THE LOST REBELLION

Manipulation is the theme of this thriller and rarely have so many been manipulated by so few in such a short time. The book centers on the rise of a Malcolm X-type leader, one Miles King, an ex-pimp and hustler who finds a dream based on the credo of Islam. As the leader of the ""New Brotherhood,"" he hopes to unite non-whites the world over. But one brother, James Fitzgerald, is a secret Peking recruit assigned to assassinate Miles while another, Charles De Young, is an Army Intelligence agent with his own ends in mind. Motives and motifs blur exhaustingly in the events leading up to the inevitable murder. Both agents -- James, the cipher for any propaganda line, and Charles, the power-hungry robot, have respect amounting to awe for Miles. Miles himself is trapped and frustrated by his ambition. And all are controlled by opposing outside interests. To Mr. Wylie's credit he gets to the heart Of these soul brothers and the story does have a certain immediacy. But his complexities are super-dense and he goes to enormous lengths to prove that not every Brother is a brother.