Snowball's Chance

After being exiled from Animal Farm, a contrite Snowball returns insisting that he learned his lesson of excess and abuse of power and will harm no one. He slowly begins his means of taking over through "democratic" processes by promising if elected in charge he will reform the farm so that the animals will have plenty of pie and the stables will be heated and well lighted. No one will want under his enlightened leadership.

Snowball's reform succeeds so that newcomers from the surrounding areas begin to flock to Animal Farm for a taste of the good life. These refugees are given the jobs none of the old-timers want to do and live in the oldest dilapidated barns. The original loyal followers of Snowball move into choice property outside the crime ridden center. Snowball continues to expand Animal Farm bringing prosperity to his inner circle.

Winning a court case, Snowball gains control of the water rights. This leaves the Beavers with nothing but anger and frustration that leads to counterinsurgency with an opportunity to a better afterlife if they die for the cause of freeing the beaver woods.

John Reed provides an intriguing ironic follow-up to George Orwell's superb satirical personification of communism by applying the same cast to the personification of capitalism. Some diehard Orwellian fans will loathe what might seem as an assault on the author, but this reviewer believes that Mr. Orwell on THE WHOLE would have done something similar if he lived today... SNOWBALL'S CHANCE is a strong satire of a strong satire turning Orwell on his head.

Harriet Klausner