The Onion Files
Our latest free serialized audiobook comes from former NATO intelligence chief Major General Val Pattee. It’s The Onion Files, a cyberterrorism spy thriller novel lauded as compelling and a “tutorial for homeland security personnel”.
Suppose al-Qaeda had a second, potentially more devastating attack planned in 2001. How would it be thwarted?
“The Onion Files” is a spy thriller differing from all previous novels in one very important aspect: author Val Pattee was one of the Western world’s top spy masters. Serving as chief of intelligence for NATO in Europe during periods of Cold War-era terrorism, he worked with the heads of intelligence for sixteen member nations, and conferred with his Soviet and Red Chinese counterparts.
Although “The Onion Files” is fiction, Pattee infuses the action with a realism of people and places only an insider could deliver. The title refers to an ingenious and diabolical plot by al‑Qaeda to devastate vast areas of the United States soon after the 9/11 attacks. Pattee introduces readers to protagonists Jim and Mark Buchan, who work with the US Central Intelligence Agency and Russian counter-terrorism units in a fast-paced hunt across three continents to halt a computer virus and its brilliant creator.
February 28th, 2008 at 8:20 am
[...] The Onion Files Interessantes Podiobook. Sobald ich die Freigabe vom Verleger habe, geht der Ranulf von mir ebenfalls on air. Momentan warte ich ja immer noch auf die Print-Fassung. Seufz… (tags: podiobook) [...]
March 8th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
I was very interested in the basic story premise, but the delivery is so amazingly wooden that it blurs the comprehensibility of the text. I strongly suggest the author find someone to help.
March 23rd, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Hello Listeners –
Thanks for checking out the first five episodes of THE ONION FILES. The author (who is narrating) will be returning from holidays later in April — and will resume recording episodes then. “Stay tuned!”
thanks, cheers, Bruce
June 25th, 2008 at 12:55 am
I’m glad to see another set of episodes. General, I salute you!
July 11th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Looking for more!
The story is gripping. The delivery says ‘military’ to me in ways I can’t explain. In the end, it adds a little extra chill.
August 9th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Are we going to get some new episodes soon?
August 26th, 2008 at 9:42 am
General,
You have crafted a very unnerving picture of what we could face. I am sure the gov’t has stopped many potentially devastating scenarios since 9/11.
Thank you for all that you have done in your career. I think you should send this to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Best wishes,
Tony
September 4th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Hello Everyone –
Thanks for appreciating the first episodes of THE ONION FILES.
All episodes (more than 50) are now available to download/subscribe. Val and I had fun taping all the chapters — and hope you enjoy listening to them.
The plan is to soon take all these episodes and create a full DVD of the book.
The sequel, tentatively called THE ONION CRESCENT, is partly written. Val will be working on the manuscript again this winter when he is in Mexico.
thanks, cheers, Bruce
September 6th, 2008 at 8:23 am
The story is chilling, fascinating, all too plausible, and a great way to avoid doing homework. I found myself holding my breath more than once.
For the sequel, however, the author simply MUST cede the task to someone else! He delivers a spine tingling plot with absolutely zero emotion and no knack for sentence cadence. He has such shockingly poor pronunciation of so many common words that it made a difficult listen even more so at times.
Having said all that, I do want people to give this story a chance. They will want to come back for the sequel. We all have a deep need to see the bad guy get his due!
September 9th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Agreed with everyone above. The story is intriguing and a great spy novel, the delivery much less so. I agree with Sheryl, some of the words he pronounces are just wrong, and they are seemingly common words if you’ve ever watched a newscast or two you would have become familiar with them.
In addition the story is heavy on dialog which is a good thing, but sometimes the dialog is far too mundane to be included. Lots of things the listeners can just assume happen, they don’t need to be told as such. So I’d recommend becoming a harsh editor and stripping out some of the fluffy dialog.
February 2nd, 2009 at 12:54 pm
I loved the storyline. I was put off by the narration. All too often the words just seemed wrong. “Constable” used for police officer, and myriad others. If the setting is in the US, it should have a US feel to it.
A good first effort. I look forward to the sequel.
February 16th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
This is certainly a fascinating story — everyone who listens to this podiobook or reads the printed book says so. One fellow just told me after reading it that “there is a lot of good teaching in this; too bad the last US administration didn’t read it!” Well, Val is putting the finishing touches on the sequel and it is spooky (no pun intended) in how up-to-the-minute the new plot is compared to unfolding world events. It will have some “good teaching” for the Obama administration.
June 6th, 2009 at 7:56 am
I was concerned about the comments that the author’s reading style would detract from my enjoyment and found those comments completely unfounded. It’s true that every word is not pronounced in generic, TV news English, but it’s still understandable and very entertaining.
Rated PG for some out of marriage sexual content (not graphic) and R for a few four letter words. If you like a good spy story written with insight and perspective then this is your novel.
January 25th, 2010 at 11:10 am
Isn’t the word Jihad pronounced “jee-hawd” and not “jye-had”?
January 27th, 2011 at 7:24 am
Great story.
Could definitely use a potential remastering or rerecording, potentially with a non-Canadian voice.
June 8th, 2011 at 4:18 pm
So there should be a non-Canadian voice because… why – American accents are the only acceptable sounds? Your world is so monochromatic that there is no room for another perspective. Maybe this is an over-reaction, but I’m so tired of the mindset that says that only the way it’s done in “Merica” is correct, all else is wrong. It’s a multi-cultural, multi-racial, world-wide era. There’s room for all sorts of different voices… and no room for intolerance of such a benign thing as an accent.
July 13th, 2011 at 10:40 am
Wooden delivery, simplistic characters, and I still wonder how I made it as far as I did.
The “Us against them” statement in the story almost made me gag, a few minutes later I just had to turn it off and delete the files I downloaded.
May 8th, 2012 at 4:28 am
To anyone with a political opinion other than “Lets go kill some brown people in deserts”:
This book will annoy you in the first 6 episodes so much so you cant stand it, wanna tear your ears off and want to get back the last hour or so of your life.
I’ll give the benefit of doubt to the author for maybe the story takes a turn i wasnt expecting. But from the pure predictability of the first chapters my hopes are down.
Fearmongering Cowfeces i tell you.