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Of Course They Knew, Of Course They...
“Americans know something is wrong but have been silenced by political correctness. These characters have a voice.”
—Sean Hannity
“John Moody has made a major contribution to our understanding of the Covid disaster. His novel will enlighten every person who reads it. I found it fascinating.”
—Newt Gingrich, Former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
An unhappy Chinese virologist. A master seamstress who thinks Italy should be for Italians. An unemployed twenty-something who believes Artificial Intelligence is the future and America in fatal decline. And an ordinary Joe from Pittsburgh who doesn’t like being told what to do by the government. Or its lying leaders.
Their lives, and the lives of billions more, will be twisted together by an invisible viral intruder that knows nothing of national boundaries, political parties, love ... or pity.
Where was the virus created, and by whom? Did anyone try to prevent it? Or was unleashing this monstrous disease on the entire planet the objective all along?
A story that spans continents, cultures, politics, and new technology, Of Course They Knew, Of Course They… looks at the unprecedented horror that brought the world to a near-standstill, and started a blame game that is still going strong. This book is fiction, yes, but so close to the reality every reader shared, it might as well be a headline. If you still believe the headlines.
—Sean Hannity
“John Moody has made a major contribution to our understanding of the Covid disaster. His novel will enlighten every person who reads it. I found it fascinating.”
—Newt Gingrich, Former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
An unhappy Chinese virologist. A master seamstress who thinks Italy should be for Italians. An unemployed twenty-something who believes Artificial Intelligence is the future and America in fatal decline. And an ordinary Joe from Pittsburgh who doesn’t like being told what to do by the government. Or its lying leaders.
Their lives, and the lives of billions more, will be twisted together by an invisible viral intruder that knows nothing of national boundaries, political parties, love ... or pity.
Where was the virus created, and by whom? Did anyone try to prevent it? Or was unleashing this monstrous disease on the entire planet the objective all along?
A story that spans continents, cultures, politics, and new technology, Of Course They Knew, Of Course They… looks at the unprecedented horror that brought the world to a near-standstill, and started a blame game that is still going strong. This book is fiction, yes, but so close to the reality every reader shared, it might as well be a headline. If you still believe the headlines.
359 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 8, 2021
162 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
John Moody
8 booksJohn Moody is a journalist. He helped start the Fox News Channel, and served as its executive editor and its executive vice president, until his departure in 2018 after publicly criticizing the racial diversity of the U.S. Olympics team. He went on to help form the digital news startup LaCorte News.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 21, 2021
INTELLIGENCE OR ARTIFICE? A NOVEL’S WARNING OF EXPERTS & SCIENCE
When a highly regarded journalist takes to fiction in order to tell the high-stakes story of China’s role in the COVID pandemic, I wonder if the oft-referenced “unnamed sources” and “industry experts”—the mainstay of today’s uncensored mainstream media narratives—have provided the factual foundation for this controversial account.
John Moody, previous executive vice president/executive editor of Fox News and Rome Bureau chief for Time magazine, has just released the cryptically titled political thriller Of Course They Knew, Of Course They….
Hmmm. An enigma wrapped around a conundrum, and doesn’t that just describe the situation the world finds itself in?
Moody weaves potential facts and motivations behind the virus’ spread, and the complicity of politicians, media, and technology advocates first to place blame, then gain power and control. The author’s decades of experience contributes to his great gut instinct of what makes a compelling story, even if not footnoted, and his very relatable common-man characters carry the plot forward.
But don’t assume you can tell who the “They” are in the title…or even what “They Knew.” Moody’s fine crafting of the backdrop in China, Italy, and the United States ultimately leads the reader to question any knowledge, expertise, or even intelligence.
In fact, more than simply chronicling what might have been the initial infection by a hapless lab technician and subsequent cover-up, Moody emphasizes China’s fixation on the role of Artificial Intelligence, and how it has been— and could be—used to influence not just words and phrasing of pandemic messaging, but choices we make, freedoms we perceive we have, and a frightening future when less-than-perfect algorithms recommend life-or-death decisions.
