Wages of Empire
Book 1
Grand prize winner - 2022 CIBA Dante Rossetti Award for YA fiction
First place honors - 2022 CIBA Hemingway Award for wartime fiction
Distinguished Favorite in 2024 NYC Big Book Award for Historical Fiction
In the summer of 1914, sixteen-year-old Evan Sinclair leaves home to join the Great War for Civilization. Little does he know that, despite the war raging in Europe, the true source of conflict will emerge in Ottoman Palestine, since it's from Jerusalem where the German kaiser dreams to rule as Holy Roman Emperor.
Filled with such historical figures as Gertrude Bell, T.E. Lawrence, Winston Churchill, Faisal bin Hussein and Chaim Weizmann, Wages of Empire follows Evan through the killing fields of the Western Front where he will help turn the tide of a war that is just beginning, and become part of a story that never ends.
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"With gripping tension, Cooper keeps readers on the edge of their seats as the stakes are raised with each turn of events. Wages of Empire is a must-read blockbuster for history buffs of all ages. The novel's masterful storytelling will leave readers wanting more."
—Chanticleer Book Reviews—5 Stars—Best Book
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THE TEMPLE MOUNT was shrouded in darkness. It was the dead of night yet sounds of digging echoed within the Dome of the Rock.
As a prank, Evan had formally requested that his diploma be issued under the name "Pancho Villa."
Finding refuge in a pickup game of baseball after the last day of senior year, he stood in center field amid patches of parched grass and tufts of saltbush, shirtless in the summer heat of the high desert. He squinted at the distant contest between pitcher and batter, framed by the rickety wooden backstop and the Pine Valley Mountains. He imagined he was in the vast green outfield of the Polo Grounds in upper Manhattan, where he had fallen in love with baseball and with the New York Giants on a hot summer day in 1912...
Ten years Evan's senior, Lawrence had taught him how to make the sling when they'd met during his father's first sabbatical year at the Carchemish digs in Northern Syria.
Clive put his hand on Evan's shoulder. "You want some dinner?"
"Sure..."
"How about soup? We have vegetable and tomato."
"Tomato."
Walker raised his arms high over his head and shouted into the wind, "I am Siegmund, son of Wotan, flying through the tempest to join my illicit bride in Valhalla!" Feeling the boat slow, he saw that Watson had tacked into the wind, coming into the fairway by a stone jetty.
"Siegmund!" Watson called out, laughing, "When you get back from Valhalla, set the fenders—that stone jetty will ruin the hull!"
Walker saw Wilhelm striding toward him, arrayed in the uniform of a British admiral, his chest studded with shining medals. Walker dropped to one knee and bowed his head. Above him boomed the kaiser's voice, speaking with a perfect British accent.
"Montagu Walker, is it?"
The kaiser continued speaking as they followed a path winding through the smooth expanse of a green lawn studded by classical statuary and tall palm trees toward a towering bronze statue set on an equally massive marble pedestal—the lithe but muscular figure of a helmeted man with spear and shield overlooking the Ionian Sea. That must be Achilles, thought Walker.
The kaiser's eyes narrowed. "What do you know of the Spear?"
"I know it was used by the Roman guard Longinus to pierce the side of Our Lord. I know that whosoever possesses the Spear holds in his hand the destiny of the world—"
"Understand this—the love I have for my young cousin, King George, is such that I don't begrudge him his holdings in Africa, Egypt, India, and Asia—likewise my cousin, Czar Nicholas with his vast Russian empire. But I too deserve a place in the sun! And that includes Jerusalem!"
"You see, my dear Walker, I determined that the Dormition Abbey should resemble Charlemagne's Aachen Cathedral, because just as Aachen was the center of the First Reich under Charlemagne, Jerusalem will be the center of my Kaiserreich!"
Gunter leaned over his desk, pulled open the two double-pane windows, pushed aside the peeling green shutters, and opened the room to morning light and cool air from the garden. That's better, he thought, but something's still not right.
Joining the foot-traffic converging on Damascus Gate, Gunter passed a half dozen fruit sellers tending makeshift stalls and beggars in threadbare robes on either side. He entered the Old City through the open left half of the gate, the other closed and painted with the Turkish crescent and star.
Chaim Weizmann eased his son's bedroom door closed and turned to see his wife, Vera, coming down the hall in her robe and slippers.
"Is Benjy asleep?" she asked.
Asher Ginsberg's brand of Cultural Zionism supported settlement of the land of Israel but stressed the importance of core Jewish values—compassion, truth, and justice—especially when dealing with the Arabs of Palestine.
Faisal Bin Hussein completed morning prayer and kissed his wife and four sleepy children before leaving his apartments within the walls of the Holy Precinct.
Sheriff Hussein sighed. "It's not the Turks that concern me...it is Germany that concerns me."
"Why?" Faisal asked.
"Kaiser Wilhelm...he is an affront to everything we cherish!"
As he had promised his father, Evan set out to find work the day after graduation and landed a job at Cedar City's only filling station, owned and operated by Bob Pitney. The pay was good at twenty-five cents an hour, as were the hours of six to noon. Plus, he could have up to three free bottles of Hires Root Beer per shift.
On an already warm summer morning, Evan headed into work as the sun rose over the Pine Valley Mountains. He coasted on his Sunbeam bicycle through the sleeping streets of Cedar City, the silence perfect but for the sound of the rubber tires gliding over the smooth dirt road, a steady and reassuring whisper.
BUILDING OF KAISER'S AUGUSTA VICTORIA HOSTEL ON JERUSALEM'S MOUNT OF OLIVES COMPLETE.
Evan glanced at the newspaper text which described other prominent buildings the Kaiser had built in Jerusalem... transforming and dominating the city.
Pitney tapped the photo with an index finger blackened by grease. "Nice place... I reckon the kaiser's fixin' to move in."
As Evan pedaled home, he thought, Jerusalem must be important in what the Kaiser's planning to do. And if there's going to be a war over there, that's where I should go!
I see the silly white helmet of the Archduke dressed in his white uniform. He is looking right at me. Beside him is his wife, Sophie, also in white with a pretty, wide-brimmed hat.
I take the pistol from my pocket. I see the fear in their eyes.
It is well they should be frightened.
The motorcar begins to move.
I raise my hand and shoot. And again I shoot.
Praise
Grand prize winner - 2022 CIBA Dante Rossetti Award for YA fiction
First place honors - 2022 CIBA Hemingway Award for wartime fiction
"In Wages of Empire, Michael Cooper masterfully captures the time and geopolitical intrigue around the onset of WWI. The characters, historical and fictional, come to life on the page as the storyline drives relentlessly forward. Bravo!"
—Matt Coyle, bestselling author of the Rick Cahill novels and Anthony, Lefty, and Shamus awards-winner
"Masterful storytelling will keep you furiously turning the pages of this compelling historical WWI novel. A winner!"
—Andrew Kaplan, NYT bestselling author of Blue Madagascar, as well as the Homeland novels and the Scorpion series
"In this absorbing offering... Cooper explores several plot strands that hold historical significance, including the Arab desire for independence, the Zionist movement, and Western interest in Middle Eastern oil and control of Jerusalem. The pace is steady, allowing Cooper to plumb various facets of the war as it unfolds, with special emphasis on its Middle Eastern front as he skillfully braids the disparate plot strands together into a cohesive narrative with... suspense and tension."
—Publishers Weekly
"With gripping tension, Cooper keeps readers on the edge of their seats as the stakes are raised with each turn of events. Wages of Empire is a must-read blockbuster for history buffs of all ages. The novel's masterful storytelling will leave readers wanting more."
—Chanticleer Book Reviews—5 Stars—Best Book
"Historical fiction fans with a taste for adventure and the esoteric will surely enjoy Wages of Empire and look for its planned sequel, Crossroads of Empire."
—Booktrib
"A beautifully written tale covering three continents during a dramatic era in world history... from the plains of Utah to the battlefields of Europe to the Holy places and deserts of the Levant, Cooper exhibits extensive but seamless research in illuminating unforgettable historical and fictional characters... a tour de force!"
—Professor Ronit Meroz, Dept of Jewish Philosophy and Talmud, Tel-Aviv University; Winner of 2022 award Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities for outstanding scholarship of Kabbalah, and 2020 Ben Zvi Prize for research of Eastern Jewish Communities
"Story is gripping and the characters that he describes come alive through his skillful writing. I couldn't put it down!"
—Rabbi Gordon Freeman, Ph.D., Rabbi Emeritus, Congregation B'nai Shalom, Walnut Creek, CA
"Wages of Empire brings to light the consequences and true costs of empire-building and personal self-aggrandizement by leading figures of WW1... as those political figures and religious traditions that shape our human story today... an engaging history lesson as contemporaneous as the morning newspaper, but far more enlivening."
—John Bennison, Rel.D, Executive Director and Lead Teacher: Pathways Faith Community, Walnut Creek, CA
"Cooper has made this period of history come alive. It is a treat to read. This book should be at the top of your reading list."
—Rabbi David Zisenwine, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Education, Tel Aviv University; Chair of the Israel Jewish Educational Research Association (Retired)
"This superb historical novel is a must read! Michael Cooper weaves a great story and his ability to grasp historical facts allows the reader to be a part of the novel. I am a man of Jerusalem and felt goose bumps as Cooper's prose brought back vivid memories of the city of my birth. Most importantly, this memorable historical novel directly relates to issues we face today. I'm grateful for Cooper's genius in invoking a difficult past to heal a broken present."
—Rizek Abusharr, Emeritus Director General of Jerusalem International YMCA, nominated for Nobel Peace Prize (1993), recipient of Marthe Laube Prize for Tolerance and Democratic Values, awarded honorary doctor of Humanities degree from Springfield College (1996). Inducted into the YMCA Hall of Fame in 2007
"Cooper has crafted a compelling novel with global insights into the World War I experience. With a sharp eye for period detail, Wages of Empire offers history buffs a thrilling ride."
—Sujata Massey, internationally bestselling author of The Widows of Malabar Hill
"Wages of Empire by Michael J. Cooper, is a gripping adventure set during World War I. The story the author weaves, based on facts, takes the reader on an exciting and eye-opening ride through this intriguing period of history."
—Penny Warner, author of Dead Body Language
"Another finely wrought, deeply and lovingly researched novel from Michael J. Cooper
that brings history and historical figures to life. The next best thing to a time machine."
—Kenneth Wishnia, award-winning author of The Fifth Servant and From Sun to Sun
