Miraculously, every TV set on earth tunes in when the broadcast begins, and all languages meld into one. The president introduces Khur-zak, leader of an alien race called the Balazons. As the world watches, Khur-zak astounds as he reveals that there is no god. Rather, the Balazons orchestrated all known religions and molded humans from their evolutionary infancy to believe in them. Khur-zak himself claims to have assumed human form and walked the earth 2000 years ago under the name Jesus Christ to bolster the faith of millions.
None of this makes any difference to Jeff Saunderson. He makes up his mind that the Balazons are bad news and watches helplessly as his family, and the world, embraces the aliens with open arms. Time marches on, the world adopts new technology bestowed by the Balazons, and feuding nations cease their aggressions. In this new world where people want for nothing, Jeff’s resentment for the “alien-gods” grows. He trusts that his misgivings are unfounded, but his suspicions continue to plague him, like a splinter in his mind’s eye.
The Unveiling is Slave Lake pharmacist Dennis Gilmour’s first published work of fiction. Having devoted many years to the book, it is now being sold in select bookstores, sometimes on the same shelf with writer Steven King.
Perhaps it is unfair to Gilmour, or King, to use this comparison, but reading parts of The Unveiling reminded me of King’s Desperation or The Stand in the personal convictions and beliefs of the character involved. Gilmour says the idea for this novel came from an episode of Star Trek, but there is no Star Trek in it. The Unveiling is dialogue-driven, focusing on personal struggles and character development, not the particle of the week for which much of Star Trek is known.
The book is a science-fiction supernatural thriller that is at once entertaining and thought provoking. It starts fast and keeps the momentum throughout the majority of pages. Experienced readers will be able to finish it in one sitting, and people interested in aliens and the paranormal will find it to be a satisfying read.
Of the novel, Gilmour says, “Don’t believe everything you see (in this case, read) because things aren’t always as they seem.”

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