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Modify Destiny
A Reader’s Favorite Bronze Medal Winner.
Suppose the truth about UFOs isn’t out there; it’s here. Suppose all of us – UFO believers and nonbelievers alike – are wrong. Suppose that one day, after covertly studying the UFO phenomenon for decades, the US Government learns it was wrong to have assumed that UFOs are of alien origin. Suppose the truth is something just as bizarre and even more consequential than the arrival of aliens.
Their interest in UFOs renewed by an incident at work, entry-level CIA employee Dave Reed and a coworker set out to a small town where residents have seen mysterious lights in the sky and people have disappeared under unusual circumstances. By the time he leaves town, Dave is convinced that aliens were responsible for the strange events that had occurred there. Upon his return to work, Dave's life is turned upside down when a bizarre string of events results in him being accused of espionage. In an attempt to prove his innocence, he agrees to undergo high-tech interrogation and hypnotic regression. While in an altered state of consciousness, Dave tells a terrifying story that's practically impossible for his interrogators to believe, even though the infallible machines connected to his head and torso indicate that he has to be telling the truth.
Lester Garrett thinks he knows all there is to know about UFOs. After all, he's a senior operations officer for an ultra-secret government project that investigates UFOs and alien abductions. What else could there be? He discovers there's more to the UFO phenomenon than he has been led to believe when he and Dave Reed cross paths.
Suppose the truth about UFOs isn’t out there; it’s here. Suppose all of us – UFO believers and nonbelievers alike – are wrong. Suppose that one day, after covertly studying the UFO phenomenon for decades, the US Government learns it was wrong to have assumed that UFOs are of alien origin. Suppose the truth is something just as bizarre and even more consequential than the arrival of aliens.
Their interest in UFOs renewed by an incident at work, entry-level CIA employee Dave Reed and a coworker set out to a small town where residents have seen mysterious lights in the sky and people have disappeared under unusual circumstances. By the time he leaves town, Dave is convinced that aliens were responsible for the strange events that had occurred there. Upon his return to work, Dave's life is turned upside down when a bizarre string of events results in him being accused of espionage. In an attempt to prove his innocence, he agrees to undergo high-tech interrogation and hypnotic regression. While in an altered state of consciousness, Dave tells a terrifying story that's practically impossible for his interrogators to believe, even though the infallible machines connected to his head and torso indicate that he has to be telling the truth.
Lester Garrett thinks he knows all there is to know about UFOs. After all, he's a senior operations officer for an ultra-secret government project that investigates UFOs and alien abductions. What else could there be? He discovers there's more to the UFO phenomenon than he has been led to believe when he and Dave Reed cross paths.
238 pages, Paperback
First published June 7, 2016
6 people are currently reading
885 people want to read
About the author
Bill Higgins
1 book25 followersI became inspired to write Modify Destiny while working in the CIA's message processing office. Back then, classified messages pertaining to foreign military forces' reactions to UFO sightings would sometimes pop-up on my computer screen. I've been intrigued by the UFO phenomenon ever since.
After retiring early from the CIA, I worked seven years as a technology consultant for the Hewlett-Packard Company.
After retiring early from the CIA, I worked seven years as a technology consultant for the Hewlett-Packard Company.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 7, 2016
I decided to check this book out since I have the kindle unlimited subscription and it was free to read. This is a fascinating and creative story about a young CIA employee working at the message traffic office at CIA headquarters who experienced several chilling and unique encounters including falling asleep for three days during a visit with his friend to Ramps, West Virginia in an attempt to explore and find out more details about rumors of UFO phenomenon in the area. There were quite a few twists to the plot during his visit to the area. I don’t want to give away too many details without spoiling the story for other readers but I was very impressed with the author’s writing style especially during the beginning and the end of the book. The characters were pretty believable and the story was engaging. I’m not a fast reader and I was able to read this book in just over three days so it definitely kept me interested. It’s not a long book either so it wasn’t hard to keep up. If you are a science fiction connoisseur and enjoy stories about UFO’s, government conspiracies, and alien abduction, this book is for you.
