Ballot Reviews 

 

by Gerry Steen » BookClub reviewer Jan 2026, 

I do love historical stories. I do not know much about Australia's political history. This excellent book seems to be a good place as any to learn. Kudos to author, Dan Mulvagh, for earning a 5-star review.

 

Another exceptional book, gripping and unpredictable, full of mystery, history, and loyalty, with secrets from the past that many of us wouldn’t even know existed. There were moments that made me want to shout at the pages, with an ending that was unexpected and full of suspense, one of those books you keep thinking about long after you’re finished.

Stella

 

Dear author,
I found myself lucky to have gotten this opportunity. I loved the book. In a very short time, the book established a strong relationship between the characters and made me root for them. Jay, as a regular guy in a military world, expresses with his grey lens that each and every choice has its own kind of consequence. So when he chose to live, at the expense of being labelled a betrayer, he paid the price in the Closed City Forty-Five. By making me wonder what would have happened to Jay if he didn’t speak Russian or if he didn’t collect illegal research data in the Forty-Five, the book expressed how both the Soviet Union and Australia showed little concern for their subjects and considered them dispensable unless they had something to provide. A thought-provoking read.

Sent from my iPhone

 

Official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Ballot"

The editing is done with spotless, military precision. I found not a single error in the entire book. I consider teens and older readers interested in the Vietnam War to be best suited for this war novel. Ballot presents readers with a fearless waltz of the bonded spirits atop a flaming floor of warmongering politics and its ruthless domination over commoners’ lives.

And, as I found nothing to dislike, I give this masterpiece a 5 out of 5.

 

Dear Dan Mulvagh, 
I want to begin by expressing my deep admiration for your gripping, high-stakes novel, Ballot: When Fate Called Their Name. You have masterfully captured the turbulent political climate of 1969, the emotional weight of conscription, and the deeply personal impact of war on young men whose lives were altered by a single lottery draw. Congratulations on creating a powerful, historically rich, and emotionally charged narrative that resonates with themes of identity, loyalty, and the cost of patriotism.

One moment that truly stayed with me is the scene surrounding the conscription ballot, the tense silence, the weight of uncertainty, and the gut-wrenching finality of hearing one’s birth date fall from the ballot drum. The way you portray Mitch Masters’ sudden shift from rising speedway star to soldier is profoundly compelling. Jay’s journey as the son of Russian refugees, Greg’s abandoned dreams, and Kiwi’s quiet resilience each add depth and humanity, creating a portrait of mateship that extends across three continents and three decades. Your storytelling illuminates the psychological fog of war, the fractures of political duplicity, and the possibility of Australia’s greatest cover-up with haunting clarity.

Dorcas Martins, Amazon Certified Book Marketer

 

A raw & epic portrayal of fate of commoners in wars. A poignant reflection of how forced conscription into a war not even fought for one's own country destroys people's lives. At the same time, this book also explores what the power of team spirit and bonding is capable of when a cruel fate becomes impossible to face alone. A must read war novel.

Varsili, India

 

Dear Dan, I finished the book (Ballot) on the bus up to Auckland yesterday.  You must have done a helluva lot of research to build the story.

You are pretty brave in the way you occupy Jay’s point of view and record his growing understanding of what the Americans were doing in Vietnam. I’m not aware of many books out there that deal with this kind of disillusionment….and in your case, it’s double-barrelled….disillusionment both with Australian AND American policy makers.

Keep it up.

Terry

 

What an amazing story, a masterful portrayal of how political and ideological conflicts impact individuals. It could have been written for life today as opposed to the 60's & 70's

Grant B

PS I bought the novel (Ballot) from Kobo and read it on an international flight.

 

Excellent reading if you like feeling connected.

Thoroughly enjoyed the writing style and flow through this book. The political nature of the Vietnam War and the impacts of ballot system on young men living in Australia at the time is powerful. Growing up as a young person in New Zealand during that time in history, I found the book extremely well researched and answered some questions I'd always had about it. Highly recommend reading it.

Vivienne

 

Dear Dan,

I have been sitting with Ballot for some time, deciding whether to reach out, because the weight it carries did not feel like something to approach lightly. What lingered for me was not only the machinery of conscription or the sweep of history, but the way the novel allows chance to remain morally unresolved. The ballot itself never settles into metaphor or explanation. It stays blunt, arbitrary, and quietly devastating in how it reshapes lives without justification.

One element that feels easy to overlook is how the book resists granting its characters a single, unified response to fate. Mitch, Jay, Greg, and Kiwi are bound by the same draw, yet their inner negotiations with fear, loyalty, and identity never align neatly. The narrative permits those differences to persist, rather than forcing cohesion or retrospective clarity. That restraint gives the story its lasting tension, and the sense that allegiance is something lived unevenly rather than declared.

After the final page, what continues to resonate is the way the novel holds uncertainty across decades. The rumors of prisoners, the silence of authorities, and the unanswered questions are not resolved into revelation, but allowed to echo alongside memory and survival. The effect is inward rather than explanatory, leaving the reader attentive to how wars continue long after they officially end, shaping belief, suspicion, and self understanding.

Warm regards,
Daniel Finch

 

Hey Dan,
Saw your post about Ballot snagging the Literary Titan Silver Award. That’s terrific, congratulations!
Your birthday ballot idea, along with the long shadow it casts on your characters, really stayed with me. That’s quite an ambitious, timely story. Hoping you have all the best with it.
I’m always curious about how people approach history through the lens of personal loyalty/friendship, so it sounds like you really believe in this. 
Good luck,
Joshua

Hi Dan,

I hope this message finds you well. My name is Paul Lynch, and I’m an author reaching out to connect with fellow writers whose work genuinely resonates with me.

I recently came across your book Ballot: When Fate Called Their Name on Amazon, and I was immediately drawn to how you explore loyalty, identity, and the human consequences of war. The way you navigate the intertwined lives of Mitch, Jay, Greg, and Kiwi set against the backdrop of Vietnam and the complex political landscape of 1969 Australia feels both ambitious and deeply grounded in character. The mix of personal ambition, moral dilemmas, and historical tension creates a narrative that is emotionally engaging as well as thought-provoking.

As authors, we each approach our craft from unique perspectives, yet I’ve found real value in building authentic connections with other writers and sharing meaningful conversations about storytelling, history, and character development. That’s why I’m reaching out simply to engage in a genuine, author-to-author dialogue, with no agenda other than mutual encouragement and insight.

If you’d ever be open to a conversation about crafting historical narratives, exploring moral ambiguity in fiction, or the creative process behind character driven storytelling, I would sincerely enjoy connecting.
Wishing you continued inspiration and fulfillment through your work.
Warm regards,

Paul Lynch, Booker Prize Winning Novelist