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Reviews
Possibly the next great cult fiction novel, The Evolution of the Patron Saint by Aaron Kinte Kuykendall is the first of a series entitled Conspirator’s Odyssey which delves deep into the barely disguised corruption lurking within the United States government and, in fact, the world. In the trend of The Illuminatus Trilogy, Kuykendall paints an all-too-believable picture of interconnecting, power-hungry, conspiratorial madmen who essentially run the nation behind the scenes. But while Illuminatus is scatterbrained and nearly impossible for the average reader to follow, Odyssey gradually blossoms to reveal each new layer and fold at just the right pace. Conspirator’s Odyssey takes readers from the UFO crash site at Roswell, New Mexico to the Oval Office hours before JFK’s assassination to the jungles of Vietnam, demonstrating in each time period the devious doings of the “unknowns” controlling the government. Readers are shown how extraterrestrial life was concealed from the American public, how multiple secret societies had a hand in the murder of America’s only free-thinking President, and how today, soldiers at the whim of these madmen are used as tools to further objectives they don’t even understand. Aaron Kinte Kuykendall created the series Conspirator’s Odyssey because as a self proclaimed American patriot, he feels it’s his duty to convince Americans to break free the restraints of conformity and look below the surface of our country and question those who seem to stop at nothing to control our government and the world. Serenity J. Banks, Author/Editor With an exciting alternative history novel, Conspirator’s Odyssey: The Evolution of the Patron Saint, Aaron Kinte Kuykendall presents his first book in a new “Conspirator’s” series. Why? This one-word question is one that many of us first learn and continue to use throughout our lives. Why was John Kennedy assassinated? Why did 9-11 happen? Why are we in Iraq? We want to know the “why” of it. Only once we know why, will we then turn to the other questions of who, what, when, and where. Alternative history has found a place in literature as we all seek to learn the “why” behind what happens in our world. For many times, we are not satisfied with the answers to questions that are spoon-fed to us through the media. Mr. Kuykendall presents an obviously well researched novel that moves us through the United States late 1940’s history into the future in a thoroughly plausible response to many of those incidents about which we have found no satisfactory explanation. Is any of the book true? Is all of it true? Only readers can match their own knowledge of historical events, evaluate the options found in Conspirator’s Odyssey and arrive at their decision. However, this reader can assure you that the concepts are logical, that the story presentation is excellent, and the characters just may haunt you in their respective roles within our government. Major Kalista Flaker of the United States Army is the heroine of this story. Yes, she is a major in the army; however, she has also now inherited the role of leader of a secret organization, one that reaches across the world, fighting against those who conspire against the United States. It is a bitter pill to swallow that most of those she fights against are found within the agencies of the US government, especially within the security sections. However, facing the reality that she has lived through, she had no choice but to accept and respond to these dangers. Everything that had happened dated back to before she was born. There had always been talk of UFO sightings and she had scoffed at them along with most Americans. It wasn’t until she was sent on a mission to Vietnam, had talked to a war prisoner and received a vial of his blood that she knew the truth. She had tested and studied the blood and found unknown DNA and other elements. The soldier had alien blood in his body! She would never forget that mission. She had been in charge of a group of rangers and SEALs. Selected to lead the group by General Thimpkin, the man who had guided her, mentoring her almost as a father, she alone had been told of the full extent of the mission. The group was being sent to Vietnam because they had learned that there were Vietnam War prisoners still alive. They were all to be killed. Indeed, everyone on the mission was to be killed, except her. General Thimpkin had made special provisions to get her out. Everything had happened as planned—almost. Following orders, they had killed the American soldiers, prisoners who had lost limbs, who were barely holding on to life. In fact, she was puzzled how they were still living! But she just couldn’t handle having her own team being killed. She tried to tell them what was to happen, but Lieutenant Buckner, thinking she had become unbalanced from what they had just done, stopped her and relieved her of command, only to then lead the group into an ambush. Kalista pulled Buckner to the pickup site, the only one of her team she had found alive, and had saved his life. And then others as she once again ignored commands of her superiors. Buckner continued in a