The main character, Henry, a disenchanted American twenty-something involved in an unfulfilling “sex-ship” with a feminist, becomes fascinated with Artificial Intelligence, and thus recruited to Wuhan to aid the Chinese Communist Party in their understanding of the American psyche to improve their military’s effectiveness. Manipulating feelings, and then facts, becomes the focus of AI’s “secret beauty.”
Moody blends his journalistic editorial style with colorful wordsmithing and sardonic commentary as an omniscient narrator providing edu-tainment about the past, present, and future battles for supremacy between US and China, Democracy and Communism. Moody certainly has his finger on the pulse of what the world was thinking, feeling, and living throughout 2020, including cries of racism and resistance to government policies. For example, an Italian craftswoman becomes a populist heroine for decrying the influx of Chinese workers into their northern region’s garment industry.
Parallel protests arise among the working class in Pennsylvania. Moody’s descriptions of his hometown of Pittsburgh ring truest, with shuttered steel mills from its old glory before China ramped up its manufacturing. Reeling from job losses, incomprehensible mask edicts and illogical lockdowns, another relatable character complains “It’s the tyranny of the experts, man.”
And it is indeed how experts are created from thin air by the CCP, and the truth similarly created, which is the most fascinating sub-plot:
“It doesn’t matter what that person saw with his own eyes, or heard with his own ears. It is what the Party tells him he saw or heard that is the truth. Anything else is worthless. This is actually the secret of China’s recent successes.”
In this novel, Moody predicts China’s and America’s love affair with Artificial Intelligence is morphing into areas that most citizens wouldn’t dream of, not simply tweaking a few words but recommending medical treatments. He describes a type of intelligence and expertise built on lies, ignorance, guesswork, and scale, inexorably dragging humanity behind and losing the interpersonal relationships, friendships, families, and trusting societies along with it.
My only quibble is his de-facto sanctioning of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s descriptive of China’s political/economic system as “Socialism with Chinese Characteristics.” Moody repeats the phrase often as an ironic bookend to truly horrendous situations, rather than boldly and truthfully call it out as Communism. As he well knows, the quantity of exposure to a message is what wins the narrative war, and he simply contributes to the misunderstanding that the China Communist Party is anything but what its name proudly proclaims.
For someone of Moody’s stature to take to fiction in order to speak out about the truths of the last two years is quite significant. Novels aren’t generally censored, and these theories and background information on China’s behind-the-scenes work by their military, technologists, and politicians to influence America through its media experts and platforms is credible. Similarly, Moody was at the forefront writing numerous op-eds calling out China’s lock on key minerals so critical to America’s technology-reliant lifestyle, and was proven to be correct in his assessment of the danger of over-reliance on Chinese suppliers.
Of Course They Knew, Of Course They…, with all its provocative messages, of course will be banned in China. Hopefully it will be distributed and read throughout the rest of the world, providing needed context to our shared global miseries.
It may be the only message to stand the test of time.
———————————————————–
Ann Bridges wrote this book review, and is the author of multiple books about China’s rising influence in Silicon Valley’s technology, rare earths, and critical minerals.
When a highly regarded journalist takes to fiction in order to tell the high-stakes story of China’s role in the COVID pandemic, I wonder if the oft-referenced “unnamed sources” and “industry experts”—the mainstay of today’s uncensored mainstream media narratives—have provided the factual foundation for this controversial account.
John Moody, previous executive vice president/executive editor of Fox News and Rome Bureau chief for Time magazine, has just released the cryptically titled political thriller Of Course They Knew, Of Course They….
Hmmm. An enigma wrapped around a conundrum, and doesn’t that just describe the situation the world finds itself in?
Moody weaves potential facts and motivations behind the virus’ spread, and the complicity of politicians, media, and technology advocates first to place blame, then gain power and control. The author’s decades of experience contributes to his great gut instinct of what makes a compelling story, even if not footnoted, and his very relatable common-man characters carry the plot forward.
