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Quest for the Space Gods: The Chronicles of Conrad von Honig
ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS
Murder, intrigue, betrayal, suspense… Most authors merely write about such things. Conrad von Honig lives them.
As a world-renowned yet controversial best-selling author, Von Honig’s only real satisfaction comes from his quest for the truth. He believes that aliens from outer space visited our planet long ago and left behind a stunning footprint in the form of not only human impressions of their presence, but actual artifacts of their advanced technology.
But is humanity truly prepared to believe him? Did these “astronauts” from other worlds actually exist? Did they impact our species and influence human evolution in ways far beyond our comprehension? Conrad von Honig will find the truth, or die trying.
Writers Fred Adams, Jr., Terry Alexander, Jim Beard, Brian K. Morris, Desmond Reddick, and Frank Schildiner plunge into the exotic 1970s adventures of a man with a singular mission: proof of alien encounters at all costs!
Concept created by Jim Beard and John C. Bruening
Cover illustration by Mark Maddox
Cover design and logo by Maggie Ryel
234 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 19, 2018
2 people are currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
Jim Beard
93 books24 followersJim Beard became a published writer when he sold a story to DC Comics in 2002. Since that time he's written official Star Wars and Ghostbusters comic stories and contributed articles and essays to several volumes of comic book history. His prose work includes SPIDER-MAN: ENEMIES CLOSER, an original novel; co-editing and contributing a story to PLANET OF THE APES: TALES FROM THE FORBIDDEN ZONE; a story for X-FILES: SECRET AGENDAS; GOTHAM CITY 14 MILES, a book of essays on the 1966 Batman TV series; SGT. JANUS, SPIRIT-BREAKER, a collection of pulp ghost stories featuring an Edwardian occult detective; MONSTER EARTH, a shared-world giant monster anthology; and CAPTAIN ACTION: RIDDLE OF THE GLOWING MEN, the first pulp prose novel based on the classic 1960s action figure. Jim also currently provides regular content for Marvel.com, the official Marvel Comics website.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 2, 2018
A highly enjoyable collection of New Pulp style adventure stories. The protagonist is clearly based on Erich von Däniken, the author responsible for popularizing the idea of extra-terrestrial intervention in our planet's ancient history. While I obviously enjoyed some stories more than others, there were none that were less than good and many that were excellent. The only real criticism I have is that, as is frequently the case with this kind of multi-author work, the personality traits of the the main character didn't always seem consistent from one story to the next. Still, lots of fun and recommended.
June 21, 2019
Anthologies of short stories built around a central theme or character are plentiful. But even the best ones often end up a mixed bag. Some stories are good, some are less so, and some skirt around that central theme to satisfy inclusion, then chart their own course into something else entirely. Rarer is to find an anthology with a consistent story quality and adherence to the unifying groundwork that anchors each entry to the whole. That, however, is just what ‘Quest for the Space Gods: The Chronicles of Conrad Von Honig’ from Flinch! Books accomplishes. All six stories comprising the work are of equal quality, and while each writer certainly has an individual style, their tales blend well together in weaving a tapestry of related, connected storytelling.
The central character is an adventurous investigator and author delving into the sort of mysteries served up by folks like Erich von Däniken with his ‘Chariots of the Gods’ in the 1970s. Conrad von Honig, however, is anything but a flim-flam artist cashing in on the public’s gullibility. He’s a talented, multi-faceted man of letters, one who seeks undeniable proof that visitors from beyond the stars interacted with early man and influenced our ancestors. To that end, he travels to exotic, restrictive, foreboding ends of our Earth seeking the truth and the evidence needed to make the scientific community consider his theories seriously.
All seven stories in this tome take the reader to the far corners of our planet with such detail that it conjures on-screen images of Indiana Jones and his globe-spanning hops. The theory of alien visitors to ancient cultures, their reasons, their possible timetables for allowing mankind to rise above its violent beginnings to attain an acceptable level of enlightenment is put forth consistently across all the component fictions. If you thrilled at the notion of ancient astronauts as a kid of the ‘70s, vin Honig’s travels will have you longing once more for an interstellar brotherhood to which humanity might one day aspire.