coma for more than five years. Much had happened during that time and Kalista was ready—ready to seek revenge. But she needed help—she needed Buckner, so while he had been comatose, she had injected him with a variation of the blood the soldier had given her before she killed him. The alien DNA had been test-injected into those poor soldiers and had lived through years of torture and hunger when they should have been allowed to die. Kalista knew that if her research had been productive that others would have also been working on the same DNA. She was sure she had discovered what would happen in a successful transfer into a human. She and Buckner would be testing her theories. For, you see, all of it tied together. Project Aneman was still moving forward. They knew the answers to why Kennedy was dead, why there had been bombings at the World Trade Center. They knew who would be elected next. And they knew they had an ongoing mission—to find and destroy conspirators who had sought power and money through abuse of authority and position. The only thing they didn’t know yet—were the conspirators human? As the first in a series, Conspirator’s Odyssey should be on the must-read list for those looking for and who enjoy reading alternative historical answers! G. A. Bixler, IPBook Reviewer Mr. Kuykendall writes with a keen knowledge of the subject matter and in his understanding of the topsy-turvy world we live in today; he chooses to deliver this bold project with humor, passion, aggression, invective, and flair that's literally unheard-of in today's industry ... a mainstream conspiratorial adrenaline rush ... an entertaining story. Sammie Justesen, Author/Editor Conspirator's Odyssey: The Evolution of the Patron Saint, the first book in the series, is a project that shouts for more from this author. While outwardly this well written conspiratorial story speaks directly, honestly, and passionately to the American people, using historical knowledge to provide a background for this exciting novel, it carries with it an underlying atmosphere that is both sinister and intriguing. It has a well polished edge to it assured to motivate you to contemplate the possibilities. Shellie Hurrle, Reader Mr. Kuykendall's novel, The Evolution of the Patron Saint, the first in his Conspirator's Odyssey series should please readers. This author's approach is very detailed, very technical, and very intricate. The story here is smart. Mike Valentino, Reader I've never heard of this author before, but his book (Conspirator's Odyssey: The Evolution of the Patron Saint) is a veritable page turner. I will be looking for more from him in the future. Recommended reading. Karl Monger, Reader Hands down, Mr. Kuykendall has comprised a project equipped with a foolproof method for provoking thought. He clearly understands that deep down most everyone finds conspiracy theories interesting. Moreover, his writing is solid and well thought out. Nicole A. Bently, Reader What Mr. Kuykendall has done is create a wonderfully rich and detailed story that alternates between a world of make believe and one of reality, but delivers it with a massive punch, sure to knock you clean off your feet. In doing so, he succeeds in evoking that addictive mix of probability and possibility that has always intrigued the masses. Outstanding read! Gregory Beckman, Reader This project screams Dan Brown ... an undiscovered bestseller. Trent W. Thompson, Reader Mr. Kuykendall, I think that too many people have too strong of opinions on conspiracies for them not to exist on some level. Why else do we devour the books and movies that are created about them? Your new book out, Conspirator's Odyssey, looks at events such as Roswell and the JFK assassination and ties them together in a very New World Order way. It’s an excellent read of fact-based fiction that made me really wonder which is which. Gibson Tyler, Reader Conspirator's Odyssey: The Evolution of the Patron Saint is an excellent blend of fact and fiction that makes it hard to tell where one leaves off and the other begins. James Grimes, Reader This was a very interesting read, even though I'm not an American. This conspiracy thriller by A. K. Kuykendall called Conspirator's Odyssey: The Evolution of the Patron Saint is almost more of an alternate history novel because his blend of fact and fiction is so seamless it's hard to tell which is which. Definitely falls in the category of could have happened that way. Krause Hufflin, Reader Wow, this is the best book I've read in a long time that makes some interesting comments about the Kennedy assassination. Conspirator's Odyssey by A.K. Kuykendall has definitely got lots of conspiracy theories, as well as a solid historical background through which to weave it. Brian Kroll, Reader Praise for Conspirator's Odyssey: The Evolution of the Patron Saint! My take is that Mr. Kuykendall is an expert in writing fact and fiction-based literature from an historic point of view, and is also an historian and conspiracy theorist. I'm glad that this book is the first in a series, as I'm looking for more from this author. Kuykendall understands our world and delivers a really entertaining story with passion. A