Federal Underground

Penn Mitchell's Ancient Alien Saga, Book 1

By: Jeff Bennington

Narrated by: Andrew Tell

Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Penn Mitchell vanishes from the NYU campus and shows up three months later on his mother's doorstep with a book screaming to get out of his head. When the FBI discovers the novel discloses top-secret information, they bring Penn in for questioning.

The interrogation goes sideways and Penn escapes into a subterranean world he thought was a figment of his imagination, a world where the US government is hiding, and at war with, an ancient race that has existed since the dawn of time.

©2016 Jeff Bennington (P)2018 Jeff Bennington

Mixed views.

I really liked the narrator, I thougth he did a good job of voicing the many characters and I would listen ot his other works.

As for the book, I have mixed views on it. First there is profanity and violence but no sexual content (except for a rape scene which happens behind closed doors).
The plot I actually liked even though, I found certain things hard to believe like the writer and that alot happens in 24 hours. I would have expected more time to have passed.
The other thing I found with this story is that it is long. I thought there are quite a few places that could have been cut. I found that it slowed the book down and I have to admit that I switched off a few times.

Would I recommend it? Yes, overall I liked it and I thought the story had something that had me gripped to the book. It does end on a sort of a cliff hanger and I do want to find out what happens next.

Federal Underground

I really enjoyed this sci fi/religious story.It was very original.Looking forward to book 2.Andrew Tell was a fantastic narrator for this project.I was given this book by the narrator,author or publisher free for an honest review.

different

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Firstly, I don't read/listen to alien genre or political books in general. With that said, this was a pretty interesting book. The plot kept me interested and guessing what would come next. I don't know that I would purchase the next book but I did enjoy this one.

X-Files on Steroids

Where does Federal Underground rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is better then average but it is a bit confusing at times to follow the various twists to a complicated plot.

What other book might you compare Federal Underground to and why?

Mix the X-Files with all the Gov conspiracy theories throw in some aliens and run it through
a blender for a few minutes and you have your story.

Have you listened to any of Andrew Tell’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.... but it is a good performance.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The Feds are in bed with aliens.

Any additional comments?

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Great beginning to a different kind of story

The premise of this book caught my attention and after starting it, was afraid it was going to lose me. There was a lot of setting up of characters, settings, and concepts that I was finding confusing, then all of a sudden, it all seemed to click and I was on the roller coaster ride for the remainder of the book.

This is a different kind of story not really found in other books. At it's core is a science fiction thriller I suppose, but there are other things in there as well. I tend to get in a rut with certain types of stories and this was a very refreshing change.

I was a bit disappointed in that once I was hooked and didn't want to put the book down, it ended as a clear setup for a series of books. While I guess this is good in that I do see a rich story universe being setup in this book, I do wish that books were setup to be self contained more (and if they happen to spawn a sequel so be it) instead of being such a clear setup for a series.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

A wonderfully imaginative and poignant story!

This book is incredibly interesting with a very unique story telling point of view.
The story unfolds in what feels like parts but starts to come together and make more and more sense the longer you are into the book. I love the intricacies of telling multiple points of view and timelines which weaves together seamlessly.
The characters have such organic development with some slow crawling and sudden leaps and jumps.

I think that those of a nature to believe in Urban Legends and Conspiracy theories will get a real kick out of this book and those that enjoy an adventure thriller will certainly enjoy the book.

The narration is very good offering unique characters and conveying emotion and tone throughout the performance.

In summation this is a book worthy of savouring and enjoying. I am still not sure that I got all of the clues along the way but a second reading will help confirm or deny that one for me.

A complex but good sci fi book

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This was an exciting and fast paced sci fi story. The story has some twists to it, and was a bit complex, but ultimately pulls itself together and was quite good. I liked the narration, too. All in all, it was a good book that I would recommend.

Federal Underground

It took me awhile to feel committed to the story Federal Underground. Once I did I really enjoyed the book. The book reminded me of the scariest movie I ever saw as a child, the 1953 version of Invaders From Mars. Federal Under Ground is not as viscerally creepy as the movie, but it is scary in a more intellectual way. I don't think the book is for everyone, but listeners who like 1950 horror movies might like it.
Andrew Tell is a very good narrator.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Conspiracies abound!

Great blend of aliens, religion and government conspiracies. Bennington does a great job of bringing some of the "fringier" religious theories behind the aliens into the mainstream in "Federal Underground," weaving a tale that is both engaging and surreal. Depending on your background and religious beliefs, it may even feel just a touch realistic! Well done. ***This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.***

A modern day look at UFO mythology

This is a book that fills a nice niche - it's a modern day look at what possibly could explain the current UFO mythology. I love how the author has integrated thousands of years of lore from various religions, along with news more current, to reinforce the story line and the modern state of UFO knowledge.

Overall, it was an entertaining listen. Andrew Tell was spectacular, as usual. This is the second book of his I’ve listened to. His female voices are believable, and he has a wide range of character voices.

This book was gifted to me in exchange for an unbiased review.