Cameraman Mason Plater gets a fill-in job on a documentary at a mental hospital. An inexplicable incident there triggers disturbing dreams. Molly James, a young intern, tries to help him unravel what’s happening to him.

In the US a charismatic leader of a new church becomes a rising star in politics. For cult de-programmer Erik Nordstrom the church is not what it seems. Why is a church building a strange machine in a disused military base in the rockies?

A shadow organisation is operating across the world comprised of people of power and wealth dedicated to protecting humanity, but from what? A centuries old threat that is too dangerous to reveal.

Two young technicians working for a secret government department discover that their project may involve implanting devices into unwitting subjects.

Plater becomes a target for an ancient order of occultists who want to kill him. He finds himself drawn into a conflict that could mean the end of human life on Earth and must call on help from unexpected allies.

Reviews

• “The pleasures of this crisply told page-turner come from O’Connor’s deft handling….”
  “…conjure a horror-tinged urban fantasy that does something rare: it truly surprises…”
  “Creepy, ambitious thriller of conspiracies, other realities, and major surprises.” BookLife (Publisher’s Weekly)

• “After a parallel society gets hold of a devastating technology, a documentary cameraman unites with two enigmatic strangers to stop them in O’Connor’s outstanding thriller.”
  “…Readers will be drawn in by the novel’s intriguing storyline, tight plotting, and satisfying ending. This cinematic and deeply gripping thriller of alternate realities is a knockout.” BookView Review
  
• “Simply un-put-downable …“
  “…O’Connor efficiently blends international intrigue with science elements. In swiftly paced, well-crafted chapters, he rapidly expands the story to include a secret society and its manipulation of dreams, certain calculating political forces with ulterior motives, a megachurch pastor who aspires to rule the nation, an investigative journalist determined to look into the sinister past of a cult institution, a keen computer science engineer caught up in a disturbing game of international conspiracy, a desperate mother trying to save her wayward daughter, an intern in a film company entrapped in a deep web of alternate reality, and Mason’s own role in all of it…”
  “…O’Connor has created a compelling protagonist in Mason, a man who goes beyond the limit for what he believes is right while navigating both human and supernatural obstacles. His bond with Molly is authentic, and his struggles to navigate the world of dreams are rooted in reality…”
  “Toward the end, he delivers compellingly visual action scenes, and he brings the whole novel to a well-turned, satisfying ending. Equal parts conspiracy thriller and interactive fiction, the book has cinematic fast cuts and an explosive pace that make it apt for the big screen adaptation.” The Prairies Book Review
  
• “Conspiratorial nightmares merge with the dark realities of power, religion, and psychological manipulation in Bisentient by Patrick O’Connor, a chilling thriller that touches on a number of genres. “
  “Thematically, this book resonates powerfully given today’s political and social climate, where conflicts over religious rights and personal autonomy are rampant. O’Connor takes this a step further by introducing an ancient malevolent entity, but it doesn’t take much extrapolation to fit that into a larger geopolitical metaphor, using poignant descriptive passages and believable relationship-building to bring this otherwordly story into our present-day sphere. Such expansive storytelling means that the book should appeal to a broad fandom, from sci-fi and dystopian readers to readers of political thrillers and religious conspiracies, for an enticing start to the author’s Realm Series.” https://www.selfpublishingreview.com/2023/07/bisentient-by-patrick-oconnor/