CHILDREN OF THE FIFTH SUN

An action-packed, globe-hopping science-fiction thriller that questions the validity of humankind’s current version of evolutionary history.

Kelly Graham is an adventurous photojournalist specializing in underwater photography currently on assignment in the Amazon with his friend Chris D’Souza. When a U.S. military operative named Freya Nilsson effectively forces them to complete a perilous mission—free diving 1,000 feet in the ocean to retrieve a mysterious object—the friends’ lives are irrevocably changed. Graham and D'Souza are eventually given access to top-secret information—and history-changing speculation—that would be considered incredible if not for the proof staring them in the face from behind an enormous tank. K’in is essentially a giant sentient salamander straight out of Mayan myth—comparable to the deity Quetzalcoatl, which means “plumed serpent.” A clone from the frozen corpse of a creature found in Siberia decades earlier, K’in is seemingly the last of his kind, the last of a race that, according to multiple cultural myths, helped humankind rebuild and evolve after the Great Flood. The object Graham and D’Souza are seeking is a device of sorts that facilitates communication between K’in and humans—but the Chinese, Russians, and American military are all after the device (and the creature) in hopes of exploiting its knowledge and power. When information concerning K’in is leaked on the internet, chaos ensues. The world’s governments stare down into the precipice of World War III. But while the pedal-to-the-metal pacing and relentless action make it easy to turn pages, the inundation of contrived and downright unbelievable sequences (like a character subconsciously tying knots in her hair that, once decoded by a National Security Agency code-cracking program, reveal important coordinates) negatively impacts the experience. Additionally, the novel has a bloated, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink feel, featuring Area 51, Atlantis, and the Book of Thoth.

An ambitious but ultimately forgettable debut novel.