Speculator
Winner of the Leonard E. Read Book Award
Past winners include:
- Steve Forbes and Elizabeth Ames: Money: How the Destruction of the Dollar Threatens the Global Economy – and What We Can Do About It
- John Mackey: Conscious Capitalism
- George Gilder: Knowledge is Power
- Ken Schoolland: The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible
“Speculator uses the cover of a thrilling tale of international intrigue to provide an economic and moral defense of the much-maligned speculator and an economic and moral condemnation of those who profit via force and fraud. Doug Casey and John Hunt have provided an invaluable service to those looking for unique ways to spread the ideas of liberty.”
—Dr. Ron Paul
“Speculator combines the fast-paced action of a Dirk Pitt adventure story with the cerebral message of an Ayn Rand novel. The authors’ knowledge of how markets, mining, and governments work is impressive, yet the book reads like a day at the beach. Crisp, intelligent, and witty, this new adventure series might even out-Rand Rand.”
—Jo Ann Skousen, Professor of English Literature at Chapman University
“Halfway between Frederick Forsyth’s Dogs of War and Ayn Rand’s Fountainhead. The gold mine in the jungle, the mercenaries, and the child soldiers keep you turning the pages. A morality tale with modern twists.”
—John Mackey, Founder, Whole Foods Market; author of Conscious Capitalism
“Adventure… intrigue… philosophy… politics… you’ll find it all in this fast-paced novel from Doug Casey and John Hunt. Most important, you’ll find thoughts- the kind of thoughts that will make you think too.”
—Bill Bonner, author of Empire of Debt and Mobs, Messiahs, and Markets
“Move over John Galt and Humphrey Bogart, Speculator has created an old-fashioned hero with contemporary style and sex appeal. Expert cicerones lead us through the dark world of African mining and international finance. It is a riveting tale, perfect for a day at the beach or a long-winter’s-night read. Pure gold.”
—Richard Harteis, author of Marathon; Publishing Director, Poets-Choice.com
“Speculator may prove to be the first in a new genre of fiction. Give this book to all your friends and enemies.”
—John Hart, NY Times bestselling author of Redemption Road and two time Edgar Award winner
“Speculator will keep you thinking long past the conclusion and for years to come.”
—Robert Ringer, New York Times bestselling author of Looking Out for #1 and Winning Through Intimidation
“Passionately pointed and provocative.”
—David Brin, author of Earth and The Postman
“Doug Casey and John Hunt have delivered a thumping good adventure yarn, while simultaneously teaching a master class on how to navigate the high-risk/high-reward junior mining industry. The authors’ well-known libertarian worldview is on full display here, explained through the actions of a young protagonist whose ability to question society’s conventional wisdom—and chart his own course through life—is all too rare these days. This is more than a classic action novel. Speculator is an instruction manual on how to live a virtuous and productive life in the modern age.”
—Kevin Virgil, Editor, Frontera News
“Doug Casey and Dr. John Hunt’s compelling novel, Speculator, describes the world of stock fraud centered around a too-good- to-be- true African gold discovery. Given the fact that Casey already has two New York Times best sellers under his belt, one would assume that this would be a page-turner. The reader will not be disappointed. Many of the important questions facing society today are also dealt with in this novel. Utilizing fiction, Ayn Rand addressed issues facing society of her day; Casey and Hunt do the same through their characters. Speculator is a suspenseful, well-written novel—and, more importantly, one that will make you stop and think.”
—Al Korelin, Host, The Korelin Report
“A rousing adventure where gold mining, market mining, and corruption meet Ayn Rand in the mythical African country of Gondwana. Charles’s adventures play out between real insights into human nature and greed focused as only Doug Casey can.”
—Brent Cook, exploration geologist, Editor, Exploration Insights
“Doug brings the clear writing style that made him a bestselling investment author to fiction. Speculator is a page-turner, full of knowledge and insights that Doug Casey and his coauthor, John Hunt, have learned from real-world speculations and travels around the globe. The book rings true because they have lived the life.”
—Adrian Day, author of Investing in Resources, Chairman, Adrian Day Asset Management
“Who knew Doug Casey—brilliant investor, essayist, speaker, entrepreneur, anarcho-capitalist—was also a novelist? You must read Speculator!”
—Lew Rockwell, author of Against the State: An Anarcho-Capitalist Manifesto, Chairman, Ludwig von Mises Institute
“A well-written and exciting adventure for intelligent people. In the confrontation between the peaceful and creative persons, and those whose actions embrace violence, fraud, and other forms of dishonesty, this novel provides a microcosm of a world that reaches far beyond the African continent where it is set.
It is a really good book!”