August 29, 2016
Modify Destiny by Bill Higgins starts off with a compelling recorded meeting in the cabinet room of Kennedy's White House. This recording being played sets the tone for the rest of the book which speeds off into the world of UFO's. The author, Bill Higgins worked his way up from the bottom in the CIA to work as an IT manager. The main character, Dave Reed, is an employee in the CIA's Message Watch Office and seems somewhat modeled after the author. Dave happens to be working the Saturday night overnight shift when a secret message is misdirected from NORAD. This message starts the process of Dave re-igniting his fascination with UFO's. Off Dave goes to a small town where people are seeing lights in the skies and other strange phenomenon. The story builds from there with hypnotic interrogations, and strange things revealed by Dave. A fascinating read that will entertain, whether or not you believe in UFO's.
November 29, 2017
I received my copy through goodreads giveaways and was really excited to dive into this. I really liked the conspiracy of aliens and time travel, however, I feel like half way in it was rather dull when Dave Reed first meets Shelby. The diner was drawn out too long and excessive in detail. It had strong undertones of an old xfiles episode, which was really keeping my attention, and the romance was a bit cliche. But it had a great ending which led me to rate a 4/5.
October 1, 2016
Searching for U.F.O’s
The story starts with a bang as we are invite to listen to a newly discovered tape of President Kennedy talking about the U.F.O. phenomenon. It quickly becomes apparent that it was President Kennedy’s wish that the public should be told the truth, but other powers did not agree with disclosure. Obviously today’s reader knows that there was never any revelation by the U.S. Government during the ‘60’s concerning U.F.O’s so he did not get his wish. Could this be why he was assassinated? After this we enter the murky world of the C.I.A. and follow a lowly staff member, Dave Reed as he decides to investigate a spate of recent U.F.O. sightings, which have not been reported by any news media. It won’t matter whether you do or do not believe in the possibility of aliens visiting our planet, the story whizzes along and I defy anyone to guess the brilliant ending!
The story starts with a bang as we are invite to listen to a newly discovered tape of President Kennedy talking about the U.F.O. phenomenon. It quickly becomes apparent that it was President Kennedy’s wish that the public should be told the truth, but other powers did not agree with disclosure. Obviously today’s reader knows that there was never any revelation by the U.S. Government during the ‘60’s concerning U.F.O’s so he did not get his wish. Could this be why he was assassinated? After this we enter the murky world of the C.I.A. and follow a lowly staff member, Dave Reed as he decides to investigate a spate of recent U.F.O. sightings, which have not been reported by any news media. It won’t matter whether you do or do not believe in the possibility of aliens visiting our planet, the story whizzes along and I defy anyone to guess the brilliant ending!
October 6, 2016
This novel largely focuses on a rather unexpected plot progression, so it is a little difficult to review without spoiling. The basic story involves Dave, who works for the CIA, and has once before seen a UFO. He is to go on a weekend camping, but instead, after an internet "discussion" with a man in Ramps, a small town in West Virginia, he switches because there has been UFO activity there. There have been UFOs seen, mutilated cows, possible abductions, and the authorities are doing what has to be done to keep this out of the public eye . . . Yep, a conspiracy is afoot! There is a chapter early on about Yellowstone as a supervolcano (which it most certainly is) and there are statements about how terrible the outcomes of such eruptions are. This is not exactly true. Taupo is a supervolcano, and a recent eruption, about 2,000 years ago, led to an estimate of over 1,000 cubic kilometers of ejecta. All recorded history at the time was in the northern hemisphere, and this massive event essentially went unnoticed. Mind you, when Yellowstone goes, and it will some day, the US will be extremely badly hit.
Because the story is plot driven, there is not much more to say. The writing style is easy to read, and while the story seems to be going nowhere and there are some apparent irrelevancies, not so. Think of these as red herrings. The story is well constructed as far as Dave is concerned. There are one or two strands that are just dropped, and they should not have been, and there are one or two things that are logically wrong, but if you can overlook these, this is a well-put-together story. Despite the flaws I was sufficiently taken by it that, well, it gets five stars.
