Description:
That breathing behind you is Edwin. He's an odd choice for the ancient ruler who grants a man the Power of invisibility. Why give it to Edwin–an inconsequential insurance actuarial? Edwin gets the Power and begins his existential dive on a visit to the Metropolitan Museum. At an exhibit of Egyptian wonders, the boy Pharaoh Tutankhamen bestows Edwin with the reality-altering Power and the transformations begin. Routinely ignored by women, initially Edwin uses his magic as a voyeur. Later, when his boss and nemesis Imelda fires him, a jobless Edwin discovers he can use the power to game the stock market. He gets very rich, very fast. But when, unseen, Edwin visits the FDA to gather insider information to manipulate stocks, he overhears White House executives as they plan to squash an important drug breakthrough. Their cynicism and politically driven ruthlessness enrages Edwin. What follows is a White House press conference unlike any ever held. Our meek actuarial evolves with new adventures. He uses the Power to avert a dangerous military confrontation, and on a visit to a leading biotech firm, Edwin finds it’s up to him to prevent a global food crisis. Each episode helps him better understand the nature of what personal power is, and why he was chosen to receive the Pharaoh’s gift. The Power is driven by our archetypal curiosity about invisibility–our fly-on-the-wall fascination with it in the tradition of Wells’ classic The Invisible Man or seen currently in our wonderment at Harry Potter’s magic cloak. In The Power, magic becomes the metaphor that asks the question: how should Edwin and in turn the reader use personal power. When does power destroy and when does it fulfill us? The Power is a vicarious ride that leaves readers feeling ever more empowered and more aware of our own unique magic. From I Michael Grossman, the author of: Coming to Terms with Aging and Shrinkwrapped: my first fifty years on the couch
