Reader’s Reviews

In George St. Georges’s Ai: Opening, life seems perfectly normal for students of Credence University—that is, above ground. Below ground, a sinister secret society controls the mysterious island’s inhabitants without their knowledge. The underbelly of Ai is rife with unimaginable horrors and scandals, and it’s up to a college senior named Walt and his friends to find out how to stop it after he receives a strange message from an unexpected visitor.

Ai: Opening is an ambitious undertaking and an exceptionally long book at nearly two hundred thousand words, and it’s the first book in a series, so St. Georges is mostly setting the stage for a complex, lengthy narrative that will surely dive even deeper into the mysteries and atrocities of the island of Ai. The author doesn’t shy away from difficult subject matter, which may prove to be too much for some readers. That said, the descriptions themselves aren’t overly graphic.

However, for readers who aren’t afraid to explore the darker side of humanity, the author has certainly woven a complex web of how corruption can infiltrate every aspect of society with its citizens being none the wiser, which strikes a delicate balance between conveying the gravity of situations. This is a premise that proves far more disturbing than any obvious horror.

The protagonist, Walt, is a beacon of light among this darkness. He’s a good-hearted guy who loves his girl, is honest, and has good moral values. The story takes a turn when he works on a project with a classmate named Nacja, whose motives are questionable. Their long-held view of the Bible is challenged. For Christians, some of the subject matter may be challenging to their beliefs, but this is a work of fiction, and for the sake of the story, St. Georges is a master at crafting how the Bible and what is occurring underground are connected. This fact in the story might prove even scarier.

St. Georges’s narrative is a true psychological thriller in every sense of the word. When an author takes the mundane and juxtaposes it with the terrifying in often subtle ways, the recipe cooks up a tale rife with persistent tension on the page that is hard to put down. St. Georges demonstrates strong skill in building atmosphere by allowing dread to accumulate gradually through subtle details rather than relying on shock value, which may account for the story’s length.

What sets this work apart is its patient approach to horror, letting readers become invested in the seemingly normal world before revealing the decay beneath. The author’s attention to character development and world-building suggests that subsequent volumes will delve even deeper into the island’s mysteries, promising readers an increasingly complex and disturbing journey ahead.

St. Georges’s strength lies in his ability to make readers question everything they encounter, creating an atmosphere of perpetual uncertainty that lingers long after the final page is turned. This psychological depth, combined with the author’s careful plotting and rich character work, elevates Ai: Opening beyond typical genre fare into something more thought-provoking and unsettling. Readers who enjoy a dive into deep thinking and challenging subjects will be eagerly awaiting the next volume in the series.

Ai: Opening by George St. Georges is a captivating puzzle book involving secret societies, powerful citizenry, and ancient customs. Walt Walls is a student at Credence University, a Christian college on the island of Ai. His worldview is innocent and pure in his small bubble; that is, until some of his classmates begin to share passages from the King James Bible that haven’t been read closely for thousands of years. Soon, bizarre dreams and nightmares start to plague Walt, wherein he sees himself as a soldier conquering lands and being offered two female children as wives.

The appalling nightmares haunt Walt to the point where he begins a search to unravel their meaning only to discover a twisted, thought- provoking maze of hidden messages in plain sight, traumatized friends and mentors, and depraved ancient practices that continue to this very day.

Wow, where do I start? This book is so difficult to summarize because it’s fascinating and mind-bending at the same time. I can’t say I’ve ever read anything quite like it, but at the same time, it has a feeling of comfort and familiarity to it, like seeing “A Beautiful Mind,” but in written form. This book does not shy away from discussing what is actually written about Moses and Yahweh in the Old Testament and parts of the Talmud, so be prepared to dive deeper into these elements of the story with both caution and an open mind, particularly if you are religious or highly sensitive.

Although the subject matter gets quite dark,  the author crafts the story in such a way that it is almost hypnotic; you want to keep reading even though you’re horrified by what you might discover. It’s probably the most bizarre page- turner I’ve ever read, and I’m not normally a fan of books that are over 600 pages, but this one kept my interest.

This book will likely appeal to “truthers” and those who find conspiracies about “the elites” not just interesting, but factual. I found the arguments made in this book to be highly thought-provoking and something to ponder over with God. The idea that secret societies in charge of the world are doing such atrocities is not new to me, but finding out how they justified it was.

To be clear, this book doesn’t appear to be coming out against people of faith, particularly followers of Jesus’ teachings, but it does force one to look closely at some of the Old Testament biblical heroes to see what, if anything, we can glean about their true characters. It will challenge religious thinking, but shouldn’t be construed as a Bible for atheists. It’s much more complicated and complex than that, which is why it’s so difficult to classify. You’ll study words, pictures, and passages like you’re on some sort of archeological excavation; whether you buy the argument presented at the end is up to you, but it’s something to think about, nonetheless.

