NOTE: The following review of Much Ado About Corona was written Peter Toccalino, pictured above, centre, holding his dog Paco, surrounded by his wife Kyra, and their children, Freya and Ferris.
In Much Ado About Corona, author John C.A. Manley has expertly captured the absurd and draconian COVID lockdowns that gripped Canada for over two years and has distilled it into a compelling and deeply moving story about the strength of the human spirit in its quest for love, truth, and freedom.
As a previous reviewer mentioned, if we hadn’t just lived through the last two and a half years of all-encompassing COVID hysteria, which provides the backdrop for the story, you would think you were reading a surreal and fantastical work of dystopian sci-fi, but alas, the novel is a stark reminder that we aren’t dreaming and that the ongoing Covid operation, although morphing in unexpected ways under the whim of globalist psychopaths and their political puppets, is very real and ultimately aims at destroying our way of life and any vestige of human sovereignty.
Most importantly, the novel is a reminder that if we don’t want to be steam-rolled by this anti-human agenda, we need to stand up and squarely face down the tide of tyranny inundating the world today.
It is at once funny, disturbing, thought-provoking, informative and inspiring - a bonafide page turner with a cliff-hanger ending that will leave the reader pining for the sequel. Great job, John, in demonstrating how literary art has the timeless and universal power to shine light on to darkness and deception.
Peter "Typolino" Toccalino helped beta-read and proofread Much Ado About Corona. A former English teacher, he lives in Southwestern Ontario with his wife Kyra, children Ferris and Freya and dog Paco. He has been interviewed on radio and podcasts about his work in combatting the rise of totalitarianism in Canada.
