One of my guilty pleasures is reading fiction stories set in the Disney parks. I wasn’t feeling well yesterday so it was the perfect opportunity to lay on my bed with the cat all day and binge read Jeff Dixon’s new fiction work Kingdom Chaos. This is the fifth book in his Dixon on Disney / Key to the Kingdom series that are all set in and around the Walt Disney World Resort though this story really does stand alone just fine so you can read it without having read the others. I don’t want to give to much away but the story is about the race to find the President of the United States and his family when they disappear from the Epcot monorail on the way to give a speech beneath Spaceship Earth. Will Disney’s Chief Creative Architect Grayson Hawkes and his team be able to unravel clues, rescue the first family, and expose the people behind this brazen kidnapping? The story moves along quickly and held my interest all the way through. It was a very fun read with polical intrigues, deep state conspiracies and divided loyalties.
These books have a similar tone to stories like the National Treasure movies or Brad Meltzer’s historical/political conspiracy novels. Because the book is so new, it may remind you of the TV series “Designated Survivor” whose story lines seemed taken right from the pages of this morning’s news. The President in this book is named Tyler Pride and he is controversial, bombastic and constantly at odds with the media. Hmmm, that sounds vaguely familiar…..
Jeff Dixon calls his books “Faction” - a combination of fact and fiction - because he weaves so much true Disney trivia throughout his stories. As a Disney fan, I read his novels with a colored highlighter in hand so that I can quickly find those gems hidden throughout the story again. Sometimes I want to read more about something he includes and other times I want to be sure to check out something he mentions when I am next at the Walt Disney World Resort.
Kingdom Chaos combines true Disney trivia with a fun fiction story.
I once wrote to Jeff Dixon in a fit of frustration because I read one of his books after reading Kelly Ryan Johns’ two Deadliest Cast Member books. I wanted to know what the fixation was with strong male protagonists and stories that killed off the women characters. Isn’t it enough that so many mothers are dead in the classic Disney animated movies!?! Let the women live already!!! He sent a very kind reply and told me that I would probably appreciate this book, which was not yet released, and he was right. There were two amazing female characters - Jillian Batterson and Juliette Keaton. They were strong, capable women who could look the head of Secret Service, the media or anyone else in the eye and stand their ground without a moment’s hesitation. The lead character Grayson Hawkes is clearly the hero of the story but it is equally clear that he couldn’t do what he does without the people he has at his side. It was Mr. Dixon’s kind email response that prompted me to invite him to become a guest contributor to this blog. You can find all of his posts by clicking on the Dixon on Disney tag.
This photo was shameless lifted from Jeff Dixon’s facebook profile to prove my point. @KeytotheKingdombook
Dixon doesn’t dive too deeply into his physical description of his protagonist Grayson Hawkes but there is one mention of Hawkes having a mop of shaggy, white hair. Have you seen Jeff Dixon’s photo? Maybe it is time for a second email to Dixon asking if he has ever jumped from the top of a Disney Skyliner car to keep ahead of pursuers.
Jeff Dixon’s day job is as a pastor so it tickles me a little that the book features physical battles, gun shots, death, and all the usual things that go with political intrigue but nary a naughty word. The strongest drink is a cup of coffee and no one has time to roll in the hay with everything that is going on in the story. Don’t worry though, it isn’t a heavy handed or preachy book other than a comment that the lead character has more confidence in divine providence than in luck and the suggestion that we should all pray for the President regardless of how we vote. If you are comfortable with someone saying, “God bless you” after you sneeze, you will be comfortable with this book even if you are not particularly religious. Well, there is one pretty preachy part towards the end but it was political and not religious in tone, or maybe it just seemed that way to me. Truly, the book works very hard to to be nuanced and thoughtful when presenting situations that parallel our real world challenges.
I think this is Dixon’s best fiction work yet and hope he has many more books percolating in his mind.
Click here for Jeff Dixon’s Amazon Author page
More about Jeff Dixon: Jeff has written a series of novels set in and around Walt Disney World entitled, The Key to the Kingdom, Unlocking the Kingdom, Storming the Kingdom, Terror in the Kingdom and his newest book, Kingdom Chaos. He is also the author of The Disney Driven Life, a book that draws life lessons and leadership principles from the history and life of Walt Disney. Some know Jeff as Dixon On Disney – and he resources and comments on Disney history, attractions, and news. He is a researcher that draws heavily on the incredible works of Disney historians and biographers with an attempt to understand and apply the life lessons that are uncovered. He is also a storyteller that transports readers into a world beyond their imagination.
About the reviewer: Annette is an avid reader who dreams of doing two back-to-back, long transatlantic cruises where they feed her and she has plenty of time to sit on deck, reading a giant stack of books. She and husband Steve are the owners of Mouse Trip Travel, LLC, a travel agency specializing in Disney destinations. She purchased this book on Amazon and is receiving no compensation of any kind for this review.
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