Ai: Opening by George St. Georges is a fascinating study of culture, beliefs, and cults, as well as a call to action to continue to expose and stop these atrocities from happening in the real world. This book will likely reward repeat readers who choose to go back to the beginning after reaching the end. Everything is not as it seems; even the typos may be clues hidden within. It is well- crafted and expertly written, and likely anonymously, which makes me wonder…who actually wrote this book and how do they know what they know? It’s all food for thought

Ai: Opening by George St. Georges is a wonderful combination of a history lesson woven seamlessly around a psychological thriller/mystery. The island of Ai is the home of a famous university and theological college. Walt Wallis is a college senior who is fascinated by words, aspires to be a well-known writer, and loves exploring historical documents for the exact meaning of the language used and any underlying messages. What Walt, his roommate Dean, and his fellow friends and classmates don’t realize is that a mysterious and secretive cult has been choreographing everything happening on the island and elsewhere for millennia.

Strong occult forces involving the kidnapping, sexual abuse, and human sacrifice of thousands of children from all around the world have been used to create the power this mysterious cabal has wielded. Walt discovers through his analysis of the King James Version of the Bible, the Talmud, the Torah, and mysterious dreams that something is amiss on the island of Ai. They are determined to reveal and overthrow this vile cabal.

When I read the synopsis and opening pages of Ai: Opening, I began to wonder if this was going to be a dry analysis of historical biblical texts. I couldn’t have been more wrong; this is an edge-of-the-seat thriller that also delivers a surprisingly deep and fascinating look at language as it applies to historical documents, especially religious texts. Author George St. Georges is an expert at balancing the excitement, horror, and tension of a taut occult thriller with the rigorous academic debate of language and semantics in religious texts. Although not at all biblical in my outlook, I am a keen devotee of both language and history and found the discussions on these subjects enlightening, thought- provoking, and, at times, intensely challenging. Given the conspiracy theory accusations of child exploitation and secret cabals that have surfaced in modern-day society, I found this story riveting and timely. What impressed me was the idea that such things not only could but did happen to so many children. When we read statistics of trafficked, abused, and tortured children, we often tend to tut-tut and assure ourselves that this happens elsewhere but it could never happen in my country, my state, my town, or my family. This book sharply reminds us that the person sitting next to us could be an abused child who appears normal but has buried that unspeakable abuse deep in his or her psyche and that one day it may come to the fore with potentially horrific consequences. I also appreciated the rigorous academic debate over previously ignored or glossed-over passages in religious texts that formed the basis of so many people’s morality and lifestyles. It reminds us that language is fluid and it is easy for two people to read the same text and still come to different interpretations. This is a thinking reader’s book and one of the best I’ve read in a long time. I highly recommend this read.

Ai: Opening is a riveting novel that blends elements of science fiction, psychological drama, and dark mystery. The story follows Walt Walls and his friends as they navigate their final semesters at Credence University, a fictional and somewhat surreal Christian college located on the mysterious island of Ai. With peculiar references to ancient texts like the 1611 King James Bible and a setting marked by bizarre occurrences, the novel weaves a layered tale of discovery, academic life, and chilling undercurrents.

What struck me first about Ai: Opening was its willingness to take risks. From the unconventional start, with a chapter addressed directly to the reader, to the eccentric narrator who interjects at times with cryptic commentary, the book feels like it’s constantly breaking the fourth wall. The narrator even mentions quirks in spelling and formatting, urging the reader to stick with the story despite its peculiarities. At times, these choices felt playful, as when the narrator suggested reading with a friend, but other times, they pulled me out of the immersion. It’s not an easy read. It’s more like a puzzle you’re meant to untangle as you go. But I couldn’t help but feel that the odd format fit the story’s mysterious and cerebral tone.

The novel’s exploration of the island of Ai, where strange forces twist reality and even the mundane aspects of student life are shrouded in deeper meaning, felt fresh and engaging. The island itself is an eerie and almost living presence. For instance, the magnetic field generated by Mount Ai, which alters people’s memories and thoughts, reminded me of classic sci-fi settings where the environment is as important as the characters.

The writing is often cryptic and fragmented, with constant references to ancient texts and mythological ideas. While at times I found this to be a little over-the-top, it certainly worked to create a dense and thought-provoking narrative. A good example is the recurring theme of hidden meanings in words, such as when Walt reflects on cryptic biblical phrases or Shakespearean parallels. The novel has a tendency to digress into these linguistic explorations. The author clearly has a fascination with words and their multiple meanings, and this plays into the broader theme of the ambiguity of truth, which is something I appreciated but struggled with in longer stretches.

On the emotional side, the novel manages to convey deep isolation and internal conflict through its protagonist, Walt. His inner monologue about his desire to connect with others, coupled with the haunting voices that interrupt his thoughts, paints a poignant picture of loneliness. This kind of psychological turmoil is a running motif in the novel, and it adds layers of tension to Walt’s character. I found myself rooting for him.

Ai: Opening is an ambitious novel that will appeal to readers who enjoy layered storytelling and are willing to puzzle through its peculiarities. The mix of psychological drama, dark mystery, and philosophical inquiry makes it a rich but challenging read. It’s not for every-one but for those who enjoy peeling back layers of meaning and diving into the strange and unsettling, Ai: Opening is a thought-provoking journey worth embarking on.