I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

After a lifetime of government service and espionage work, Noel and Violet Oberllyn must not only welcome their adult children and their families back into their home, but must come out of retirement to stop a shadow group who has infiltrated all major governments, has released an airborne toxin to stop fertility in its tracks amongst the general population, and has led the U.S. Government to the brink of destruction through civil unrest in author J. Traveler Pelton’s “The Infant Conspiracy”, the second book in the Oberllyn Family Trilogy. 

The Synopsis

Noel and Violet Oberllyn spent their adult careers working special assignments for the U.S. government, a family tradition. After forty years of espionage, all they wanted was a peaceful retirement in the country. Just as it seemed that dream might happen, an unplanned series of events forced their over achieving adult children to return home to live with the folks – all four of them driven from their homes by different aspects of a government that had gone insane. Kai, a geneticist, with Zyanya his wife, Gabriel, a bomb expert turned nurse, with their grandson little Gabe, Jasmine, a forensic psychiatrist married to Scott, a CPA, join their little sibs still living at home, Micah, an autistic savant and Serena, an artist, in uncovering a secretive group of people led by the Ice Lady whose main goal appears to be to take the earth’s population down from 7 billion to 500 million within the next 10 years. Having infiltrated the governments of most developed countries and released an airborne anti-fertility virus, the Brotherhood succeeded in forcing a zero fertility rate. In the meantime, the economy of the U.S. tanked, the government sells all citizens who have debt into slavery within a system so harsh that civil disorder breaks out. Serenity Retreat Center is forced to become a slave labor camp and the family is compelled into special service to save the Center, their tribe, the United States and humanity from destruction. If you thought retirement was simply about money, this book will change your mind… 

The Review

Shocking and tense, this novel seems to border a sci-fi dystopian future with a twist of family and drama. The setting was very reminiscent of The Handmaid’s Tale, but with a twist. Rather than a group straight-up eliminating the government, this book focuses on a nefarious group infiltrating the already existing government and showing a world in which healthy women who have healthy pregnancies are so rare that they are taken to birthing centers and their rights are forfeited. The collapse of the society that we are all used to was harrowing to see unfold, as was the almost sci-fi element to this genetic engineering fiction read. 

What really set this narrative apart was the amount of family and mythos within that family that the author built. The emotional impact of what this family goes through and the lengths they go to for one another and their fellow man are a beacon of hope in this dystopian world. The world-building is just incredible to see here, as the author paints a vivid picture in the reader’s minds of how corruption and desperation can bring out the best or the worst in humanity. 

The Verdict

A mesmerizing, adrenaline-fueled, and highly creative read, author J. Traveler Pelton’s “The Infant Conspiracy” is a must-read dystopian and genetic engineering fiction read. Full of chilling scenarios that anyone would fear becoming a reality, shady government officials, and a cliffhanger ending that will leave readers wanting more, this is a great read for those who enjoy unique and original dystopian reads. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

About the Author

J. Traveler Pelton was born in West Virginia in the last century. She is active in her home church; enjoys having theological disputes with her friends, loves to cook a big meal and then takes a walk, discussing the ideas of what her friends/family are studying. She was the Nation’s Mother for her tribe for several years: she is still wife to Dan after 45 years, mother of six adults, a grandmother of eight, a Clinically Licensed Independent Social worker, a retired adjunct professor of social work at her local university and an avid reader. She is a cancer survivor. She studies science, technology, Biblical studies and human behavior. She is quick to draw parallels between different fields of thought and weave the ideas into a cohesive ideology that is at once practical, usable and thoughtful. Her books are the result of blending her life experiences with bureaucracy, studying science and nature, counseling and faith. She greatly enjoys the intersection of fantasy and possibility and hopes you enjoy it as well. We will see you on the other side of the imagination tree.

Her co-author of the fantasy series is her grandson T-bear. T Bear Pelton is a self-proclaimed gamer, a student of Kenpo, a Christian active in his home church, a Native American, a storyteller and a novice blacksmith. He lives with his grandparents, his Amazon parrot, and four Siamese on a small alpaca farm while working full time and dreaming of times when magic still existed and wishes sometimes actually came true. Enjoy this fantasy with him and for just a little while, suspend daily life for a dream of dragons and wizards, beautiful ladies and knights, magic and faith. Travel then with us to another time, another place and another dimension. Come to the future, after the War, when tech and magic combine with faith and fear.

Their farm, Springhaven Croft, is home to alpacas, dogs, Siamese cats, canaries, an eclectic group of chickens and an irascible Amazon Parrot named Gizmo. Traveler’s webpage is travelerpelton.com; she also has a FB page called Traveler Pelton. Come visit real soon!