Veil (Veil Kendry, #1)

Comments from George C. Chesbro Veil was originally written as the first in what was intended to be an original paperback series aimed at the "action-adventure" crowd. It was to be written under a pseudonym, a "house name" that the publisher could use for various "ghosts" who could continue the series ad infinitum. When I had finished, I was quite disappointed that it would appear under a pseudonym, for I was quite pleased with the writing and would like to have had it appear under my own name. I needn't have worried. My editor was appalled when he read the manuscript and told me it was far too "literary" for the audience we were aiming at. Major surgery was requested. That left me appalled. I suggested that, rather than try to "fix" Veil, I take it back and simply start all over. He graciously agreed. What I came up with in Veil's place was Chant, written under the pseudonym "David Cross." My editor complained that these too were too "literary" and complex for the audience. He was apparently right, for the series was cancelled after three books for lack of sales. Ah, well. At least I was not appalled by my work, and other readers seem to enjoy the series. Both Veil and Chant will be back. Synopsis When Veil Kendry was born, a brain infection almost ended his life. Surviving that illness has left him with a power that is both a blessing and a curse. Veil dreams with a clarity unknown to normal people; his dreams bring him to the edges of time and infinity---and to the minds of other men. Veil left his career in the CIA to become a painter, an artist whose landscapes are of another place...usually unseen, totally unknown. He has volunteered to undergo tests at the Institute for Human Studies, and now someone there is trying to kill him. Veil's background has left him with enemies, both inside the Agency and out. He doesn't know where the threat is coming from. He does know that the U.S. Army shares land with the Institute, and that some of the investigations going on there have nothing to do with psychic research but with something perhaps more important---those persons known as the Lazarus People. The Lazarus People are those who were clinically dead, but who have returned to life with stories of another place---the place of Veil's painted landscapes. The place where Veil's final battle will be fought. ---From the dustjacket of the Mysterious Press edition Formats : EPUB, MOBI Veil Kendry, an ex-CIA agent with a strange gift of vision, volunteers to undergo tests at the Institute for Human Studies, but unknown enemies seem determined to kill him and stop the tests