Jonathan N Pruitt, the author of The Amber Menhir, has something to say—and he’s illustrating it by creating the allegorical works we’ve recently been missing. Just as prominent figures like George Orwell and Ayn Rand have done in generations prior, Pruitt has penned his convictions to an enlightened audience in an entertaining manner that can’t be ignored.

At the surface of Pruitt’s new series, The Shadows of the Monolith, the story appears to cater to the right, leaning heavily into scathing critiques of contemporary academia. With sarcastic humor in its narrative voice, Pruitt’s debut ignites the passions of the reader while quenching their thirst for the assertions society needs to hear, whether or not they agree. 

The Amber Menhir describes a world where an elite class of intellectuals have enslaved the masses under the auspices that they alone can save existence, albeit through costly blood magic.  The dark narrative quickly immerses you in a world of ‘deadly power politics and corruption,’ as told through the perspectives of a diverse cast of characters.

Just beneath the surface, however, the author treats all political sides more fairly during the fantasy adventure, without compromising Pruitt’s biting expression of his philosophies. In the end, even Pruitt’s malevolent blood-drinking scholars possess justifications for their evils that readers will find challenging to refute. The empire described in The Amber Menhir might be the next iteration of Animal Farm in all its finery. Only time will say.

Pruitt himself is no stranger to controversy, proudly stomping on nerves to instigate important conversations, nevermind the consequences for himself. His personal and literary narratives appear to seek backlash from adversaries, asserting that utopia and dystopia are critical issues in society, and warning how singular views inevitably land society in rough waters. Does the serial inability to pass a budget signal rough waters for a society?

The Amber Menhir’s narrative suggests that the advancement of society needs to be attained through careful curation of the future, with the inevitable truth in mind that someone’s utopia is their friend’s dystopia. Pruitt explores this concept and explains his point of view through fantastical allegory.

Off the page, it almost seems as though the author was explicitly designed to describe dark academic settings. Pruitt was personally engulfed in scandal for years, providing him with a firsthand understanding of what many politicians experience. This dragged the author through social media turmoil during the creation and release of The Amber Menhir.  Now, Pruitt’s debut speaks truths loudly and proudly, and promises to emanate throughout like-minded circles. Given the thousands of copies sold of The Amber Menhir last month, it seems it might already have.

To harness the power of the creative spirit, Pruitt takes Hemmingway’s advice and often writes on bar tops and edits whilst caffeinated the morning after. If you were worried about him holding back, fear not. Pruitt’s not quieting his statements in The Amber Menhir. Readers can expect to get what they’re asking for when they pick it up and dive into the figurative and real-world dramas. Dark, playful humor graces the pages of the novel, making Pruitt a standout voice that has landed some traction.  One thing is for certain: the dualing stories on and off the page from The Amber Menhir and Pruitt, perhaps the world’s most infamous spider biologist, are anything but ordinary.

While Jonathan Pruitt has already reached enviable commercial success as a debut author, he’s not stopping any time soon. The Shadows of the Monolith aims to release a completed series of five volumes, following the humble characters from The Amber Menhir through their hills and gullies in an effort to save their world.

Love it or hate it, The Shadows of the Monolith beckons the bold-hearted.