Sekret Machines Book 2: A Fire Within (2) [Hardcover] DeLonge, Tom and Hartley, AJ Hardcover – September 18, 2018

I've been a little disappointed that early reviews of this book were on focused on Kindle formatting and similar woes. Like some commenters, I too wish the Audible version had been available on the title release date- I intended to listen as I traveled. When that didn't work out, I simply purchased the Kindle title separately and read it- I'll revisit the audiobook as a background listen when it's released. I own Book 1 on both Kindle and Audible, and alternately read or listened based on convenience. We can agree the book launch was imperfect, but what about the tale itself? Have previous reviewers read the damn thing? Shouldn't most reviewers, especially this close to the release date, be To The Stars Academy advocates, and try to encourage/introduce others toward the enjoyment of the tale and dissection of the "truths"?-No spoilers-Compared to Book 1, Book 2 is faster paced throughout. Since the general groundwork and narrative structure were laid in B1, B2 gets right to it, adding several Point-of-View scenes from one-time narrators, and revisiting the expected core characters. I liked that one previous character transitioned from a passive character to having a POV perspective. I appreciated that B2 didn't spend 1/2 the time recapping B1... the assumption is that if you are here, you're familiar with the backstory. I was concerned at the end of B1 that some things and people had been tied together too seamlessly, and expected B2 to be seriously cheesy as a result. That didn't happen, which I was grateful for. The new character, location and topic additions fit together nicely, the pace was brisk overall and I didn't feel subjected to a lot of extra garble. At some points, particularly toward the end, the storyline felt rushed, or the concepts dropped as "nuggets" to spark the imagination weren't highlighted enough to capture a passive reader's attention. I did like the disbursement of indisputable "real world" facts (hospital chain branding, etc.) with the established truths of the tale. Unfortunately, some attempts to ground the book into current time felt a bit contrived. So did some of the dialogue... Both B1 and B2 are better at describing events than having characters interact to move the plot forward. And frankly, the B1 Audible narrator is more captivating in the non-dialogue portions. Like any developing series, it's frustrating to know the next installment is likely a year or more away. I briefly daydreamed about how this yarn would benefit from sanctioned fanfic, in the style of Hugh Howey's allowed "World of Wool" spin-offs from his modern classic silo saga, Wool. Mulling this thought over, I determined the "occasional truth" factor would become irrelevant without a controlled narrative, so that dream died. I consoled myself with the assumption that Book 3 is in fact being written, something that is only speculation when it comes to GRR Martin's core GoT fantasies. We know Martin will keep pumping out side quests and ancient fictitious history, but what fan hasn't wondered if he'll publish Winds of Winter, and write beyond it? Or worried that if he does, it will be the same slapdash, watered down, occasionally false-to-itself cop out that parts of the delightful Dark Tower series devolved to after King's accident? I digress, but want to illustrate the point that we are on a multi-leg journey, and this was a worthy installment. I didn't want to include any spoilers in this review, but would be open to and would greatly enjoy a truly detailed chat with anyone else who is en route To The Stars!- Proud TTSA stockholder, bookworm and businesswoman.

I particularly liked the references to alien technology in the service of man, as I believe this rings true. Somehow I couldn't quite grasp the characters as I had done with the first book. The weaving of memories of ancient knowledge with potential unearthly influences also must have a grain of truth to it, as Von Däniken has been relating for years. The propagation of alien rivalries as far as earth with their earthly counterparts and the continued search for power in ancient ruins made for a colorful yarn. I liked less the mixing of English folklore with alien goodies and baddies but perhaps it's the price to pay for a satisfactory story outcome for this, the second book in a series. The original reason I started reading this series is because it was promised to give insights into the real alien technology which has been secured and is being tested out of Area 51's most secret parts, tallying with the 'Astra'/TR3B reports. I didn't feel this book carried much weight in revealing those things.Sum-up: entertaining sci-fi.

The first book in this series came out, what, in 2016, and there still isn’t any significant discussion or debate on the web about them? I suppose the skeptics don’t like these books for the usual reasons. The old-head UFO faithful don’t like these books because they steal the thunder of those that have toiled for decades in this field with no official validation.Ostensibly, the book gives quasi-official confirmation to many of aspects of UFO activity. Sekret Machines emphasizes reverse-engineering of alien propulsion systems, including triangle craft (i.e., the rumored TR3B “Black Manta”) and saucers, but also mentions cigar-shaped transports and menacing glowing spheres. It also affirms involuntary abductions, DNA modification, telepathy, remote viewing, limited backward time travel, astral projection, light beings, fairies and tricksters. Did I leave anything out?Again, the UFO community is probably saying, “tell us something we didn’t know, right?"That said, there are some interesting twists to this “fictional disclosure” that deserve discussion and debate. However, since that discussion and debate is pretty much non-existent, I’ll go ahead and spell it out. And for that reason I’m giving the book only 2 stars. It’s sadly more a reflection of the readers than it is the authors. Everyone is clamoring for disclosure, but only if they agree with that disclosure and how it is disclosed (lol).Does it not bother anyone that the character Morat is something more than a double agent, i.e., he freely moves between both sides and both sides are evidently aware of that. Is he, then, an intermediary between two sides of a “black program” that is international? And, is that sekret program so well funded that it can afford to damage and even destroy its own exotic devices in war gaming exercises or even joy riding around the planet? Consistent with this, pilots in the 2004 Nimitz UFO videos are gleefully locking on to “tictacs” as if collecting tokens in a video game. Do the defense contractors even expect replacement orders to keep the operation going? Is development of new (and generally lame) conventional aircraft like the F-35 just a cover for those sekret fighters?Morat (later adopting a name that is even more similar to the villain Moriarty of Sherlock Holmes fame) is something of an anti-James Bond. Like Jimbo Bond, he is a tough, street-smart product of the hood that cleans up nicely and navigates high-society with aplomb. However, which side is he on? Is he working for the “bad guys” or the “good guys,” both, or neither? Is the savant Morat merely a “tool” like a Jeffery Epstein, or Is this character actually part of the disclosure, i.e., exposing the dual nature of a global operation that plays both sides against the middle? The other leading characters, namely Alan, Barry and Timika don’t understand the "double standard" of Morat, but it should be transparent to the reader. Given the odd treatment of Russians in the Sekret Machines novels, what might Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine reveal? Is it a deliberate implosion of the Russian state (in preparation for a larger global reorganization) and the standing up of a different “common enemy”?Competition is motivating. Opposition keeps everyone focused toward a goal, but it mainly serves the purpose of furthering the deep state agenda. Hence, the object is to achieve fully controlled opposition, or something very close to it. In other words, eliminate actual conflict and replace it with symbolic conflict, i.e., Republicans against Democrats, Protestants versus Catholics, Bears versus Lions, East against West, North versus South, etc. Real world competitors (like most of the characters in the Sekret Machines novels) don’t generally know the rivalry is just a game, and it seems to work better that way. Surprisingly, not even high-ranking officials have a “need-to-know” everything about black programs or the Phenomenon. There is probably still considerable compartmentalizing of roles and responsibilities, even within a specific high-tech, secret development, and along the lines of the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb.Does this seemingly blinkered, pop-culture, Hollywood-baiting book series deserve a closer reading and analysis? Are there some clever anagrams like in the DaVinci code? Hartley typically writes his novels quickly, so can we really expect much more subtlety? Have the authors encoded even deeper meanings, or should we simply be checking to see if the number of instances of the word blink is exactly 182? For example, is the race to find the relic beneath the decrepit church analogous to the “quest for the holy grail” and just a crowd-pleasing plot device? Or does it symbolize a kernel of truth and power within our great religions? In other words, are religions really more than simple “cargo cults” in that they preserve our cosmic (ET) origins and other “gifts from the gods”? Is there a perceived need to maintain control over those gifts by the elites? The answer to that is, yes, and even if Team Tom doesn’t yet realize it (and inadvertently stumbled over it via this bit of pop-fiction screen-play writing). But, these novels have already been written off as flights of fantasy, so what does it matter?The “princess” Jennifer and her "princely" father are made out to be saints who are martyred for their high principles and philanthropic hearts. Stage actors don’t expect to die, but deep state players are prepared and even willing to die if necessary to preserve the royal and ancient system they were born into. If their deaths are merely staged, then they slip into comfortable retirement or just go on serving under new/other aliases. In the days before paparazzi this was a much easier thing to accomplish. The character Jennifer and her lordly father recall the late Evelyn de Rothschild and his children, especially his environmentalist/ humanitarian son David Mayer. The controversial Rothschild name is being nobly and honorably phased out and replaced with less troublesome identities by the world’s power brokers. It has served its purpose. It’s a different world.Other main characters are killed off in the Sekret Machine novels, but miraculously are brought back to life and toast each other after the madcap mission is complete. These days, taking one for the team is still a badge of honor. If permanently sidelined, the protagonist can still expect the system to take care of them. Yet, sometimes they are allowed the most improbable of comebacks. There are legions of deep state enablers, and not all enablers even know what they are enablers. Patriots. Royalists. Loyalists. Yes Men. Finders. Fixers. Finishers. Sleepers. Wokers. The blindly ambitious. Academic high achievers. Status seekers. Parrots of established facts. Dealers. Hustlers. High rollers. Paper chasers. Anyone with an addiction or obsession can be co-opted into becoming career civil servants of the deep state. If you won’t, someone else will. It’s not just for blue-bloods. It’s a game the entire human family can play, and has played since time immemorial.This is all very heavy stuff, but Sekret Machine books are clearly aimed at a young reader, and why not? Most everyone over twenty cares more about their credit score. Yet, the next-gen target audience doesn’t typically have the background to evaluate books like these, at least other than for entertainment value. And young people have more exciting options for entertainment. Will Delonge have to keep touring to keep his board afloat? Or, is the Sekret Machine initiative washing out? The former AATIP honcho Lue Elizondo and freelance partner Chris Mellon seem to have distanced themselves from TTSA for now. And what was AATIP anyway? The AATIP program funding was laughable. It was on the order of a small-business set-aside contract. By DoD standards, it wasn’t even a blip on the radar. But, the DoD needs aliens now. They need a clear and present danger to continue justifying defense spending, including black program and Space Force spending. If AATIP was a “bigalow budget motel” marketing scheme, it was brilliant.