But don’t assume you can tell who the “They” are in the title…or even what “They Knew.” Moody’s fine crafting of the backdrop in China, Italy, and the United States ultimately leads the reader to question any knowledge, expertise, or even intelligence.
In fact, more than simply chronicling what might have been the initial infection by a hapless lab technician and subsequent cover-up, Moody emphasizes China’s fixation on the role of Artificial Intelligence, and how it has been— and could be—used to influence not just words and phrasing of pandemic messaging, but choices we make, freedoms we perceive we have, and a frightening future when less-than-perfect algorithms recommend life-or-death decisions.
The main character, Henry, a disenchanted American twenty-something involved in an unfulfilling “sex-ship” with a feminist, becomes fascinated with Artificial Intelligence, and thus recruited to Wuhan to aid the Chinese Communist Party in their understanding of the American psyche to improve their military’s effectiveness. Manipulating feelings, and then facts, becomes the focus of AI’s “secret beauty.”
Moody blends his journalistic editorial style with colorful wordsmithing and sardonic commentary as an omniscient narrator providing edu-tainment about the past, present, and future battles for supremacy between US and China, Democracy and Communism. Moody certainly has his finger on the pulse of what the world was thinking, feeling, and living throughout 2020, including cries of racism and resistance to government policies. For example, an Italian craftswoman becomes a populist heroine for decrying the influx of Chinese workers into their northern region’s garment industry.
Parallel protests arise among the working class in Pennsylvania. Moody’s descriptions of his hometown of Pittsburgh ring truest, with shuttered steel mills from its old glory before China ramped up its manufacturing. Reeling from job losses, incomprehensible mask edicts and illogical lockdowns, another relatable character complains “It’s the tyranny of the experts, man.”
And it is indeed how experts are created from thin air by the CCP, and the truth similarly created, which is the most fascinating sub-plot:
“It doesn’t matter what that person saw with his own eyes, or heard with his own ears. It is what the Party tells him he saw or heard that is the truth. Anything else is worthless. This is actually the secret of China’s recent successes.”
In this novel, Moody predicts China’s and America’s love affair with Artificial Intelligence is morphing into areas that most citizens wouldn’t dream of, not simply tweaking a few words but recommending medical treatments. He describes a type of intelligence and expertise built on lies, ignorance, guesswork, and scale, inexorably dragging humanity behind and losing the interpersonal relationships, friendships, families, and trusting societies along with it.
My only quibble is his de-facto sanctioning of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s descriptive of China’s political/economic system as “Socialism with Chinese Characteristics.” Moody repeats the phrase often as an ironic bookend to truly horrendous situations, rather than boldly and truthfully call it out as Communism. As he well knows, the quantity of exposure to a message is what wins the narrative war, and he simply contributes to the misunderstanding that the China Communist Party is anything but what its name proudly proclaims.
For someone of Moody’s stature to take to fiction in order to speak out about the truths of the last two years is quite significant. Novels aren’t generally censored, and these theories and background information on China’s behind-the-scenes work by their military, technologists, and politicians to influence America through its media experts and platforms is credible. Similarly, Moody was at the forefront writing numerous op-eds calling out China’s lock on key minerals so critical to America’s technology-reliant lifestyle, and was proven to be correct in his assessment of the danger of over-reliance on Chinese suppliers.
Of Course They Knew, Of Course They…, with all its provocative messages, of course will be banned in China. Hopefully it will be distributed and read throughout the rest of the world, providing needed context to our shared global miseries.
It may be the only message to stand the test of time.
———————————————————–
Ann Bridges wrote this book review, and is the author of multiple books about China’s rising influence in Silicon Valley’s technology, rare earths, and critical minerals.
November 5, 2021
Of course they knew as well as all of us American’s know and yet we know not what we can do about it. The book is an eye opener as to what is going on in America and how it’s happening and maybe why. A truly sad read and yet, if we do naught our world will change and not for the good. Was a difficult book to read – an eye-opener and how do we get the people to see the truth and do something about it.