Conrad himself is a man after his own personal enlightenment through knowledge, a mostly non-violent sort, but ready to defend his theories, his personal safety, and any uncovered evidence with a dogged tenacity. Elements of his character recall Fox Mulder and Carl Kolchak, but von Honig has less humor than either. Kolchak was a blue-collar sort of journalist who kept after his investigation of monsters and boogiemen as determinedly as he would an expose on urban corruption. Mulder was a federal investigator wanting to believe in the fantastic despite his realistic vocation. And both sometimes used humor to soften the trials they faced. Conrad has less patience and unwilling to allow much humor to separate him from his quest. Other characters, even the writers themselves, sometimes carry the burden of providing levity, but their hero is of a more serious, even cantankerous, mind. At times he’s less likeable than his fellow fictional Fortean investigators, but Conrad is always honorable and admirable in his pursuit of the truth.
That proves to be an elusive commodity for von Honig, as he struggles against adversity, enemies, academician disdain, and the elements to collect proof that alien beings were instrumental in the rise of mankind. And that we are still, perhaps, being visited and watched. Answers come for Conrad, but they are never easily obtained and seldom accompanied by substantiation.
The setting of these tales, somewhere from the early to mid-1970s, is another unifying principle for the combined writing efforts. Each author delves into elements of the era and had me fact-checking to make sure the timeframe was correct regarding what they presented. Not one of them failed in being true to the period. A spirit of nostalgia thus holds the writings together, and there are some inspired mentions for those reading closely. One author’s inclusion of fictional Golden Age of Hollywood celebrities gleaned from film and comic book continuities had me chuckling for days.
Overall, this excellent collection has been prepared and presented with remarkable care and in fulfilling detail. It also exhibits a fondness for an earlier time. A period when the thought of UFOs visiting ancient Mayan cultures, eyewitness accounts of Big Foot, and any episode of Leonard Nimoy’s ‘In Search of…’ television series made our young hearts beat just a little faster. The individual authors whose work comprises the volume (Jim Beard, Desmond Reddick, Frank Schildiner, Brian K. Morris, Terry Alexander, Fred Adams, Jr, with editors Beard and John C, Bruening) have produced an excellent story collection here.
The central character is an adventurous investigator and author delving into the sort of mysteries served up by folks like Erich von Däniken with his ‘Chariots of the Gods’ in the 1970s. Conrad von Honig, however, is anything but a flim-flam artist cashing in on the public’s gullibility. He’s a talented, multi-faceted man of letters, one who seeks undeniable proof that visitors from beyond the stars interacted with early man and influenced our ancestors. To that end, he travels to exotic, restrictive, foreboding ends of our Earth seeking the truth and the evidence needed to make the scientific community consider his theories seriously.
All seven stories in this tome take the reader to the far corners of our planet with such detail that it conjures on-screen images of Indiana Jones and his globe-spanning hops. The theory of alien visitors to ancient cultures, their reasons, their possible timetables for allowing mankind to rise above its violent beginnings to attain an acceptable level of enlightenment is put forth consistently across all the component fictions. If you thrilled at the notion of ancient astronauts as a kid of the ‘70s, vin Honig’s travels will have you longing once more for an interstellar brotherhood to which humanity might one day aspire.
Conrad himself is a man after his own personal enlightenment through knowledge, a mostly non-violent sort, but ready to defend his theories, his personal safety, and any uncovered evidence with a dogged tenacity. Elements of his character recall Fox Mulder and Carl Kolchak, but von Honig has less humor than either. Kolchak was a blue-collar sort of journalist who kept after his investigation of monsters and boogiemen as determinedly as he would an expose on urban corruption. Mulder was a federal investigator wanting to believe in the fantastic despite his realistic vocation. And both sometimes used humor to soften the trials they faced. Conrad has less patience and unwilling to allow much humor to separate him from his quest. Other characters, even the writers themselves, sometimes carry the burden of providing levity, but their hero is of a more serious, even cantankerous, mind. At times he’s less likeable than his fellow fictional Fortean investigators, but Conrad is always honorable and admirable in his pursuit of the truth.
