARS: I could not put this book down ‘‘Luck by Chris Coppel is a real page turner that I could not put down. A very clever story that moves from one part to another and so on. Each part stands on the shoulders of the earlier parts. The book itself is actually in two parts but what I mean is different parts of the story as it advances.
Our story begins with a young married couple in a car stopped on train tracks in Colorado and the resulting horrific train crash. The husband is killed immediately and the wife who is seven months pregnant is ejected from the car and dies from her injuries. The EMT’s do a C section on the spot and miraculously the baby survives and is taken to a neonatal ICU. Lucky kid.
Mary Trapp is the sister of the dead mother. She and her husband Henry come from LA, adopt the baby and name him Daniel. The Trapps never planned to have children but manage to provide a loving home and happy childhood for young Daniel. Henry is a physicist who invents a revolutionary technology that makes him a Billionaire and Mary is in the high end real estate market and does very well herself. Daniel from a very young age knows that he wants to follow in Mary’s footsteps and with some seed money from his wealthy parents, does so and does very well.
The story follows Daniel as he grows from infant to toddler, pre school, boarding school, and real estate titan. I think that mentioning too many details beyond the basic outline might be spoilers and I don’t want to do that. I will say that Chris Coppel is incredibly descriptive with the characters, locations, houses, buildings, real estate transactions, and Henry’s great invention, describing them with incredible and interesting details.
I enjoyed this book very much and I enthusiastically recommend it. In fact, I can’t wait to read another Chris Coppel story.”
FIVE STARS: What a read! ‘“Luck” is a story that shocked me in many ways because it is related to something we see every day: people with great influence managing and controlling our lives, which is really worrying.
This book tells the story of Daniel, who has a great ambition and thirst for power. The author presents the main character in a way that it is really easy to realise how he thinks and what he is going to do next. In fact, one of the best things about the book is the way the author gets readers to know Daniel.
All in all, it is well worth reading because it will leave readers with a great deal to think about.”
FIVE STARS: a thought-provoking and entertaining masterpiece of suspense ‘‘People born with the ability to influence others are, at some point in their lives, faced with a choice. Such is the case with Chris Coppel’s ill-fated antagonist Daniel Trapp, who, coincidentally or otherwise, seems to share certain personality traits with a certain controversial American political figure. This is the literary turf where the author deftly stakes his claim, and the result is a richly layered and textured story of one man’s quest for acceptance. Coppel is a masterful storyteller whose unique skill resides in how he steers this inventive tale to a supremely engaging and satisfying conclusion.”
FIVE STARS: Comic horror story ‘‘In the novel LUCK, author Chris Coppel has composed a virtuosic achievement of breathtaking horror and hilarious satire. The story is about an orphan boy named Daniel Trapp who is a combination of Damien from The Omen and Donald Trump. There are terrifying battles of life and death as well as hilarious observations of the high stakes technology and real estate businesses. Mr. Coppel is a writer who can make readers both sit at the edge of their seats in horror and also roll on the floor in laughter.”
