US Review of Books on PlanetB2

PlanetB2
by M C Raj
Partridge Publishing

reviewed by Michael Radon

"At that intense moment Caroline touched him with the same gentleness on his right shoulder. It was a double ocean."
When the American government discovers a planet teeming with life energy, it makes an effort led by the headstrong President Rustler to conduct a manned mission in secret to touch down. However, the craft mysterious vanishes in the atmosphere of the planet named PlanetB2, and so America's top minds, including the President's confidant and boyhood friend Plumbel, are tapped to find a way to make contact. The next effort ends similarly, although a Native American scientist that was part of the crew makes it through and breaks contact. The truths of this detail lead to spiritual self-discovery for some, and single-minded obsession for others. As Rustler is willing to proceed at all costs to reach PlanetB2, the rest of the world watches on, prepared to intervene at the sight of his true intentions.

In this crossover between sci-fi, spiritual fiction, and counterculture, the author uses satire to starkly contrast the dark truths he presents about modern humanity and its history. Despite the fact that the centerpiece of the book is interplanetary exploration and conquest with all the world's major nations in play, the majority of the story's strength comes from the interactions between people, often in one-on-one situations. However, these conversations and insights prove to be just a superficial layer to the book's true message of the importance of cosmic communication and understanding with all of the planet's life, including animals, ancestors, and the remaining indigenous tribes scattered across the globe. Readers who want something that will challenge their belief system and serve as a wake-up call to creative positive action in the world will enjoy this fictional warning against the alternative.