October 17, 2021
Bat Soup
A very thought provoking story. And the way our world is going. I hope that we can overcome all our prejudices and hate to come together as one.
A very thought provoking story. And the way our world is going. I hope that we can overcome all our prejudices and hate to come together as one.
December 24, 2021
Uncomfortable Truth
This book of “ fiction” is uncomfortably close to the truth regarding China, the spread of the Wuhan virus, and China’s threat to western civilization. The book is factual in many regards and full of humor, but the joke is on the western world. It is a page turner and provides the reader with a realistic sense of dread regarding the Chinese Communist Party, it’s strategy, and it’s ruthless behavior.
This book of “ fiction” is uncomfortably close to the truth regarding China, the spread of the Wuhan virus, and China’s threat to western civilization. The book is factual in many regards and full of humor, but the joke is on the western world. It is a page turner and provides the reader with a realistic sense of dread regarding the Chinese Communist Party, it’s strategy, and it’s ruthless behavior.
October 28, 2021
More than a few grains of truth
Though it is fiction, there is enough truth to keep you keep reading. His description of the US (near the end of the book) as “the divided States of America” is enough to make you examine your own experiences. BTW, I don’t think his account of the origin of the virus is far from accurate.
Though it is fiction, there is enough truth to keep you keep reading. His description of the US (near the end of the book) as “the divided States of America” is enough to make you examine your own experiences. BTW, I don’t think his account of the origin of the virus is far from accurate.
February 8, 2022
SCARY!!! I highly recommend. Seems like the only thing fiction about this is the names of the characters.
January 5, 2022
The Artificial vs. Intelligence
So, current events are rarely streamed into one narrative that makes clear the significance of those events, that synthesize those events and that clarify the reasons for the events deeply concerning many of us today. There have evolved yet another set of challenges for our nation to resolve in the near future. For those who have had what is clearly a poor introduction to the history many of us have lived, this well -told story will help you grasp the need to be better informed as AI , which Elon Musk says he fears most , becomes the elephant in the room as we try to understand why it is such a wonderful and fearful thing.
So, current events are rarely streamed into one narrative that makes clear the significance of those events, that synthesize those events and that clarify the reasons for the events deeply concerning many of us today. There have evolved yet another set of challenges for our nation to resolve in the near future. For those who have had what is clearly a poor introduction to the history many of us have lived, this well -told story will help you grasp the need to be better informed as AI , which Elon Musk says he fears most , becomes the elephant in the room as we try to understand why it is such a wonderful and fearful thing.
May 23, 2022
I enjoyed this book, which read like historical fiction -- a thriller set around the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Several interesting characters from China, the US and Italy are on parallel paths to originate, fall victim to, and spread (mis-)information about the pandemic and its actors and regimes. It is an interesting page turner with a lot of plot twists, world views, and political movements intertwined that make it hard to put down. Five stars because I found the ending just slightly unsatisfying.
August 6, 2022
Fiction based on the Covid-19 crisis and containing more truth than we probably even know. This presents one possibility of how the virus might have spread. A reflection of the great unease many of us have regarding the past two years filled with rioting, lockdowns and deep division. It took courage to write this book and it will make you distrust the governments of the world more than you already do. But it is entirely possible and frightening in its implications.
December 18, 2022
An amazing story from start to finish. I couldn't put it down. It also made sense in a strange kind of way. As an earlier reviewer suggested, the only fiction here is the names of the principal characters.
June 8, 2022
Frighteningly accurate "fictional" depiction of recent events. Read it with an open mind, you might be surprised at some of the revelations
December 28, 2022
Interesting read but nothing really special. It seems to present a negative skew on Trum and the Defenders (Proud Boys) which I think is unwarranted
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January 21, 2023Inscrutable.. Mystery
This one is a crime page turned. It's a plausible story placed in Today's world...There are wheels within wheels wrapped in riddles. Lol
This one is a crime page turned. It's a plausible story placed in Today's world...There are wheels within wheels wrapped in riddles. Lol
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November 1, 2021Great reality check for America 🇺🇸 👍!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews