Official Review: Juno by John Kitchen

[Levi]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Juno" by John Kitchen.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Juno by John Kitchen is a fictional tale of alien abduction, veritable time travel, and universal conflicts. Before I get into the meat of the review, I would like to begin with the milk and honey that is the author and the story of how he came to write this book. John Kitchen, it should be stated first, is a retired Marine as well as a Fireman and I would like to thank him for his service to our country and his community before I continue. Mr Kitchen and his wife, Dina Bevelacqua, are also Certified Field Investigators for the scientific organiztion, MUFON--the Mutual UFO Network. Mr. Kitchen and his wife (who has co-author credit) wrote this book while he was recovering from an industrial accident that caused him to have to learn to walk again over the seven months following that fateful event. The title, storyline, and his interesting background are what served as the beacons to call me to take part in the world that he has created out of the things that he has experienced.

Now, we will continue on to the interesting and unique take on extraterrestrial extracurricular activity that he has envisioned. The story begins with and centers around a colony of people that have been established in Roanoke Island, North Carolina in the year 1584. By the year of 1588, the colony has fallen on hard times and will surely perish if the tides of change do not turn in their favor. The tides do not change and this is where the story truly begins. Before the colonists can perish they are discovered by a benevolent race of aliens (or would that be unearthly beings? I don't wish to be astronomically incorrect , later to be known only as, the Caretakers. The colony is immediately saved by these Caretakers, who stumbled upon them while searching for an habitable planet, and nurtured back to health and taught their ways: benevolence, thought-talk, interplanetary craft maneuvering and the like. The story takes a turn at this point as the Caretakers have inspected Earth, and found it to be inhabitable for their race due to the violence that has been shown between the residents of Earth since time immemorial. The Caretakers inform Juno, one of our main protagonists, that they will return him and the other colonists to Earth as they would not survive the trip to the planet that they have ultimately selected to make their home.

It is at this time that the story really begins to mature and to lay the groundwork for the ultimate revealing of it's theme: Universal love and respect that transcends outward appearances. The Caretakers and Juno contact Earth and end up speaking with Mike Brandon who works at SETI (the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute) and who takes the microphone after watching in frustration as the Officials ignore the communication because they cannot figure out the "proper response." Mike becomes the only contact that Juno will speak to, much to the chagrin of the officials and the President. The reluctant colonists are returned to Earth in the year 2015 and are immediately sequestered and ultimately held hostage when it is found that they have the ability to read people minds and thought-talk. The President and others fear that the wrong thoughts being read could endanger national security, but secretly strive to empower themselves by studying and harnessing the abilities of Juno and the returnees, as they come to be known. Mike is the only one that Juno can trust and the two form a friendship that continues to blossom throughout the whole book. Without revealing too much, the Caretakers return after their beloved humans are mistreated and they remove them to the moon where they create them an encapsulated environment that mirrors Earth. They speak with the residents of the Earth, and while this interaction brings momentary peace on Earth, it is to be short lived. In the end, Mike and his wife, Marion, end up being allowed to move to the moon colony and the Caretakers interference on Earth, as well as Mike and the colony's interaction with the United States, end up sowing the seeds of strife which germinate into more conflict. I will not reveal the ending, but this story is filled with much adventure and we are shown what can happen when people love and respect each other and work together, but we are also shown the disastrous consequences that arise when we intervene in other's affairs and when we try to use others for our own gain. All in all a moving story that I enjoyed and found myself expectantly waiting to experience what happened at every turn.

As much as I loved the body of the story, and as much as I hate this part, there is almost always a negative portion of a review. And at this point I will have to much more negative than I would like. The edition of the book that I read is an editorial nightmare. There are grammatical, punctuational, continuity, and spelling errors throughout. Also, the improper or constantly changing tenses were so abundant that they actually made me tense. I found myself constantly wondering if we is or if we was. There were times that i was actually lulled into a comma coma, and I had to pretend that they weren't there just so I could read the story without being distracted by their overabundance. There were other minor errors such as choppy dialogue where I wasn't sure who was talking until I kept reading, but these can be somewhat overlooked as I know if I was writing that would be the hard part for me to perfect as well. That being said, sometimes when writing I have to stop to study punctuation and grammar or check my spelling. I have done it during this review. The author, and especially the book that he has poured out of his heart to us, will astronomically benefit from the editing process that will hopefully be applied to future editions of this book.

I am going to somewhat reluctantly give this book only 2 out of 4 stars. I again loved the unique and thought provoking story, but often found that the thoughts that were provoked were of distraction from the story due to errors. I commend the author and his life experience that have shown through in this book, as well as the historical and factual evidence that were presented throughout. (The lost colony of Roanoke is a historical fact, although what happened to them is widely disputed. The author's knowledge of NASA and space gear obtained through UFO research also shines through.) I truly hope that this helps as I want this author to succeed, and it is in the spirit of the theme of this book that I write: With universal love and respect to help this book hopefully reach the stars in the future.

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Juno
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Like Escapeartist's review? Post a comment saying so!

[zeldas_lullaby]

Great review!! Very informative and gracious. It seems like a really unique book, what with the author's knowledge of UFO organizations!! Awesome!! Alien books freak me out!!

