Review | Accidental Prophet by Bud Gundy (ARC)

When Drew Morten loses his grandmother, he was left with a manuscript of her memoir. His grandmother rose from a difficult background into a famed television anchor, covering historical events in the 1960s to 1980s. However, there were stories that she didn’t report, such as a mission medieval prince, a seemingly immortal professor and a space study of a foreign object. But when Drew starts experiencing visions of an impending disaster, he knew that his grandmother’s story is linked with him. He needs to figure out the connections with the help of two new friends, before it’s too late.

He looked into the sky, his arms wide, as the tornado swirled above.

Accidental Prophet a sci-fi thriller with a side of romance featuring a gay protagonist. I’m always happy to see LGBTQ+ representation especially in thrillers, as unsurprisingly there aren’t many out there. From Drew, we see his experiences of being a gay man especially when he meets a man on a night out. They hit it off and there is heat between them, until something happens which interrupts what could have been an interesting encounter. Of course, Drew is also grieving over his grandmother’s death and so the potential romance takes a backseat to the main story.

There are three storylines – Drew’s, his grandmother Claudia, and a Russian spy named Victor. Drew’s story frames the other two events as he reads his grandmother’s memoir as per her request. He then starts experiencing visions of a disaster and of a man he doesn’t know. The man is Victor, who Drew has never met but whose fate may be intertwined with his. Drew also meets Tisha, the nurse who cared for his late grandmother, and Althea, his grandmother’s neighbour. Both of them may hold the key to Drew’s situation.

I found Claudia’s story to be the most enjoyable. Her memoir explores the life of a career woman in the 60s. From the difficulty she experienced to be taken seriously beyond her looks, to balancing work and personal life, it made for a fascinating read. She also became involved with a mysterious man, and her life was never the same. I thought Claudia was a formidable, ambitious character and I wouldn’t mind reading more about her.

Victor’s story is intriguing too. We meet him during his broken childhood in Tolyatti, where he is offered an escape by a man to a better life. He is sent to a dormitory to live with a number of other Russian boys and from there their lives are dictated by a group that they do not know. When we meet him again as an adult in San Francisco, he’s a different person, bitter and vengeful. I thought he made an interesting villain that is nasty and delusional enough to cause chaos.

Unfortunately, I didn’t feel like I got to know Drew. He goes through a lot but his character doesn’t seem to grow. His reaction to knowing new things about himself is strangely subdued and accepting. Tisha and Althea feel more like plot devices than actual people. The plot involves a secret society, people with powers, dangerous technology and trying to link them all made for a confusing read. I was left with many questions at the abrupt ending, which makes me think there’ll be a sequel. If there is, I hope it will give Drew a chance to shine.

I received an ARC from the author and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

More on the author: Bud Gundy

Photo by Randy Milanovic