Clarence Bass’s Review Of The Prologue of Volume III Book 1
A Taste of Randy Roach’s Muscle, Smoke and Mirrors Trilogy
We’ve long wondered about Randy Roach’s examination of the world of muscle since we first heard about it more than a decade ago. What began as a single volume has become a three-volume set of encyclopedic proportions. Volume 1 is 566 pages, Volume 2 is almost 700 pages, and Volume 3 is still taking shape.
He has just released the prologue to Book 1 of Volume III in e-book form, along with a working draft of the cover with a large image of Frank Zane in the background and Arnold and Franco on each side celebrating their Mr. Olympia victories in 1980 and 1981, respectively.
Roach has gone where few, if any, have gone before, turning over every rock along the way. The more research (books, internet, magazines, newspapers, personal observation, and interviews) he does the more he seems driven to report on the ups and downs of what began as a little known sub-culture (fitness, health, longevity, and athleticism) and has become a world wide phenomenon. What began as primarily an expose of bodybuilding nutritional supplements has come to encompass competing corporate empires, international governing bodies, huge gym chains, Arthur Jones and Nautilus, medical and nutritional politics, international rivalries, motion pictures, anabolic steroids, super athletes, the sex appeal of muscle, and more.
The just released prologue (10 pages) provides a rare opportunity to get a taste of the project that has consumed–and elevated–the life of a legally blind man. Read it and decide whether you want to delve deeper into the fruits of Randy Roach’s unmatched exploration of Muscle, Smoke and Mirrors.
To read the prologue clicking here!