Book Review: The UFO Chronicles: District of Columbia
The UFO Chronicles: District of Columbia
Author: Justin Scott Snead
Publisher: Paint Creek Press
Publication date: 10/01/2024
Pages: 176
The world of science fiction is filled with stories of alien beings and their craft. Straight fiction with a focus on the UFO phenomenon is a less well populated genre. Tom Delonge and A.J. Hartley come to mind with their Sekret Machines series. Interestingly, the great writer of western themed novels, Louis L’Amour, wrote a novel in 1987 called The Haunted Mesa, a fictional account covering a crypto-terrestrial theme.
To the genre we can now add The UFO Chronicles: District of Columbia, a series of UFO themed short stories centered around activities in the U.S. capitol. Author Justin Snead is both a writer and keen follower of the goings on in the world of UAP.
Examining the title, one wonders if The UFO Chronicles are intended to be the start of a series of books. I reached out to the author and discovered that he *is* considering extending this into a series. He also has another UFO related writing project under development, delving into the cultural history of the phenomenon.
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What I look for in fiction is entertainment. Does the book keep me engaged? Do I want to pick it up and read more? Is it based on a topic or era or contain themes interesting to me? I did find this book engaging, finishing it in short order. Keeping within the UFO topic and covering familiar scenarios with interesting twists, made it a fun read.
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There’s a variety of scenarios covered in these short stories, many of which will be familiar to anyone who follows the phenomenon. There are two wildly different stories about the goings on within the Whitehouse when a craft lands just outside. Both stories have good plot lines: A Vice President, selected to make a face-to-face meeting with the non-humans discovers she’s going on a long trip. A deeply corrupt President departs earth for other reasons.
One story tells the tale of how a smart young scientist is brought into a covert UAP research project. The method used to entice the scientist into joining is just a little creepy, but at the same time completely believable.
There’s also a story about the Men in Black. A team of Men in Black are sent on an assignment. We watch events unfold from the point of view of a Men in Black team member. That point of view makes the story doubly interesting.
There’s more, but you get the point. Snead gives us an engaging bit of fiction, firmly rooted in the well-known history and narrative of the UFO phenomenon. We can hope to see more of the same from him.
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