That proves to be an elusive commodity for von Honig, as he struggles against adversity, enemies, academician disdain, and the elements to collect proof that alien beings were instrumental in the rise of mankind. And that we are still, perhaps, being visited and watched. Answers come for Conrad, but they are never easily obtained and seldom accompanied by substantiation.
The setting of these tales, somewhere from the early to mid-1970s, is another unifying principle for the combined writing efforts. Each author delves into elements of the era and had me fact-checking to make sure the timeframe was correct regarding what they presented. Not one of them failed in being true to the period. A spirit of nostalgia thus holds the writings together, and there are some inspired mentions for those reading closely. One author’s inclusion of fictional Golden Age of Hollywood celebrities gleaned from film and comic book continuities had me chuckling for days.
Overall, this excellent collection has been prepared and presented with remarkable care and in fulfilling detail. It also exhibits a fondness for an earlier time. A period when the thought of UFOs visiting ancient Mayan cultures, eyewitness accounts of Big Foot, and any episode of Leonard Nimoy’s ‘In Search of…’ television series made our young hearts beat just a little faster. The individual authors whose work comprises the volume (Jim Beard, Desmond Reddick, Frank Schildiner, Brian K. Morris, Terry Alexander, Fred Adams, Jr, with editors Beard and John C, Bruening) have produced an excellent story collection here.
March 16, 2018
Erich von Daniken as adventure hero
This anthology is one of the most interesting I've read in a while. The protagonist, Conrad von Honig, is basically a heroic version of real life scholar Erich von Daniken, investigating the possibility that the gods worshipped by mankind were actually alien beings. Unlike von Daniken, however, whose claims have been widely disputed, von Honig more often than not finds his theories are correct. He's a very interesting protagonist, and his investigations make for great reading. The authors make good use of the 1970s setting without hammering us over the head with it, and all tell excellent sci-fi tales. A must read!
This anthology is one of the most interesting I've read in a while. The protagonist, Conrad von Honig, is basically a heroic version of real life scholar Erich von Daniken, investigating the possibility that the gods worshipped by mankind were actually alien beings. Unlike von Daniken, however, whose claims have been widely disputed, von Honig more often than not finds his theories are correct. He's a very interesting protagonist, and his investigations make for great reading. The authors make good use of the 1970s setting without hammering us over the head with it, and all tell excellent sci-fi tales. A must read!
April 18, 2021
This anthology contained six 'Ancient Aliens' themed stories, with the intrepid investigator Conrad Von Honig at their centre. The stories were~
1. Jim Beard's "The Throne of the Heavens";
2. Desmond Reddick's "In the Court of the Pale King";
3. Frank Schildiner's "Blood of the Hummingbird";
4. Brian K. Morris's "Unwelcome Back";
5. Terry Alexander's "The Iron Door";
6. Fred Adams Jr.'s "Utanapishtim's Children".
I loved Schildiner's and Alexander's stories, hated Beard's one, found the rest readable.
If you wish to read some Indiana Jones-esque stories mixed with scifi, then this collection may turn out to be enjoyable.
1. Jim Beard's "The Throne of the Heavens";
2. Desmond Reddick's "In the Court of the Pale King";
3. Frank Schildiner's "Blood of the Hummingbird";
4. Brian K. Morris's "Unwelcome Back";
5. Terry Alexander's "The Iron Door";
6. Fred Adams Jr.'s "Utanapishtim's Children".
I loved Schildiner's and Alexander's stories, hated Beard's one, found the rest readable.
If you wish to read some Indiana Jones-esque stories mixed with scifi, then this collection may turn out to be enjoyable.
April 12, 2021
Like all anthologies it's a bit uneven, but the collection offers far more good than bad. A fun adventure romp with alien mysteries as the back drop.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews