The 34th Degree

By: Thomas Greanias

Narrated by: Robert Fass

Length: 13 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

An ancient text. A world at war. The end of history. Prepare to be initiated into The 34th Degree.

1943. The supernatural alchemy for the ultimate weapon, encoded in an ancient biblical text, has fallen into the hands of the most ruthless secret society known to man---the Nazi SS. Present Day. Dishonorably discharged from the armed forces after the events of The Promised War, Sam Deker is trying to build a new life in Los Angeles. But nightmares of the past continue to haunt his present, and Deker discovers that the unusual lightwave-induced torture he barely survived has changed him. The Pentagon, however, believes that change makes him the only one who can endure their top-secret neuro-simulation program known as the 34th Degree. The stunning technological breakthrough uses the sliced brain tissues of dead terrorists to enter their memories and glean priceless intel.

Now Americans want to use the preserved brain tissue of SS General Ludwig von Berg, the legendary "Baron of the Black Order," to send Deker back to 1943. Deker's mission is to discover the fate of the lost biblical text and steal its formulas before his counterparts in the Alignment, a 21st-century successor to the SS, beat the U.S. to it. The text not only spells out the end of the world, but the supernatural alchemy for Greek Fire, a thermodynamic technology that the ancient Greeks believed to have come from Atlantis and that the Americans now believe threatens the Earth. Ultimately, Deker discovers that the past, present and future are not what they seem, as his path leads to a shattering secret that will change everything he knows about the universe.

©2011 Thomas Greanias (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Greanias covers familiar thriller territory with stock characters." ( Publishers Weekly)

Rushing to meet a deadline?

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

No one

Would you ever listen to anything by Thomas Greanias again?

I am done wiht Greanias

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Deker barely had anything to do with the story. At least in the Promised War he was aware of what was going on. In the 34th degree they put him under and his character goes away.

What character would you cut from The 34th Degree?

Sam Deker

Any additional comments?

I would not recommend this book to anyone.

Weak on susbstance

What would have made The 34th Degree better?

Actually talk about the title more, the 34th degree. He could have taken out much of the dialogue that had no relevance to the story.

What was most disappointing about Thomas Greanias’s story?

This book starts off promising to be a good Science Fiction or Thriller Novel but quickly turns into a alternative history book about the Nazi's and Italy. It just happens to feature a guy that has the 33rd degree and that's as far as it really goes.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Robert Fass?

Jeffrey Kafer

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The 34th Degree?

To numerous to write about