Review of Unwinding the Serpent
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Review of Unwinding the Serpent
Commencing in the year 1793, Unwinding the Serpent by Robert Paul Blumenstein is a fantasy novel that takes us through a story that spans several millennia. Set in the years 1793, 1973, and 3197, we are introduced to Johnnycake, a small town in Virginia. The Cacadelfuimians or Cacatoids, a dominative alien species, have just landed on this small town. While their intentions were not known initially, the massacre cleared all doubts that the aliens did not have good intentions. It now fell upon the members of this community, led by Delmar Witcher Hannamyer, to protect their homes while preventing bad events that could occur in future years. How can this small town defend itself against an enemy with weapons that are more advanced than anything they have ever seen?
The author expertly explores elements of time travel and past-life regression, as specific humans from the future utilize these means in helping the situation. Nevertheless, they are up against a formidable force in the Cacatoids, who are also operating in all these different timelines to achieve their aim of domination over Earth. I thoroughly enjoyed the suspense that came with finding out who would triumph in their quests, especially with how vital success over the aliens was to humans' survival throughout the years.
I also have to commend the author for reaching far beyond anything I could have imagined concerning the elements he explored in this story. He also managed to incorporate genetic engineering while I followed Richard, a reincarnation of one of the characters from the past and a geneticist who was not only critical to the humans' mission against the aliens but also instrumental in trying to help humans correct genetic defects that caused diseases.
Furthermore, he did well to accurately capture the setting and the style of dialogue in each year the story took place, with his depiction of the year 3197 piquing my interest the most, as I encountered a world with the absence of belief in the existence of God, a reduced population due to humans' inability to procreate, and uninhabited continents. Reading through the book was a journey of questions about this complex world the author has created. However, I am pleased to say that my questions were duly answered by the end of the book, and there were no loose ends. As the story is told in three parts, with each year narrated per part, it can get a bit confusing for readers to make sense of certain parts of the story, and this is what I dislike the most about the book, but it all adds up in the end. For example, I was quite confused seeing a character that was killed in 1793 still alive in both 1973 and 3197, but when I got to understand that the future events occurred before the battle against the aliens in the past, everything was clear, so the book requires patience while reading.
Also, the novel's exceptional editing is noteworthy. Not finding any errors while reading was impressive, especially when considering that this was not a short read. There is no reason for me to reduce the rating of this engaging and unique fantasy novel. Therefore, I rate Unwinding the Serpent four out of four stars. Mature readers who enjoy fantasy stories and books exploring past-life regression will enjoy this book, and I would recommend it to them.
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Unwinding the Serpent
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