Customer Reviews

The Scoloderus Conspiracy

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We screwed up the world. Three hundred years after that cataclysmic event, the world is being fought over again...In what was North America, the ruling force is The United Americas Trade Federation. In conflict with them are the Libre Voyageurs, guerrilla type warriors who want to overthrow the Federation.
Colonel Anthony Hammond, a major player in the conflicts, is missing. Apparently the Libre Voyaguers attacked the outfit Hammond was at. Casualties abound, but no Hammond.
A major operation by the Libre Voyageurs is in the works to uncover a major weapon, The (Spider) Scoloderus Project. Hammond is the key to getting the final pieces of the weapon to use it against the Federation.
The Federation taps a brilliant civilian professor Taylor to help find Hammond and uncover what is really going on.
The events to unravel the conspiracy and see what war and conflict breeds, is absolutely riviting. It is like Spy vs.Spy vs.Spy...you don't know who is in the right, who is telling the truth. Kind of like real war.
There are frightening references to the distant past, where characters marvel at things from the old (pre-Federation era) that show how the world has lost so much because of the never ending conflict...
D.A.(Dave) Blankinship writes crisply and delivers a book that only encompasses the span of three days, and shows what few actions can truly change the world.
I look forward to more from Mr. Blankinship.
Great read.

Even though this is not the type of book I typically read, I found this book difficult to lay down. I could not wait to get back to it and follow the characters described in the story. The plot just drew you in and held your attention from beginning to end. A sequel to this book would definitely be a must read for me.

I have only one criticism of this book, the cover is boring and doesn't convey that this paperback is a real page turner. I was held on the proverbial edge-of-my-seat from the first pages to the very end.

On one level it is the story of rebels struggling to maintain independence in the face of strong unifying political and economic forces 300 years after natural calamities nearly destroyed the planet. The book is also about the mythical battle between good and evil, but best of all, at least for me, it is a story about the struggle for rationalism in action. The book explores whether we can understand before we act, learn about our situations by making careful observations, and think through alternatives with their respective consequences? Blankinship explores whether we can rely more on our brains than on our brawn.

Since I am primarily an intellectual, I love this kind of story. My favorite character was ex-professor Taylor, who has left academia because it has limited itself to restating a limited understanding of the knowledge of the past. Blankinship shows he is interested in not just any knowledge or understanding. Taylor is recruited by the Chief Delegate to help the armed forces figure out how and why several members of her family have either been killed or gone missing. Taylor reminds me of Sherlock Holmes, an investigator who notices what no one else notices, puts clues together in novel but logical ways, and helps solve numerous mysteries by his ability to think.

The plot takes a number of unexpected but rational turns such that I could never figure out ahead of time what might happen. I value this ability in a story teller. Several times I found myself thinking, "I never would have thought of that!" The book is fun, adventurous, and at the same time, provocative. It would make a fine screenplay.

The Scoloderus Conspiracy is a twisting turning story I couldn't wait to keep reading. References throughout to "historical" events build a world of the future with the depth of the past. You find yourself wound up in the lives of the people who are struggling to keep hold of their world in the face of attack.

The Scoloderus Conspiracy has, what at first appears to be, one plot that slowly evolves to multiple plot within plots.
Just when you think you have it all figured out, the author throws you a curve and makes you want to read more just to figure what the real objective of the "bad guys" plan is. The ending twists your view as to who the really "bad guys" are.
My hat is off to David Blankinship for a well written, well-paced literary effort. I look foward to more from this author.
Benjamin Blue - Author of Storm Killer

I purchased this book a year ago, and have read it twice. To be honest, the first time I read the book, I simply read it on an entertainment level. Not to say it was a mindless read, rather I was looking for something to entertain me, and this was a very good thriller to do so.

There are some lows and highs to the book as is typical with mainstream fiction. When I first read the book, the references to actual events in history made it seem like he was trying to add realism to the book in a way tooffset the world he had created. However, the second time reading it, I realized that there was more of a focus on how these events shaped the world he created. It is very brilliantly done.

If you are going to read The Scoloderus Conspiracy don't do it in the same vein that I did. Read it and actually understand what you are reading. While it provides a great read to scan over and enjoy the story. What is behind it is a brilliant concept that shouldn't be ignored. Very exceptional work.

It's been more than three-hundred years since a series of natural disasters destroyed the Earth we know and plunged the world into chaos, but despite the efforts of many to rebuild civilization, peace and stability are slow in coming.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the major power of the United Americas Trade Federation (UATF) has consolidated information from the time before the cataclysm and used these rediscovered pieces of Earth's history to attempt to create order out of chaos. Their plan is unification, but they're opposed by a group known as the Libre Voyageurs, known colloquially as the LV, and a war breaks out between the two camps over who will control North America.

The story kicks off when Colonel Hammond, leader of a team of UATF Shadow Warriors deployed in combat against the LV, is kidnapped in a surprise attack upon his camp that wounds many of his soldiers and leaves Captain Marcus as the officer in charge. Now, Marcus must handle the investigation into the reason for Hammond's disappearance, before he can be made to reveal important military secrets to the Libre Voyageurs that could compromise the UATF's precarious position in the war.

Although many of the primary characters in this novel are soldiers, the focus of the delicately-constructed, ever-twisting plot is upon the strategic games that the UATF and the LV are playing. Rather than being solely about the physical battlefield, the conflict operates simultaneously on the levels of traditional warfare and conspiratorial mind-games. It's this balance that gives the book its drive.

Although the large cast of characters and number of intersecting storylines may lead the reader to some confusion at the beginning, the story that does establish itself is one that will keep you on your toes until the very end.

Reviewed by: Candace Cunard

I just love it when I think I have the plot and "who dunnit" figured out- but the author throws me a curve and I swing and miss! Is it the true future of our world? Don't know but fun to contemplate.

If a book doesn't hold my attention I simply won't finish it.
I read this book over a weekend! I Couldn't put it down, and when I just had too I found myself hurrying to return to it. It absolutely captures your attention. You'll be amazed at the stunning nuances unfolding and unfolding.

"The Scoloderus Conspiracy" occurs a few hundred years in earth's future. It is a time when a single mega-government -- lead by a very savvy grandmother -- runs everything and people either become good citizens or fight the system.

The story begins with a military unit at night. The "shadow warriors" have been fighting rebel soldiers for weeks and you get the clear message that the colonel running the show is suspicious about what's been happening. Without giving away too much of the story, all hell breaks loose and utter chaos ensues. The author must have served in the military, he nails the bureaucratic gibberish that leaves a newbie captain struggling with what to do and when to do it (and I speak with years of experience on that point).

There are more than two dozen characters in this story: soldiers, civilians, politicians, a professor, and of course the really bad guys. The plot unfolds continuously and every chapter introduces a new twist to the story or starts to make you doubt your own assumptions about where it is all heading. The ending surprised me completely; no one will see it coming, yet it makes perfect sense.

One reviewer wrote that the professor in the story reminded him of Sherlock Holmes, I think that's a great description.

Perhaps the most curious thing about this book is the language. When you get to the end, you realize here is a book about the military, a story about ruthless and often despicable people, and there wasn't even one curse word. [All right, I didn't notice that by myself, I read it in the author's interview on Author's Den.] This book would be great for any junior or senior high student, and it raises some very interesting issues that we should all consider.

It's a keeper.