Picks up where volume-1 ends and speeds towards a high speed climax. Leave you hoping for a Vol 3

I loved it! Tom Delonge opted for a creative way to approach disclosing this information. I don’t completely understand him going this route but thought it was really fun to tag along for the ride. The style of the book allows the reader a glimpse into the subjective impacts that the phenomenon has had on people which was refreshing.

Loved the intrigue. Jumped from character to character which I found a bit difficult until i knew the differentcharacters.

More revelations based on real events...mmm...setting aside the continuity error as to who really killed Edward Quinn which seems to differ between this and the first book, and trying to look past the disappointing portrayal of patronising stereotypes who seem to inhabit Hull - really, you choose to represent people like this in 2019? (eh up! give 'em a pint o' stout and a pie...didn't catch Timika or Barry rapping btw...or is that in the next book?) - it's actually a good read and held my interest better than part one. The supernatural elements are a little too prominent for my liking, but I suppose are essential to the plot. Am I sufficiently hooked to buy part three when it arrives...the jury is out.

Unfortunately the story took a long time to take off and would have liked to see more storyline around the craft and origins of them. Unfortunately the book felt a little lack lustre in that regard. I wouldn’t not read it again, but I think the slow start to the book - and disjoint individual stories for each character left a lot of questions without ever really answering them :( as an aside I’m still looking forward to the next instalment and hope some of those questions will be answered.

Real let down after such a good first book!To say I'm disappointed would be an understatement. Boring story that's all over the place :(

engaging read. makes you wonder if there is more to the world. but brilliant narrative nonetheless. very well written. recommended.