Official Review: VanWest The Past by Kenneth Thomas

[LinaMueller]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "VanWest The Past" by Kenneth Thomas.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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First and foremost, I must stress that I had to resubmit this review. Please, dear editor, keep in mind that my text is original. All joking aside, VanWest The Past by Kenneth Thomas is a Sci-Fi/Fantasy book. Although it is not clear whether this is the first book in a trilogy or if the author will write more books (The Present is the second book, and it is already published), the first point to stand out is that the story does not end on the last page of this book. But what is this book all about?

The plot unfolds in a futuristic environment on Earth in the year 3000. The great powers have already disappeared, and an Oligarchy called the "Universal Council" controls everything. The domination of these oligarchs is total. They are in control of technology, mass propaganda, robots, and elite troops that can easily crush dissidents. To maintain the status quo, the Universal Council uses an elite troop called "Enforcers." The protagonist of the book VanWest is an enforcer who seems to have unique gifts that make him overcome obstacles in an unimaginable way.

The only reasonably organized opposition is that of the followers of the religion called Utopianism. This religion was born from the writings of the philosopher Hans Ashtar. According to him, the advent of robots (and the subsequent immorality of the machines) would create a chaotic world in which any positive change would become impossible.

In the middle of the book, the protagonist receives a mission: he has to travel back in time and prevent Utopians from changing the past and halt the Universal Council's rise. However, he will discover that he has been brainwashed: his past has been deliberately erased from his memory.

To begin with, I must stress that the storyline was brilliantly developed. With so many similar works on the market, it isn't easy to create an original plot that makes sense. The author also hit the nail on the head with the psychological development of the main characters. VanWest, in different parts of the book, has an internal conflict that mentally destroys him. The reader is left wondering, "will his rational or emotional side be the winner?"

Additionally, the book contains proper doses of humor. In the future, people eat giant cockroaches, and there are even farms to raise cockroaches. It's funny how these disgusting insects often appear in the book. A common offense that appears several times in many pages is "roachtard."

As a matter of fact, there is not much to criticize here. The author told me that he hired two professional editors, so there is no question that the book is professionally edited.

On the whole, VanWest The Past deserves four out of four stars. The book is addictive, and the storyline is very well written. There is no reason to deduct one star because I couldn't find any relevant flaw. I recommend this work to all those who like futuristic science fiction. The book is a real page-turner, and I couldn't drop it for a minute.

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VanWest The Past
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[RHD]

I wouldn't mind me some sci-fi/fantasy. This particular one seems captivating. Good job on the review

[NetMassimo]

Quite a classic theme with time travel used to address some moral and ethical issues. I'm glad that the author found a way to do it with some originality. Thank you for your great review!

[Aisha_123]

It's really hard to find an original sci-fi book these days. Kudos to the author. Also, the book cover is very intriguing. Thanks for your wonderful review!

[Gift5]

I think am falling for this book, having a grate plot, time travel and wonderful character build. Thanks for the detailed review.

[Faithy_Goody_Star]

In recent times, I've come to enjoy science fiction book. I'll check this book out soon.

[Sararob06]

Your enthusiasm for the book really shines through your review. I'm interested to read it and hope the sequel is as good. Thanks for your great review!

[BellAJoEb]

This book's title is captivating. The trilogy though is something else. If "The Past" is a futuristic tale, what would be the tale in "The Present " ? I would really want to read it all to find out.

The funny aspect of eating giant cockroaches, is another interesting part of the book I am looking forward to reading. Your review is wonderful and I like your style of writing.