Because the story is plot driven, there is not much more to say. The writing style is easy to read, and while the story seems to be going nowhere and there are some apparent irrelevancies, not so. Think of these as red herrings. The story is well constructed as far as Dave is concerned. There are one or two strands that are just dropped, and they should not have been, and there are one or two things that are logically wrong, but if you can overlook these, this is a well-put-together story. Despite the flaws I was sufficiently taken by it that, well, it gets five stars.
October 2, 2016
Alien abductions?
This is a fantastic thriller about a Dave Reed, a young man who works for the C.I.A. in its Message Watch Department. When a message reaches his office by mistake – leading his superiors to panic – his interest in U.F.O’s is rekindled and he sets out to visit a small town, where strange lights have been reported in the skies overhead. After meeting various local residents and hearing what they have to say, Dave is shown the mutilated body of a cow. He is convinced that alien experimentation has been carried out on this unfortunate animal. Staying overnight with his new found friends, he wakes in the morning to discover that two of his friends are missing. Even stranger, Dave is arrested for espionage by the F.B.I. and learns that three days of his life are unaccounted for. He undergoes hypnosis to see if he can prove his innocence, and the results of this will blow your mind!
This is a fantastic thriller about a Dave Reed, a young man who works for the C.I.A. in its Message Watch Department. When a message reaches his office by mistake – leading his superiors to panic – his interest in U.F.O’s is rekindled and he sets out to visit a small town, where strange lights have been reported in the skies overhead. After meeting various local residents and hearing what they have to say, Dave is shown the mutilated body of a cow. He is convinced that alien experimentation has been carried out on this unfortunate animal. Staying overnight with his new found friends, he wakes in the morning to discover that two of his friends are missing. Even stranger, Dave is arrested for espionage by the F.B.I. and learns that three days of his life are unaccounted for. He undergoes hypnosis to see if he can prove his innocence, and the results of this will blow your mind!
October 8, 2016
How enticing is the mystic of the unknown involving the other worlds and their inhabitants? Modify Destiny by Bill Higgins starts this Science Fiction out by introducing you to the main character while weaving in bits and pieces that will be important to how the story unfolds.
Dave Reed works for the CIA in the Message Watch Office monitoring telecommunication networks. It isn’t a very prestigious job, but he likes his job and co-workers. He makes plans to go camping with his co-worker Maryanne, but ends up going with Bob.
Dave’s fascination to UFOs takes them on a different route than originally planned and alters their lives. With people disappearing and animals mutilated miles from their farms draws attention from the government. It doesn’t help when the press is running stories that hinder and covers up what is really happening. It almost seems as if “someone” is distorting information so the truth will stay hidden.
Dave Reed works for the CIA in the Message Watch Office monitoring telecommunication networks. It isn’t a very prestigious job, but he likes his job and co-workers. He makes plans to go camping with his co-worker Maryanne, but ends up going with Bob.
Dave’s fascination to UFOs takes them on a different route than originally planned and alters their lives. With people disappearing and animals mutilated miles from their farms draws attention from the government. It doesn’t help when the press is running stories that hinder and covers up what is really happening. It almost seems as if “someone” is distorting information so the truth will stay hidden.
December 23, 2016
This novel wowed me in so many ways: the main character is very likable and the fact that he is an "average joe" made me over-aware that what he experienced could happen to anyone; I love a good twist at the end...especially one I didn't see coming; with all the conspiracy theories out there, the novel made me wonder if some of them could be true; the author did an amazing job of tying up seemingly unimportant details and gave trivial things (that I forgot about) profound relevance. This novel accompanied me on my holiday travels and (while I always fall asleep the minute I board a plane) I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended.
February 2, 2017
Very interesting book, makes you wonder if alien abductions really happen. The ending really surprised me, not what I was expecting. I received this book through Goodreads Giveaways.
September 30, 2017
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. It was really well written. I hope there's a sequel.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews