Origins: Discovery

5 Stars - This book is full of complex plots and a lot of research. I often say that I love a book that will make me think and this one sure does. I think I will have to read it a second time in order to pick up all the complex details. With that said, I think that Len Wicks has done a fantastic job of creating a world that blends real history and a complex alternative history that very well could have happened. Can you imagine how different the entire world would have been if just one choice was made differently during the time of the wars? That is all it takes - one different choice - and our entire history ends up different.

This book has a great flow, a fantastic story and it makes you think about us as humans and the events in our history. I would highly recommend this one to any reader
(Reviewed by Kathryn Bennett for Readers' Favorite).

5 Stars - Len Wicks has written a riveting book in Origins: Discovery. It is one of the few books that I went without sleep to read, one of the few books that held me in its thrall. It is a real eye opener, a real insight into how the war could have gone and perhaps should have gone. Len Wicks has a real imagination and has used it to write an amazing trilogy of books, stories that come to life as you sink into them. The plot is amazing, although you do need to keep up as there are two separate stories going on here that intertwine. The characters are incredibly lifelike, the kind of characters that you could almost believe you might have met somewhere along the line. Excellent book, I would highly recommend this to anyone (Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite).

5 Stars - Origins: Discovery, A Story of Human Courage and Our Beginnings is a very imaginative take on human history where enemies ultimately become friends and small countries are the liberators of larger and more powerful nations. The lives of various characters will influence the world as their lives are disrupted by these momentous events. Taguhi Amatuni, a dedicated archaeologist, is a very unlikely heroine of the war. And as we follow her path, we also get a glimpse of the history of the Armenian people. In another part of the world, in Congo, another young woman finds herself in the eye of the storm. Weaving the stories of all the characters of this novel together and coming up with a clear plot is a feat that only gifted authors are able to achieve. Well researched and beautifully written, this book celebrates the humanity that we all have within us. Len Wicks is one historical fiction writer to watch out for! (Reviewed by Maria Beltran for Readers' Favorite).

4 Stars - Origins: Discovery is a monumental work of vast scope. I don't know how long it took Len Wicks to write it, but I'm guessing that it took a significant amount of time and effort. It must have been quite a task just to keep the characters all straight. Origins: Discovery spans the globe with insight into lives from every continent. It is a sprawling
tale showing keen insight into what it is to be human.

Len Wicks starts the story in 1930. He gives a reasonable and accurate portrayal of life around the world at that time. Communism and the Soviet Union are on the rise.
Germany is downtrodden and its people are beginning to look toward National Socialism for answers and inspiration. China is embroiled in civil war and the world is immersed in The Great Depression.

Taguhi Amatuni is a 17-year-old Armenian girl with a burning love of history and archaeology. She is the first character we are introduced to in Origins: Discovery and an important key to the tale. The great strength of Len Wicks' writing is that he shows the world through many eyes. Taguhi in Armenia, Tenzing Norgay in the Himalayas, Jack Thompson in Australia and Peter Qappik, a Canadian Inuit are just a few of the characters. What is amazing is that Len Wicks connects such a diverse group of characters and
through them shows us that, indeed, we are all connected.

This is an ambitious work, but well worth the read. It will educate, illuminate, and inspire (Reviewed by Ray Simmons for Readers' Favorite).

4 Stars - Writing alternate historical fiction about a global war that is still fresh in most people's minds is a daunting task. A facility for historical facts, an analytic view of the forces that shape geopolitics and an inherent empathy with characters from different cultural backgrounds are all needed to craft an alternate history that spans an entire world. Len Wicks possesses all of these things in spades. His grasp of history and geography is extraordinary. His ability to give readers an insight into cultures foreign from their own is even more so. Origins: Discovery is a profound look at how global conflict affects the lives of individuals from different backgrounds. It gives the reader a multi-faceted look at the events that spawned the conflict and how ordinary people became extraordinary when pushed by the direst of circumstances.

Len Wicks' writing style makes Origins: Discovery a challenging read; after every few chapters, there were moments where I found myself wondering why I was still intent on pushing on. I think the answer lies in how Len Wicks weaves moments of world-changing history with his own imagination; subtle shifts that made me want to press on, just to see where all this would lead. Though his characters may all be earnest caricatures and his writing style a bit unorthodox, I still found myself liking the book and seeing how his version of history accurately reflected the emotions of people caught up in a war that changed the world. I guess the main problem with writing historical fiction is that readers like me wish that every plot line is as straightforward as traditional fiction, even though actual history is one big convoluted mess.

Len Wicks wrote a history that is authentic in its feasibility, with such detail thrown in the mix that it made me stop reading at different intervals, and look up a name or an event just to see how things really turned out. This fictional history made me want to learn more about the events of the actual one, something that no writer can easily do. This sweeping work may not be a literary masterpiece, but it sure as hell is one fascinating read. Len Wicks' Origins: Discovery is a unique work that actually manages to impress (Reviewed by Eduardo Aduna for Readers' Favorite).

Origins: Discovery		Ծագումը: Բացահայտում
A story of human courage and our beginnings		Մարդկային արիության և մեր ծագման պատմությունը
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	Book Reviews 5 Stars - This book is full of complex plots and a lot of research. I often say that I love a book that will make me think and this one sure does. I think I will have to read it a second time in order to pick up all the complex details. With that said, I think that Len Wicks has done a fantastic job of creating a world that blends real history and a complex alternative history that very well could have happened. Can you imagine how different the entire world would have been if just one choice was made differently during the time of the wars? That is all it takes - one different choice - and our entire history ends up different. This book has a great flow, a fantastic story and it makes you think about us as humans and the events in our history. I would highly recommend this one to any reader (Reviewed by Kathryn Bennett for Readers' Favorite). 5 Stars - Len Wicks has written a riveting book in Origins: Discovery. It is one of the few books that I went without sleep to read, one of the few books that held me in its thrall. It is a real eye opener, a real insight into how the war could have gone and perhaps should have gone. Len Wicks has a real imagination and has used it to write an amazing trilogy of books, stories that come to life as you sink into them. The plot is amazing, although you do need to keep up as there are two separate stories going on here that intertwine. The characters are incredibly lifelike, the kind of characters that you could almost believe you might have met somewhere along the line. Excellent book, I would highly recommend this to anyone (Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite). 5 Stars - Origins: Discovery, A Story of Human Courage and Our Beginnings is a very imaginative take on human history where enemies ultimately become friends and small countries are the liberators of larger and more powerful nations. The lives of various characters will influence the world as their lives are disrupted by these momentous events. Taguhi Amatuni, a dedicated archaeologist, is a very unlikely heroine of the war. And as we follow her path, we also get a glimpse of the history of the Armenian people. In another part of the world, in Congo, another young woman finds herself in the eye of the storm. Weaving the stories of all the characters of this novel together and coming up with a clear plot is a feat that only gifted authors are able to achieve. Well researched and beautifully written, this book celebrates the humanity that we all have within us. Len Wicks is one historical fiction writer to watch out for! (Reviewed by Maria Beltran for Readers' Favorite). 4 Stars - Origins: Discovery is a monumental work of vast scope. I don't know how long it took Len Wicks to write it, but I'm guessing that it took a significant amount of time and effort. It must have been quite a task just to keep the characters all straight. Origins: Discovery spans the globe with insight into lives from every continent. It is a sprawling tale showing keen insight into what it is to be human. Len Wicks starts the story in 1930. He gives a reasonable and accurate portrayal of life around the world at that time. Communism and the Soviet Union are on the rise. Germany is downtrodden and its people are beginning to look toward National Socialism for answers and inspiration. China is embroiled in civil war and the world is immersed in The Great Depression. Taguhi Amatuni is a 17-year-old Armenian girl with a burning love of history and archaeology. She is the first character we are introduced to in Origins: Discovery and an important key to the tale. The great strength of Len Wicks' writing is that he shows the world through many eyes. Taguhi in Armenia, Tenzing Norgay in the Himalayas, Jack Thompson in Australia and Peter Qappik, a Canadian Inuit are just a few of the characters. What is amazing is that Len Wicks connects such a diverse group of characters and through them shows us that, indeed, we are all connected. This is an ambitious work, but well worth the read. It will educate, illuminate, and inspire (Reviewed by Ray Simmons for Readers' Favorite). 4 Stars - Writing alternate historical fiction about a global war that is still fresh in most people's minds is a daunting task. A facility for historical facts, an analytic view of the forces that shape geopolitics and an inherent empathy with characters from different cultural backgrounds are all needed to craft an alternate history that spans an entire world. Len Wicks possesses all of these things in spades. His grasp of history and geography is extraordinary. His ability to give readers an insight into cultures foreign from their own is even more so. Origins: Discovery is a profound look at how global conflict affects the lives of individuals from different backgrounds. It gives the reader a multi-faceted look at the events that spawned the conflict and how ordinary people became extraordinary when pushed by the direst of circumstances. Len Wicks' writing style makes Origins: Discovery a challenging read; after every few chapters, there were moments where I found myself wondering why I was still intent on pushing on. I think the answer lies in how Len Wicks weaves moments of world-changing history with his own imagination; subtle shifts that made me want to press on, just to see where all this would lead. Though his characters may all be earnest caricatures and his writing style a bit unorthodox, I still found myself liking the book and seeing how his version of history accurately reflected the emotions of people caught up in a war that changed the world. I guess the main problem with writing historical fiction is that readers like me wish that every plot line is as straightforward as traditional fiction, even though actual history is one big convoluted mess. Len Wicks wrote a history that is authentic in its feasibility, with such detail thrown in the mix that it made me stop reading at different intervals, and look up a name or an event just to see how things really turned out. This fictional history made me want to learn more about the events of the actual one, something that no writer can easily do. This sweeping work may not be a literary masterpiece, but it sure as hell is one fascinating read. Len Wicks' Origins: Discovery is a unique work that actually manages to impress (Reviewed by Eduardo Aduna for Readers' Favorite).	Customer Feedback Dear Mr. Wicks, I am Syuzanna Chraghyan from Armenia. My minor at University was literature and I was very happy to read another good piece of literature. I have read your book: Origins: Discovery and I must say that it delighted me. It was like a journey both around the world and into the past. It was like a patchwork of different cultures and traditions united within a period of time so devastating for the humanity, the World War II. The descriptions of people, the things around them and even their clothes were so realistic that I seemed to be watching everything I was reading about. I am sure the book can become a good movie, even if not the whole book but several stories of it are included. The book was very easily read because it was not heavy with long descriptions and at the same time the language was so beautiful. Your work is also a great historical review. It was very useful for me because I learnt many things not only about Australia, Canada, America, Europe, Africa, Nepal and other places you mentioned but also about the historical developments of the first half of the 20th century. Besides, the maps and the links you provided made everything even more vivid. I was deeply involved in reading and I wish you would publish that as a paperback book. I will definitely be one of the many people to buy it. Thank you very much for the book. I hope you will continue your wonderful work and we will have the opportunity to enjoy more of your works. Best regards, Susie September, 2014