Review by Jlblawrence -- Shepherds of Destiny

[Jlblawrence]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Shepherds of Destiny" by Kiel Barnekov.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Set in a future where there is a cure for Alzheimer’s, Shepherds of Destiny: Book One by Kiel Barnekov is a futuristic look at what advancements people suffering from neurologic diseases like ALS might be able to look forward to in the future. Beginning in 2028, the story follows the diagnosis and deterioration of Kristian Barnett from Lou Gehrigs disease. When an opportunity to try an experimental procedure becomes available, Kristian and his physicians place his brain into an extended stasis in hopes that it can be downloaded into a host body at some period in the future. Once in stasis, Kristian becomes aware that he is in some kind of limbo state with a mysterious being called the Guardian. The Guardian explains to Kristian that while he is in limbo, it is going to be his job to save the world as we know it.

Simultaneously, another patient with advanced ALS becomes the first to have his mind inserted into a cyborg developed by Kristian’s wife, Dr. Ansley Barnett, who works for a government agency called DARPA. The two men must save the world by correcting timeline mistakes that crop up during the Civil War and the negotiations with Hitler during World War II.

The author’s impressive knowledge of the Civil War, World War I and II, and the legislature passed around those time periods really makes the middle of the book come alive. Because he is so well versed in those topics, it is easy to believe the events that are being discussed in that part of the book. I felt engaged and interested. I even researched a few topics because I had not known that Stonewall Jackson was shot by his own men. Alternatively, the knowledge of the medical terms and scientific principles in the beginning of the book are less concrete and it makes that area of the book less believable. That combined with a narrative that is fairly dry, make the beginning of the book slightly less enjoyable than the later chapters.

Despite the rough writing, the storyline itself is very enjoyable and I found myself curious as to what would happen next. It was a very thought provoking story depicting what could very well be in the works as far as neuroscience and bioengineering is concerned. I would encourage readers to push past the difficult beginning and see what interesting ideas the story has to offer.

While this story is compelling and very interesting, a host of spelling, formatting, and other issues exist throughout, so I would rate this a 3 out of 4. It frequently has misaligned paragraphs, missing quotation marks, and the wrong character’s names used at inappropriate times. Occasionally I was confused about the timeline, because the author switches between past and present tenses. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy a good medical or military story. However, at the end of the novel, the plot becomes a bit political in favor of staunch conservative values. So maybe readers sensitive to political issues should shy away. A little more editing and this story would shine up like a pretty penny.

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Shepherds of Destiny
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[MeganDJ]

An intriguing premise for a book I love a good sci-fi fantasy novel and having a few historical facts and events is definitely a great drawing card for me. Alas, I find it difficult to be immersed in a book that is riddled with grammatical errors and formatting mistakes Thank you for the wonderfully honest and thorough review! Happy reading

[Ivona R]

I like futuristic books, as well as those with an alternative past or present. If the author is knowledgable about the book's theme, that's certainly a big plus. I also find these books more enjoyable in that case. What I noticed about these books (including this one) is that they often have to sacrifice morality for the sake of an interesting plot. I think it's really hard to write a book of such extended possibilities.
Thanks for the fantastic review.

[GiselleBengochea]

Shepherds of Destiny by Kiel Barnekov is a prescient novel that investigates the advancements that people ailing from neurological diseases like Alzheimer's may be able to anticipate in the future. The only repulsive factor might be in the editing and formatting of this manuscript. Excellent review! You made the central characters "come alive" in your descriptive depiction of this book. Great job!

[GiselleBengochea]

Shepherds of Destiny by Kiel Barnekov is a prescient novel that investigates the advancements that people ailing from neurological diseases like Alzheimer's may be able to anticipate in the future. The only repulsive factor might be in the editing and formatting of this manuscript. Excellent review! You made the central characters "come alive" in your descriptive depiction of this book. Great job!

[Jlblawrence]

An intriguing premise for a book I love a good sci-fi fantasy novel and having a few historical facts and events is definitely a great drawing card for me. Alas, I find it difficult to be immersed in a book that is riddled with grammatical errors and formatting mistakes Thank you for the wonderfully honest and thorough review! Happy reading

I agree! The historical bits and the very provocative ideas made this a very interesting read! The errors were unfortunate. Thank you for the reply!

[Jlblawrence]

I like futuristic books, as well as those with an alternative past or present. If the author is knowledgable about the book's theme, that's certainly a big plus. I also find these books more enjoyable in that case. What I noticed about these books (including this one) is that they often have to sacrifice morality for the sake of an interesting plot. I think it's really hard to write a book of such extended possibilities.
Thanks for the fantastic review.

I love when the author is clearly knowledgable about what they're writing. It just comes across so much better than when they're not quite as experienced. I never realized I'd be able to pick it out so easily. Thank you for the response!

[inaramid]

The time travel element is certainly unexpected. That looks promising! I hope there's a revised edition soon.

[Reubeney]

I like the futuristic aspect of this book. The premise of the story sounds fascinating too.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

Sounds like an interesting sci-fi fiction. Thanks for the descriptive and nice review

[Jlblawrence]

The time travel element is certainly unexpected. That looks promising! I hope there's a revised edition soon.

A good editor would make this book so much better! Thanks for the comment.

[Jlblawrence]

Sounds like an interesting sci-fi fiction. Thanks for the descriptive and nice review

I don't usually read sci-fi and I actually really enjoyed it. Thanks for the comment!

[Dentarthurdent]

This sounds like an interesting integration of sci-fi, medical, war and political drama. It's a shame that there are issues that prevent these elements from working together seamlessly. Altogether, it does sound like an interesting read.
Thanks for such a great review. I like that you mentioned that the book's start is a bit rocky; this way if I read it, I'd know there are better things ahead. Awesome work!

[Jlblawrence]

This sounds like an interesting integration of sci-fi, medical, war and political drama. It's a shame that there are issues that prevent these elements from working together seamlessly. Altogether, it does sound like an interesting read.
Thanks for such a great review. I like that you mentioned that the book's start is a bit rocky; this way if I read it, I'd know there are better things ahead. Awesome work!

Absolutely! I know when I'm reading a book for pleasure, if the beginning doesn't continue to grab me, I start to get bored. And while it's not exactly boring, it is a bit tedious and I could see it going that way. But overall it is a very interesting premise for a story! Thanks for your comment!

[NetMassimo]

The idea of mixing future medical progress and an adventure in time is intriguing, though I have to say that I'm unsure about the political element. Thank you for your terrific review!