Review: Mystery, danger and historic revelations
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 29, 2014
Reading THE KYKUIT BUNKER raises a question: why is this book the only produced opus since its publication in 2011? The young handsome Minnesota author Steven Janke is a graduate of St Cloud State University in Business Administration, came on very strong with a first book and to this reviewer's knowledge there has been no follow-up. Were this book not so fascinating the question would be moot, but there is talent here that deserves nurturing. In an interesting interview Steven offered some insights as to why he elected to write this book in particular, a book that is contemporary but explores the times of John D Rockefeller: `History has been a fascination of mine for many years. I am interested in our past and how that might impact our future. I am greatly interested in where we came from, what has taken place to get us to where we are today, and what we are doing today, which will be considered history tomorrow. Without an inherent love of history, I doubt I would have ever been in the position to piece together all of the moving parts that make up the novel The Kykuit Bunker. However, the beauty of my book is that my love of history only served to allow me to construct a world in which something may have happened in the past. My sense of the historical facts mentioned in my book is that the facts are familiar with a high percentage of any reader population. As a result, I hope my book not only offers a different perspective on how one could twist historical facts into a fictional novel, but a renewed interest in history beyond the mandatory accumulation of knowledge required in any educational setting.'Steven Janke opens his book in the Treasury Secretary's office in 1935 during the Roosevelt era and an encounter with John D Rockefeller opens the window to the mystery that is to be explored as we move into the present day. In an attempt to unveil a moment of history there is a call made to the NY Times that initiates a suspenseful venture by a group of college students to find the secret hidden vault of Rockefeller. Complicating matters is the fact that simultaneously the CIA is involved in watching the students foray into attempting to uncover the secret behind Rockefeller's treasure. By placing college students in the mix tangential to the CIA the intrigue between the `innocence' of youth admixes with the experience of historically organized governmental cover-ups and the relevance of the moves of one wealthy influential man in this country's destiny and it is that interplay of actions that drives the story to a thrilling conclusion that welcomes questions into the validity of history's impact on today's drama.Steven Janke spins his tale well, has an obvious talent for creating interesting characters, and an obvious respect for the influence of history on today's reality. As he has stated, `The incredible thing about us as human beings and the age we live in is that no matter what your background, no matter who you are as an individual, you still have a voice, a mind, and a purpose in life. If one takes a moment to realize that the time they spend on this earth equates to such a small portion of 'time' in general, I think that person would feel a greater sense of motivation to never waste a moment of the most precious gift that God has ever given anyone that has ever had the rare opportunity to be on this earth.' Now if he will only continue to write....Grady Harp, March 14