—Butler Shaffer, author of Calculated Chaos
“At last! A Harry Potter for adults! Your new friend, Charles Knight, combats people with unparalleled political power, and people whose cunning and deception made them incredibly rich. He will take you with him through an African revolution, unpredictable characters with at least three sides, and a gigantic mining fraud. A double-deceptive conclusion leaves you eager for the next book to see where Charles Knight will take you!”
—Thea Alexander, bestselling author of 2150 AD
“Speculator is a terrific book. A gripping adventure story played out in a dramatic setting. It is also a smart and thoughtful book that is brimming with interesting facts and asking important philosophical questions.”
—Mark Ford, New York Times bestselling author, Editor, Creating Wealth
“Finally, a work that fuses sound, consistent philosophy with a highly readable, action-packed story. And who better to guide us through the twists and turns, all the while offering us his fresh, original take on the world, than Doug Casey? Against a landscape of artless fiction and stale, trite philosophies, Casey offers a refreshing perspective as only he can.”
—Anya Leonard, Editor, Classical Wisdom
“Speculator is a roller-coaster lesson on the arcane world of gold-mine investing. An African revolution, massive fraud with massive profits and losses—the novel is such fun you don’t notice how much you are learning. But, mostly, it is a good read with a unique protagonist.”
—Wendy McElroy, author of Liberty for Women
“John Hunt—a doctor, entrepreneur, and fiction and nonfiction author—joins forces with the famous Doug Casey in the first of a six-novel series the likes of which no one else would ever contemplate. Or risk!”
—B.K. Marcus, Contributing Editor, Foundation for Economic Education (FEE)
“Years ago my favorite Arthur Hailey novel, Airport, gave us an intimate insider look at the airline industry. Now Speculator gives us an intimate insider look inside mining and the world of finance. Readers of Doug Casey’s nonfiction will especially appreciate his first plunge into dramatic fiction.”
—J. Neil Schulman, author/filmmaker, Alongside Night
“It’s very rare in literature to have, at the same time, a captivating story and a potent serving of sound philosophy and free-market principles. Speculator does it better than anything I have ever seen. It could introduce you to a new way to look at life. I expect Speculator will become a timeless classic. If you thought Atlas Shrugged was good, Speculator will blow you away. As someone who deeply believes in personal and economic freedom, I can’t wait to see what Charles does next.”
—Nick Giambruno, Senior Editor, InternationalMan.com
“At last, an adventure novel about gold-mining exploration in insanely dangerous places such as Indonesia and Africa. I’ve debated Casey at forums, and his brilliant mind, added to his mining expertise, adds authenticity to a wild way to get rich quick: ranging from a Bernie Madoff-type swindle echoing the infamous Bre-X scandal that rocked Canadian miners, to boy soldiers and gangster mercenaries. A great read.”
—James Dines, author of Mass Psychology, Editor, The Dines Letter
“Along come Doug Casey and John Hunt with their fantastic, riveting story, Speculator. Just as I could not put down Atlas Shrugged until I finished it, I simply was glued to my screen until I found out every jot and tittle of what happened to Charles Knight, the fictional hero of this novel. I am simply delighted that this is to be but the first in a six-part “High Ground” series of novels. If the other five are even in the same ballpark as this one, we are in for an exquisite treat. This really is a magnificent novel.”
—Walter Block, PhD, Professor of Economics, Loyola University, author of Defending the Undefendable
Drug Lord
Drug Lord is a finalist for 2018 Prometheus Award for Best Novel
“Drug Lord should come with a warning sticker: CAUTION, THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE.”
— Paul Rosenberg, author of The Breaking Dawn and Free-Man’s Perspective
“Hunt and Casey do a great job describing in creative story telling what happens behind the scenes in the pharmaceutical industry while critiquing the drug war. Head to head comparisons of big pharma to black markets, and of FDA to the DEA, illustrate what every American should know.”
—Ralph Weber, CEO, MediBid Inc., author of Rigged: How Insurance Ruined Healthcare
“Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged was the novel that sparked a free market revolution in the 20th century. Drug Lord could be the novel that ignites that spark into an inferno in the 21st century. And I can’t think of a better person to pen it with than Doug Casey.”
—Jeff Berwick, The Dollar Vigilante
“In Speculator, we met Charles Knight who balanced contempt for bureaucracy with personal ambition. His next adventure takes him into the heart of the two-headed beast: drug wars and the pharmaceutical business. As a physician entrepreneur I loved this book, and cannot wait for the next installment!”
—Jonathan M. Sackier, MB, ChB, FRCS, FACS, Hon DSc, Visiting Professor of Surgery, Oxford University
“Drug Lord is as equally entertaining as it is edifying. I read it over the course of three days and was totally absorbed. Knight’s adventures were much more fun than my usual day-to-day, to say the least.”
—Ross Ulbricht
“Karl Marx was right that economics determines history. But he didn’t realize governments could distort economies so badly that only the intrepid might survive. And only after they reaped generous rewards could the ‘meek (proletariat) inherit the earth.’ Drug Lord‘s intrepid hero, Charles Knight, is the representation of this ultimate reality. Engaging and enlightening.”
—Barry Reid, author of The Paper Trip
“Charles Knight hits his stride, stepping on from his smashing role in Speculator, to gather steam in Drug Lord. Speculator was great and successful, but Drug Lord is possibly better: it’s different; it’s smoother, and Charles Knight is smarter now. The dialogue and settings teach life lessons.”
—Bo Keeley, executive hobo, racquetball champion, global vagabond, and prolific author
“Charles Knight is back–a little older, a little wiser, and trying to get a whole lot richer. This time he’s learning how to sell legal drugs at an illegal discount through an even less legal market. Casey and Hunt manage to entertain and inform at the same time, revealing the often fatal, though unintended, consequences of regulation by the FDA, the DEA, the IRS, and a cornucopia of bureaucracies. Drug Lord is another stylishly written paean to free markets and free minds.”
—Jo Ann Skousen, Professor, Chapman University
“Through a cleverly crafted plot, Hunt and Casey sound the alarm on paternalistic laws, over-legislation, and the growing police state. The story reads like historical nonfiction as government officials morally justify evil acts for a perceived greater good, letting the reader ponder serious philosophical issues while enjoying a thoroughly good yarn.”
—Jeffrey James Higgins, retired DEA supervisory special agent
“Drug Lord is Chicken Soup for the Ancap Soul.”
—Albert Lu, CEO, Sprott US Media and host of The Power & Market Report
“Drug Lord–it’s Ayn Rand with guns and drugs! But that doesn’t do John Hunt and Doug Casey justice. They’ve written a thriller that’s whatever the opposite of ‘escapism’ is. Call it ‘right-here-and-right-now-ism.’ It’s an adventure in rationalism with a heartening lesson. Reason is not only the source of liberty, it’s the source of virtue.”
—P.J. O’Rourke, Editor, American Consequences magazine and author of How the Hell Did This Happen? The Presidential Campaign of 2016
“‘Drug Lord‘ is a fantastic follow up in the High Ground Novel Series, one that will keep you glued to your seat as you follow Knight in his journey. There are many lessons to be gleaned from this story, but at the very least, it’s highly entertaining! You won’t be disappointed.”
—Brian Leni, Founder, Junior Stock Review
“Drug Lord is an incendiary critique of the American drug, medical and insurance industries… It is also an indictment of the tyranny wielded by a government no longer ‘of the people, by the people, and for the people.'”
—Mickey Fulp, The Mercenary Geologist.
Assassin
“This is a story told with supple intelligence and hard-hitting dramatic velocity against the daunting real-world events of our time: financial and political chaos and cultural collapse. The authors tag all this with the satisfying emotional punch of political players getting exactly what they deserve. A terrific performance!”
—James Howard Kunstler, author of the World Made by Hand novels and The Long Emergency
“I know the denizens of Washington, DC well. I promise you that this book will disturb, and scare, them.”
—David Stockman, Editor, David Stockman’s Contra Corner. Former U.S. Congressman and Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Ronald Reagan.
“Doug Casey has painted the most realistic portrait of the future that I’ve seen. And it’s scary! His thriller is a road map of what is in front of us and a roller coaster page turner of a ride while we get there.”
—James Altucher, author of Choose Yourself
“Not since the death of Ayn Rand has there appeared such enthralling fiction wrapped in a free market capitalist bent. The world needs this right now.”
—Jeff Berwick, The Dollar Vigilante, Anarchast, Anarchapulco
“The writing in this new book of the series is surprising and always magic. It is not a page burner but a sentence burner.”
—Bo Keeley, executive hobo, author of Keeley’s Kures
“Do you consider assassination a really bad thing? Well, I tend to agree with you… and so you’re going to be really surprised where Doug and John take you with this story. I certainly was!”
—Paul Rosenberg, author of the Free-Man’s Perspective newsletter
“I learn lots when I read Doug Casey plus I am always entertained immensely!”
—Jim Rogers, International Investor and author of Street Smarts
“Captivating action and history. Charles Knight’s visits to our Cayman Islands gold vault are always a delight.”
—Mark Yaxley, General Manager, Strategic Wealth Preservation (SWP)
“Casey and Hunt shine a spotlight on expanding government power, dwindling personal freedom, and the insidious nature of the deep state. They expose the cancer of cronyism, oligarchy, gaslighting, propaganda, and the tacit complicity of those who abdicate their own freedom. Assassin is an ideological thrill ride.”
—Jeffrey James Higgins, author of Furious