page-turner! Liz Hadden, Reader Conspirator’s Odyssey: The Evolution of the Patron Saint by A.K. Kuykendall got me hooked. He blends fact and fiction flawlessly to present a story that will stick with you. I want more! Paul Turtle, Reader I’m a big fan of historical conspiracy theories — they’re so intriguing and have so many layers. I recently finished the book Conspirator's Odyssey: The Evolution of the Patron Saint by A.K. Kuykendall. This book is one that bathes in such theories. It covers a time period from Roswell to the 21st century, with a historical background alternating within a world of possible make-believe. Dan Brown lovers will enjoy this. Peter Kramer, Reader If you’re interested in conspiracy theories well have I got the book for you. "Conspirator’s Odyssey" by A. K. Kuykendall is a wild yarn that tries to pretty much link the supposed UFO landing in Roswell to JFK’s assassination, while throwing a whole lot more in there for good measure. It’s a little like the Celestine Prophecy in that it’s a fictional book about possible non-fiction events. If you love a good juicy conspiracy and let’s face it, who doesn’t, then you’ll no doubt love reading through this funny and sometimes thought-provoking tale. Charlie, Reader I know Dan Brown is credited with making the "conspiracy genre" famous, but I think A. K. Kuykendall is to be commended for his own take on conspiracies coupled with a book grounded in historical fact. He's written the first in a series, called Conspirator's Odyssey: The Evolution of the Patron Saint. Being that this is Mr. Kuykendall's first novel, he's off to one hell of a start; not to mention his writing is first-rate. Gurtrude Pickens, Reader Okay, I admit that I'm very, very, very much taken with how handsome and intellegent I find Mr. Kuykendall to be, but that doesn't negate the fact that he is one hell of a writer. First time author's usually don't write with this type of energy or with what I like to refer to as an established author's hand. After reading his book 'Conspirator's Odyssey' I had a new found love of country in that he managed to capture both the good and bad of an internal societal war we just can't see or refuse to see. Let me be the first fan to ask: WILL YOU MARRY ME MR. KUYKENDALL? Christina Burke, #1 Fan Conspirator's Odyssey is an interesting story with lots of conflicts, lots of serious problems for the protagonist, and lots of suspense. You do a good job weaving in historical events like the Roswell incident and Kennedy's assassination to build a strong plot. Kalista is a vital protagonist with a difficult background and a determined stance. The reader will like her and easily sympathize with her suffering. She faces a daunting foe in Damion Walker. His demeanor and words exude evil intentions. Throughout the book, all the characterizations and interpersonal relationships are handled well. You have a knack for creating colorful images with both the setting and the characters. You also have a knack for creating exciting dramatic scenes. Your characters loom large on the page with firm physical descriptions, personality strengths and weaknesses, and clear motivations on one side or the other. The dialogue comes across in an intense, authentic way. There are lots of confrontational scenes to keep the story forward at a good pace. William Greenleaf, Book Doctor http://www.williamgreenleaf.com/ With this book Mr. Kuykendall risks all and comes out victorious. Excuse my passions, but this is one hell of a historical novel of gripping readability, authentic atmophere, and memorable characterization. Beginning with a flash back to the happenings post the Roswell UFO crash incident casts its shadow, the narrative is a seesaw of tension, suspense, impeccable pacing... action, intrigue, violence, passion, greed, bravery, dedication, revenge, and eventual love. This all wrapped within an even level of fact and fiction. Wow, a novel such is Conspirator's Odyssey: The Evolution of the Patron Saint entertains, instructs, and satisfies on a grand scale. I find myself in great company having had an opportunity to read, evaluate, and review the work of this rising star and I recommend this book without hesitation. Christian L. Wordrope, Literary Enthusiast For a different look at the "conspiracy" subgenre, give Conspirator's Odyssey: The Evolution of the Patron Saint a try. Lots of humor, lots of flair, plus a solid, really entertaining novel with a historical bent and, of course-a conspiracy! This is an undiscovered "Da Vinci Code." Hmmm -- even better. JaXvon Gosh, Reader The government is evil, they are sneaky, they are hiding things and we had all better beware. Starting in the future, and then leaping back and forth through the past, we follow Kalista Flaker, a special Ops soldier who has risen in rank due to her ferocious demeanor and obsessive nature. When she and her team are deliberately sent on a suicide mission, Kalista begins to dig into the nature of the government beast that has been controlling her for all of those years, and uncovers a disturbing truth. Determined to bring down the system and expose the lies, she makes it her mission to obtain proof of the vast conspiracy.