Great job capturing the plot/storyline of this book!! My favorite part is how we should euphemistically refer to aliens as "unearthly beings." That's freakin' hilarious, as though "alien" has become politically incorrect and offensive to non-Earth dwellers!!

Ufology is a fascinating subject, and you made it even more awesome to read about!!

[Levi]

Thanks miss Zelda. I really believed in the author and the story and wanted to give enough detail to let people know that it really is a fascinating storyline regardless of any errors. it is long I know, blame my excitement of writing again. It's been so long, and I really enjoyed it. My review also has errors, I proofread it numerous times, but all at the same time. Overall though I had a great time writing out and I really appreciate your comments!

[zeldas_lullaby]

Ah yes, errors. They're the bane of my existence. Believe me, I hear ya. Don't worry too much!! Errors happen to everyone. People are always finding them in my books!! It's like when you're sweeping up dirt with a broom and you can never get that line of dust to completely disappear!! AARGH!!

I didn't notice any glaring errors, though; I thought your review was great! And it was filled with passion!! If I were the author, I'd really appreciate that!!

[bookowlie]

Nice review! That's so interesting that the author is a field investigator for the UFO network. It sounds like the subject matter was well researched for the book.

"Comma coma"...that's a new one.

[Levi]

Ah yes, errors. They're the bane of my existence. Believe me, I hear ya. Don't worry too much!! Errors happen to everyone. People are always finding them in my books!! It's like when you're sweeping up dirt with a broom and you can never get that line of dust to completely disappear!! AARGH!!

I didn't notice any glaring errors, though; I thought your review was great! And it was filled with passion!! If I were the author, I'd really appreciate that!!

Thank you, I really appreciate it!! I take anything I do seriously and always try to be fair and balanced like Fox news I am going to brush up online researching grammar and punctuation and writing so that I can continually become better.

[zeldas_lullaby]

Sweet! I'm the same way--I always try hard at everything. (If I ever watched the news, I'd probably find that joke to be hilarious; as it is, I can only assume that it's funny!! What's the deal with Fox news??)

You should hang out at the writer's forum. Any grammar questions can always be answered there!!

Nice review! That's so interesting that the author is a field investigator for the UFO network. It sounds like the subject matter was well researched for the book.

"Comma coma"...that's a new one.

HA HA! I loved that part too!!

[Levi]

Nice review! That's so interesting that the author is a field investigator for the UFO network. It sounds like the subject matter was well researched for the book.

"Comma coma"...that's a new one.

I thought his background and the story of how he came to write the book very interesting as well Owlie!! And yes, the dreaded comma coma! It was distracting how many there were at times, but the story kept me interested and that says a lot about the story. Thank you for your comments!

-- 14 Jul 2015, 22:05 --

Sweet! I'm the same way--I always try hard at everything. (If I ever watched the news, I'd probably find that joke to be hilarious; as it is, I can only assume that it's funny!! What's the deal with Fox news??)

You should hang out at the writer's forum. Any grammar questions can always be answered there!!

Nice review! That's so interesting that the author is a field investigator for the UFO network. It sounds like the subject matter was well researched for the book.

"Comma coma"...that's a new one.

HA HA! I loved that part too!!

Fair and balanced is their tagline Zelda, that's all. Thank you, I will check out the writer's forum. I always want to learn and grow. Thank you again for the comments, I'm glad you guys caught the humor.

[gali]

Congratulation for your first published review. Well-written, insightful, detailed review.

[Levi]

Congratulation for your first published review. Well-written, insightful, detailed review.

Thank you so much, Gali!! I really appreciate it, I've been so nervous waiting for the approval and posting of this so your comment means a lot.

[bluemel4]

Great job. I agree with bookowlie, "comma coma" is hilarious. I love it when authors drop interesting facts and historic information in a book.

[Levi]

Great job. I agree with bookowlie, "comma coma" is hilarious. I love it when authors drop interesting facts and historic information in a book.

Thank you bluemel. I've got a lot to learn, but I'm studious. I have learned a lot from all of you and all your great reviews already.

[bookowlie]

Ah yes, errors. They're the bane of my existence. Believe me, I hear ya. Don't worry too much!! Errors happen to everyone. People are always finding them in my books!! It's like when you're sweeping up dirt with a broom and you can never get that line of dust to completely disappear!! AARGH!!

I didn't notice any glaring errors, though; I thought your review was great! And it was filled with passion!! If I were the author, I'd really appreciate that!!

Thank you, I really appreciate it!! I take anything I do seriously and always try to be fair and balanced like Fox news I am going to brush up online researching grammar and punctuation and writing so that I can continually become better.

Fair and balanced like Fox News - good comment. MSNBC is going down the tubes fast with their biased stuff, although I do like Morning Joe with Joe Scarborough in the morning. He is the only one that is balanced over there. He used to be a Republican congressman before he got that show.

[Levi]

Thanks Owlie, I think they're all a little biased which is why I try to really research anything before forming an opinion these days. Fair and balanced is the way that I try to live and interact with others. That's why I really tried to give the story life before giving any critical comments. As a sci-fi fan I found the concept of the book unique, and I think with help it could have garnered three to four stars.

[zeldas_lullaby]

Mmm hmmm... Maybe the authors can get it professionally edited. It's frustrating when you mix a great story with bad story-telling (in regard to grammar, etc.).