“Of Underground Alien Bases”: Alien Park, Dunes, by Andrew and Julia Oien

 

 (2018). ISBN: 978-1548347208

Since April 2020, at the start of the pandemic, when the Pentagon and US Navy officially acknowledged the legitimacy of the gimbal, tic-tac, and go fast videos “leaked” to the NY Times, and culminating in the hollow “disclosure” of the nine-page Pentagon report about a month ago, everyone is talking about the possibility of off-world ships and alien life. A handful of talking heads are working the circuit hard, showing the same footage and using the same terminology, although I noticed last week a new term: “advanced aerospace vehicles,” which sounds almost, well… terrestrial.

I have also noticed a trend toward the legitimization of certain aspects of fringe science. Scientists recently announced that they have seen the far side of a black hole and have “proven” Einstein’s theory of relativity.

To them and others like them: welcome to the twenty-first century. Nice to have you with us.

The military-industrial-intelligence complex (MIIC) is revising and pushing their UAP narrative, in the works since at least the 1940s, with unprecedented vigor. Among UFOlogists, there are several possible reasons why. One is that, somewhere between the 1930s (as this book says) and the mid-1950s, US government leaders signed contracts or treaties with ETs, trading access to advanced technology for alien access to humans for experimentation and hybridization. Perhaps they have waited in the shadows long enough. Another possibility is that the MIIC needs to introduce long-secret alien tech to the public in order to move their agenda to the next phase. Perhaps, and this is most likely in the short term, the narrative is a pretext for upping military budgets and strengthening the US Space Force.

Although Alien Park, Dunes is a work of fiction (with a planned film), its bones are solid and legitimate. Andy and Julia Oien have been researching a triangle-shaped area stretching across Colorado, Texas, and New Mexico since the 1980s—when, while on vacation exploring the Roswell crash sites, they found an anomalous, saucer-shaped object in one of their photos (included in the book).

The novel opens in 2017, with the appointment of a new forest ranger (and our hero), John Sloan, to Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. Looking to serve his last year and retire, Sloan is disappointed because the Forest Service denied his request to be in California, near his sister’s family.

As Sloan arrives and learns the ropes, the Oiens introduce us to those who run the park and the shadowy, immoral, above-the-law agents who support the rangers in seeing that the national parks honor the government’s 1930s deal with the aliens, who reside in a cave/underground system of labs, holding cells, and ship hangars.

If you have a strong sense of justice, like I do, you will need an equally strong stomach to weather the list of atrocities and black ops the park rangers, support staff, and government agents carry out.

The Oiens, having done decades of solid research and presentations—including authoring a nonfiction book and YouTube video on the Triangle, as they call it—have built a strong foundation of real agencies, ufological data, and science on which to build this disturbing, cinematic story. Within real organizations like the FBI they have created fictional subdivisions that are solely responsible for upholding the treaty and coordinating the cover-ups and false flag ops required to explain park disappearances.

Sound familiar? This aligns with David Paulides’s Missing 411 investigations. The Oiens tip their hat to ex police detective Paulides more than once and do the same with a plethora of well-known researchers and writers in the field. This all adds authenticity—to the point that it doesn’t read or feel like fiction.

As we follow three main story tracks—the C story (the ongoing abductions and coverups); the A story (Sloan’s); and the B story (split between the agencies, the victims and their families, and US president and secretaries of defense and interior)—we are treated to mystery, drama, action, and gallows humor.

Sloan becomes the center of attention when his bosses and their handlers realize that his papers—including his Top Secret security clearance from his time in the military—are not in order and perhaps he’s not supposed to be assigned to the park. This is a classic setup for the good guy with a heart to try and beat the bad guys through his wit and grit.

The story ends with a solid cliffhanger that provokes a new series of questions after the Oiens answer a few of the initial questions in the final act.

The authors have designed the aliens based on established lore: reptilians, greys, hybrids, and MIBs. What is interesting is that, as loathsome as they are, I loathed some of the agents, politicians, and park supervisors even more. They are the ones that have told themselves a series of lies about National Security and Patriotism to rationalize their bullying behavior and lack of morals (I am crossing solidly into reality here, although the Oiens have planted the novel squarely on the dividing line).

Reminiscent of Chris Carter’s genius in X-Files, which he used to show the mix of truth, false-flag, disinformation, honest mistake, cynicism, true-believerism, and fraud complicating the fields of the paranormal, Alien Park, Dunes offers a wide array of characters. There are those I mentioned, plus UFO watchers, stoners, small town merchants, local law enforcement, and the purely innocent, whose only mistake was trusting the US government when they planned a family vacation at a national park.

At the back of the novel—which also serves as a blueprint for the coming screenplay/film—there is what I would term a “story bible.” It includes organizational charts, maps, characters, and timelines. There’s also a collection of the authors’ photos of the real geographic areas and an extensive series of maps detailing the theory the Oiens have been researching and refining for decades.   

One mountain in particular, Blanca Peak, which the Ute and Navajo deem holy, is worth researching on your own. If the Ute and Navajo sound familiar in the world of the paranormal, it’s because they are central figures in the ongoing mysteries of Skywalker Ranch. Connections abound. The Oiens’ maps are a great starting point for overlaying the Ranch, other UFO sightings/crash sites, not-so-secret bases, and the like to find further patterns. Trust me—they are there.    

As if the story bible were not value added enough, there are abundant character illustrations by the authors’ talented daughter, Lauren. As many screenwriters do when writing a script, having visuals for the characters helps to differential dialogue and gesture. If you’re not into the mechanics of screenwriting, no worries—the art is excellent and contributes to the overall reality of this (I think only partly fictional) story.

If you believe aliens are here, and some of them are sinister, this is a book you need to read. For those looking for a well-paced sci-fi abduction adventure, Alien Park, Dunes will also serve you well.