K. D. Payne, Odyssey Reviews
http://herodyssey.blogspot.com/
I have to admit that while science fiction was a genre that I greatly enjoyed as a teenager, it is a genre that I read only on rare occasions these days. Conspiracy theories on the other hand is a world I can not resist. There is something hugely moreish about them, the wilder the better. I have no idea how many whacked out books on the JFK story I have read! Author Kuykendall joins together Sci-Fi and New World Order ideas in Conspirator’s Odyssey. From UFO’s to Roswell and area 51, the Kennedy assassinations, Watergate, Ronald Reagan’s slide into dementia, Vietnam, even the Bay of Pigs fiasco gets a mention in this novel. These seemingly unrelated events were all connected to one common theme, a shadow government, all along manipulating events to their own ends. This multi decade black government operation is known as the Aneman Project. Simply put, the quest is produce a super army, men, who through genetic manipulation are invincible. The key to this magic elixir comes from the use of alien DNA recovered from the Roswell UFO incident in 1947. At under 230 pages this is a lot of ground to cover, and maybe too much ground to adequately flesh out the characters and the real plot. I think that had I read this book at the galley stage I would have suggested that the author narrow his scope and spend more time on the plot development. Print On Demand is both a blessing and a curse in the publishing world. It was born out of frustration, authors were frustrated by uninterested agents and uninterested publishers. If you were not already a NYT bestselling author no one would even talk to you, never mind publish your book. POD fixed that, anyone can get a book published today, just submit your manuscript, whip out the VISA card and away you go. Unfortunately this has also created a pathway that while removes the road blocks, also removes many of the useful checks and balances. A good editor is worth their weight in gold. Editors do much more that check spelling and grammar, they look at the shape of the story and its flow. Kuykendall has a great story line, and one that in my opinion is very workable. It does however need some tweaks, for example, for the first 40 pages or so, I had no clue what was going on, who the people were, or what their goal was. All became clear a little later, but for a book to be successful you have to have the reader hooked in the first 20 pages or they will move on to other, greener pastures.. Conspirator’s Odyssey is a good first attempt, and I suspect that Kuykendall has probably found it to be a very worthwhile learning experience. I look forward to seeing what his next book is like. Simon Barret, Blogger News Network http://www.bloggernews.net/117982 “We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex…” President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Farewell Address to the Nation, January 17, 1961. It all started July 3, 1947 in Roswell, New Mexico with a bright saucer, shaped object with glowing lights moving across the sky. From that day forward a vast government conspiracy has been responsible for the Vietnam War, the Kennedy Assassination, the attack on the World Trade Center, etc, so on and so forth. Super soldier Captain Kalista Flaker is the product of this conspiracy, a hard-nose Army Ranger of the 4th Battalion, 76th Ranger Regiment, who through genetics and DNA manipulation is now of another race – one appearing to be human but with much greater physical and mental capacities. It is now 2015, and Captain Flaker relates her story. I assume this is the first of a proposed series and it may work. The problem I had with this outing was related to timing jumps. The author has a tendency to cover an event then jump back to show the preceding action that caused the event. Unless you check the date/time at the start of each segment you will end up totally confused. Hopefully the next outing can be presented in sequential form. Jack Quick, BookBitch Reviews What is a conspiracy theory? Well, I had never read one until I was introduced to: Conspirator's Odyssey: The Evolution of the Patron Saint. The story is told through the eyes of Kalista Flaker, a special ops soldier, sent on a mission to vietnam. I'm not one to spoil stories, but I will tell you this book covers alot of history. Topics you won't find in the history books of the modern day world. It covers the Roswell UFO incident, area 51, the bay of pigs, Vietnam, JFK, the assassination of the Kennedy's, Watergate, Ronald Reagan, Project Aneman, the World Trade Center 9/11 incident, going into a NWO with alien DNA. Did I miss anything? This book is an absolute page turner from beginning to end and one you won't want to put down. I have to admit, in the beginning the authors life seemed blended in with the character in the book. I couldn't distinguish which was which and had to reread those pages several times. They seemed to merge together. The ending of the book left me wanting more. I thought this was some terrible joke, and that there had to be more to it. During an interview, Mr. Kuykendall said he should have started at the end and worked his way back to the beginning. That would definitely be a great work in the making, and one I would look forward too. The style of Mr. Kuykendalls writing is superb! Mr. Kuykendall has a strong voice that needs to be heard. I highly recommend this book to all. C. Fatty, A lover of "Truth" As a conspiracy theory buff, I enjoyed Conspirator's Odyssey from the very first page when I came across the following quote from John F. Kennedy: "The very word secrecy is repugnant in a free and open society. We are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths, and to secret proceedings. We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers, which are cited to justify it." Conspirator's Odyssey skillfully blends major conspiracy theories from the Roswell Incident to the Bay of Pigs to the JFK assassination to Vietnam to Watergate to 9/11 and beyond into a tightly wound, suspenseful thriller. At its core, however, is a plea for the United States to dismantle the "Military-Industrial Complex" and return to the idealism represented by President John F. Kennedy: "The historic actions that took place during his administration and his unfortunate assassination by power-hungry modern-day cowboys made us average Americans take notice. These cowardly modern-day cowboys hired gunmen to ambush him from a distance, waiting for the opportune moment to wreak havoc upon our nation. This single action made us notice the corrupt powers that hovered—and still hover—over American society. His choice to go against the grain instead of following the corrupt flow of history sealed his fate with certain powerful Americans. These men are hidden within the corrupt bowels of secret societies—the very secret societies he boldly denounced. Things have gotten completely out of hand since his death, for these secret societies are running amok within our government." Conspirator's Odyssey is one of the first conspiracy thrillers I've ever read that introduces a complex and dynamic female character as its protagonist. Captain Kalista Flaker, an Army Ranger with a troubled past ("Raised in a home filled with drunks and drug addicts, it was hell on earth . . .") who is sent on a covert operation to Vietnam in 1998, uncovers a vast conspiracy with roots that stretch back to the Roswell UFO Incident in 1947. The debut novel of author A.K. Kuykendall, Conspirator's Odyssey is a compulsive page turner that I highly recommend. Any reader obsessed with conspiracy theories will want a copy of Conspirator's Odyssey on their bookshelf (conversely, if you aren't into conspiracy theories, you will probably want to skip this one). Fortunately it is the first in a planned series of "conspiracy thriller" novels. I believe this series will soon develop a deserving cult following and I eagerly look forward to the next installment! Bill C., Alternative Reel http://www.alternativereel.com The Evolution Of The Patron Saint is... well, interesting, I suppose. This is meant to be the first book in a series called Conspirator's Odyssey and it showcases the adventures of Kalista Flaker, a former Special Ops officer who realizes that the people she works for and believes in may just turn out to be the bad guys after all. In this story, our heroine participates in a special mission to Vietnam where she and her team will have to eliminate a group of Vietnamese POWs. She also has to arrange for the elimination of her own team members. Don't ask. Kalista has no problems with the first mission - killing people who are missing some body parts is always fun, after all - but she balks at the idea of killing her own team members. Her decision doesn't go down well and in the aftermath, let's just say that she is so fired. Kalista is now on the path of righteousness, turning into an amalgamation of Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully as she takes on the big boys who are involved in a project of creating super-soldiers using alien DNA. There are much more to the plot as the author attempts to tie his plot to pretty much everything that has ever showed up in any handbook of paranormal or unsolved mysteries as well as conspiracies: Area 51, JFK's assassination, 9/11, and more. Being that I am a fan of such matters - don't worry, I find them entertaining but I don't necessarily believe in them, so you can still talk to me without worrying too much about what other people may think - I am actually the right person to target this book to. However, this The X-Files-like extravaganza suffers from typical self-published book flaws. The characterization is cardboard thin, the dialogs are stilted and artificial, there are serious pacing issues, and there are many noticeable spelling and grammatical mistakes. The author tackles what I believe are way too many subject matters in this story. This book reads like a sprawling labyrinth of badly-garbled conspiracy theories forcibly squashed together into the pages of this book. The subject matter of the story is one that interests me, but the many technical flaws of this book make this one a pretty hard book to read. The readability factor just isn't there, I'm afraid. Mrs. Giggles, Reviewer You may contact Aaron at reviews@thewriterofbooks.com if you would like to post your review. Attachments will not be opened, so please place your review in the body of your email! You will be listed as 'Reader' unless otherwise indicated. For ordering information on Mr. Kuykendall's outstanding debut novel Conspirator's Odyssey: The Evolution of the Patron Saint; please visit the FAQ's page where you'll see many links or to make it easier Click Here, but the author stresses the point of shopping around for the best and most reasonable price. |
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