Maybe Thanksgiving turkey goes with relaxing afterwards with a good book. For whatever reason, Unfettered Journey today became a minor league Number 1 Best Seller on Amazon. Perhaps a few folks got the Adam & Eve allegory (the #1 category is Christian Classics and Allegories). Even more, the novel is on the best seller lists (it is in the top 100 books) in 8 categories, including best seller in political fiction, action & adventure literary fiction, hard science fiction, and dystopian science fiction. That milestone comes on the same day that the novel reached the 1,000 book level on Amazon alone.
The first question that I’m asked is “What is it about?” That has always been a tough question, because it is cross-genre. Unfettered Journey is an action and adventure novel, and a love story. It is set in the near future, but it isn’t exactly a sci-fi book. It is philosophical, and spiritual in a non-traditional way. That explains why it ends up on so many lists. I’m happy that it turned out to be the book that I wanted to write, not influenced by publishers and bottom-line goals.
I’m thankful to all of my family, friends, and all who have supported me in this artistic journey. It has been gratifying to have the support. And if you still have time to post a quick review on Amazon, those are tremendously helpful.
Have a safe holiday season.
Gary
“West World meets The Hunger Games.”
“It’s a captivating and fast-paced futuristic love story…a future that feels eerily authentic…”
- She’s Single Magazine
“The world is as richly imagined as the Bladerunner movie.”
- Midwest Book Review
“That ending was jaw dropping. What a ride!”
- The Literary Vixen
“Unfettered Journey is a futuristic and philosophical romantic adventure perfect for 2020.”
- Bookish Muses
"Unfettered Journey is an existential adventure for the mind and a lot more besides."
- Carly Newfeld, The Last Word, KSFR Santa Fe Public Radio
"Shades of Huxley and Asimov. Gary F. Bengier has created a science fiction adventure that is reminiscent of the masters."
- Lee Scott, for the Florida Times-Union
We all have many journeys. Gary’s began in a small Midwest town, where he could play unfettered in the woods, finding an early love for nature and learning self-reliance. The space program and the night skies hooked him on astronomy. After finishing college, the wide world beckoned, and his fascination with science drew him to California to participate in the booming tech industry. Now he still stares upward, wondering what it all is about.