Official Review: Alpha Tauri Strain by JT Alblood

[L_Therese]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Alpha Tauri Strain" by JT Alblood.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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What would you get if you crossed psychiatry, Nazi mysticism, infatuation, and aliens? J. T. Alblood’s book Alpha Tauri Strain incorporates all of these elements and more. Psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich was quite comfortable in his practice in 1930’s Berlin until a patient’s stray comment resurrected an old memory. As a student in Vienna, young Wilhelm developed a connection with a woman at a mental hospital. Years later, when his patient mentions her name, Dr. Reich finds himself on a new path in his life and his career, hoping to connect with her once again.

This book is plainly well-researched. There are an abundance of small details that reveal the depth of research performed by the author. For example, at one point, Wilhelm Reich met with Sigmund Freud in Vienna. Anyone who has ever read Dr. Freud’s written work will recognize the rhetorical style that is echoed in his dialogue as written in this story. It is unmistakable. Another clever mention that reveals the author’s thoroughness is the mention of quantum physics. Quantum physics was developed in the early twentieth century, and the philosophical implications would have been both interesting and revolutionary to academics of this era, especially students of similarly revolutionary figures like Freud. The mention is only a small detail and insignificant to the story, but its presence speaks volumes about the dedication of the author.

A major obstacle to my enjoyment of this book was becoming oriented to the story. The narrative jumps somewhat through time, and the main story is told in the first person. This, together with the inclusion of mystical and fantastical elements, such as the aliens, can make it difficult for the reader to keep track of the story near the beginning. Anyone who does decide to read the book following this review would be well advised to pay careful attention at the beginning in order to maximally ease this difficulty.

There is plenty of subject matter in this book that may be controversial. The main character exhibits less than professional behavior on several occasions to a degree that, in today’s United States, would definitely expose him to embarrassing lawsuits and very likely jail time. Additionally, the book involves German Nazis with all the accompanying ruthlessness and callous evil that the party’s name implies. The anticipation of controversial topics and statements will either whet the reader’s appetite for thought-provoking literature or weed out readers who don’t wish to be offended. Either way, you’ve been forewarned.

Alpha Tauri Strain is the first part of a series. Standing alone, it is a very short book and only a portion of the story. This is Wilhelm Reich’s story, but his is only a small part of the overall narrative. At the end of the book, there are many questions still left unanswered and many holes in the story that still need to be filled. My prediction is that in a future volume, the reader will be offered the opportunity to experience another character’s narrative that will fill in some of these gaps until the story has been told in full. For now, I am rating Alpha Tauri Strain by J.T. Alblood 2 out of 4 stars. This is complex story with a lot of potential, but with so much still untold, I don’t feel I can give it a higher rating at this time. Readers looking for quality alternative history or science fiction thrillers might want to check and see if any further volumes in the series are available before making a final decision about whether to read this book. If so, have at it, but if not, it might be better to wait.

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Alpha Tauri Strain
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Like L_Therese's review? Post a comment saying so!

[kimmyschemy06]

That was very honest. Maybe this book should be read as an entire series to be more appreciated. Great review!

[anonanemone]

Very balanced review. There seem to be a lot of good points to the story. It sounds like this book should not be read as a stand-alone. It looks like Alpha Tauri Strain is part of the trilogy with Homo Avatarius and Code of Disjointed Letters. I'm guessing that the "Winner Takes All" trilogy is the same thing as "Save the Last Bullet for God."

[ValtearTheShadebane]

Great job on your review! It was very thorough. I think anyone who wants to write about such a sensitive topic as Nazi Germany and the Holocaust had better research their topic very well before they start their book.