Kevin's Watch

"These days people are frightened of the world around them, and that fear is easily encouraged and maintained. People want to be in our Virtual Panopticon. We'll watch over them like good shepherds. They'll be monitored, controlled, protected from the unknown. Besides, they barely recognize the prison. There's always some distraction. A war in the Middle East. A scandal involving celebrities. The World Cup or the Super Bowl…Fear may induce people to enter our Panopticon, but we keep them amused while they're inside."

Before novelist John Twelve Hawks's prodigious debut even hit the shelves, there was a flurry of reviews and articles speculating about the author's actual whereabouts (Where exactly is a person when he's living "off the Grid," and if he is truly "off the Grid" like he claims to be, how did he get a novel published?); whether the story was true or a work of fiction (the setting is eerily reminiscent of today's post-9/11, hyper-sensitive society); and whether Random House's guerilla marketing campaign (a simulated TRAVELER game online: www.traveler-book.com, fake-but-real websites for organizations mentioned in the book: www.evergreen-foundation.com and www.hollismartialarts.com, anonymous postings on literary and science-fiction blogs) was feeding the well-deserved fire or merely causing conspiracy theorists and cult mystery-suspense lovers to scoff at the blatant rip-off of a Blair Witch Project-esque hoax.

Now that THE TRAVELER has been read by a wider and ever-expanding demographic (it already has been optioned for a major motion picture and promises a larger audience with the release of the next two volumes in the trilogy), and its reputation has grown through word-of-mouth and the aforementioned targeted media blitz, one thing is fairly certain --- there is something for every reader to grab onto and run with in these fast-paced and captivating 450 pages.

The premise of THE TRAVELER begs to be described in what by now must be a well-traveled (no pun intended) analogy: The Matrix meets 1984 meets War of the Worlds meets "Alias," with a bit of spirituality, morality and philosophy scattered throughout. Like any self-respecting science-fiction phenomenon, this multi-layered thriller spins an intricate tale involving tiered realities, alternate worlds, and various characters who are able to travel between these worlds while battling Evil, embracing Good, and attempting to keep the Power out of the hands of the corrupt who are, unfortunately, in the majority.

In Hawks's version, this tried-and-true recipe plays out as follows. Gabriel and Michael Corrigan are two of the last known Travelers in existence. Like their father, who disappeared during their childhood, they have the ability to pass through various levels of reality in order to obtain enlightenment and use this knowledge to help others do the same. Because their abilities are so valued and rare, the Corrigan brothers must be protected by Maya, a Harlequin (think twenty-something rogue spy with black-belt ninja skills), in order to prevent the Tabula (Big Brother) from capturing the two and using their transcendental powers to brainwash the unsuspecting "normal people" (i.e. average, law-abiding citizens) who already are under constant surveillance through computers, electronic tracking systems, and strategically placed cameras. In a series of high-speed chases, combat-riddled action sequences involving swords, and a couple of pulse-thumping cliffhangers, these three groups continue to duke it out until the end, which, of course, is to be continued.

Sound familiar? It should. Our reality? Maybe. A gripping read that may or may not inspire heated discussions involving the phrase "the Man"? Definitely. Because of its accessibility --- you don't actually have to be into science fiction to enjoy this novel --- and its all-too-real exploration of a society blocked in by the rules and regulations of the all-encompassing Grid, THE TRAVELER may just be the next bestseller.