A sweeping multi-generational adventure.
Sometimes the interconnection between myth and science is not a collision of opposites but a conversation between wonder and reason, with each trying to explain the same mystery in different ways. Folk Secrets by Brent Wheelbarger embodies that complicated intersection. It blends American folktale, history, and speculative science into a sweeping multi-generational adventure. The story follows the Quill family as they unravel a decades-old mystery that links pirate legends, Civil War secrets, and ancient scientific knowledge. Patricia Quill calls a meeting with her father-in-law, Jonathan, and her daughter, Elma. Together at an old farmhouse, they have important family business to attend to. The topic? Their family’s inherited mystery and a book called The Codex. Jonathan sees it as “my curse… our family curse.” It’s also the reason why Patricia disappeared for many years. Flashbacks move back in time to the night of a tornado and the passing of an ancient artifact to young Jonathan by his mentor, P. R. Simms. Little did Jonathan know the grave dangers of having it in his possession, nor of the cost of guarding it from people his mentor referred to as Them. Back in the present day, Patricia’s investigation leads her to uncover fragments of knowledge so advanced that they defy the laws of physics. But just as she begins to grasp the truth, she is taken aback by the realization that someone else is watching, someone who has been waiting for her to find it.
Folk Secrets is a novel that deftly balances the wisdom of the past with the weight of inherited sins. Through well-hewn characters who display faith and reason as partners, the gripping story mirrors humanity’s constant drive to understand the unknown. Cleverly blending centuries of handpicked historical events, each chapter in the book feels like a mini-adventure that adds a new piece to the puzzle. Each episode builds towards a larger revelation within the unraveling family mystery. The inclusion of journal entries, letters, historical documents, and transcripts gives the novel a semi-archival feel and a satisfying sense of evidence gathering. The content is suitable for teens, but even seasoned readers will appreciate the book’s layers of symbolism and historical references. It leaves audiences with the idea that myths hold memories of real events, that knowledge carries both risk and redemption, and that every generation is called to uncover its own folk secret. Readers who enjoy historical adventure with modern resonance will love getting lost with the Quill family in Folk Secrets.
