Phil Bailey is an ardent fan of science-fiction and space exploration who dabbles in scuba diving and drone videography.

As a former freelance software developer, Phil worked for a wide variety of industries and organizations, including several years at Cowichan Tribes—British Columbia's most populous first nation. Phil's work inspired his interest in indigenous people and the effects of colonization, themes that are prevalent in the final chapters of his debut novel, Kelvoo's Testimonial.

Phil started working on Kelvoo's Testimonial a few days after his birthday upon realizing he wasn't getting any younger, so he might as well take a stab at writing a novel because . . . why not?

Phil lives on Vancouver Island with his wife and high school sweetheart, Cora, along with their neurotic Formosan mountain dog, May.

Kelvoo's Testimonial by Phil Bailey

Kelvoo is overcome with wonder at the arrival of the humans. With flawless memories and innate curiosity, Kelvoo's community embraces the benevolent humans and their knowledge of the boundless universe beyond the cloud-covered sky.

After the departure of the first contact mission, an unscrupulous human lands in Kelvoo's village, inviting Kelvoo and eight others to join a "goodwill mission" to faraway worlds. Lured into a trap and enslaved by an outlaw gang, Kelvoo's group is forced to participate in an interstellar crime spree, and subjected to the worst of human nature.

Realizing the mission is destined to end with their murder, Kelvoo's team must use their limited insight into human nature to understand and escape the brutality of their captors. With Kelvoo's world and species vulnerable to exploitation, failure would have devastating consequences far beyond Kelvoo's own death.

Kelvoo's Testimoninal is equal parts action, philosophy, and hard science fiction. Written as Kelvoo's personal account, Kelvoo's Testimonial provides an outsider's view of humanity in all its beauty and savagery.

CURATOR'S NOTE

Imagine first contact—except we're the aliens. Phil Bailey flips the script, painting a picture of a peaceful alien who encounters humanity and learns about love, hate, imagination… and cruelty. Kirkus gave it a starred review, calling it a "simple but profound futuristic story of the painful effects of colonization." Guaranteed to haunt you. – M.G. Herron

 

REVIEWS

  • "A simple but profound futuristic story of the painful effects of colonization."

    – Kirkus Reviews (Best Indie Books of 2022)

  • "The author has an extraordinary imagination that takes my breath away. To conjure up not only the ruminations of these creatures but also the physical components as they protect each other, rejuvenate and even give birth! A testament to the author's ability to bring every nuance to life in vivid detail for us."

    – The International Review of Books

  • "Rich, intelligent and witty, Kelvoo's Testimonial is a must read."

    – Zepp Jamieson (zeppjamiesonfiction.com)
 

BOOK PREVIEW

Excerpt

I was breathing so fast I could hardly speak. I had to close my eyelid and concentrate to get the words out. "The baby's name is Sam," I gasped.

"And how did you manage to smuggle a baby kloormar onto my ship?"

"We didn't. Honestly, Captain! Sam was born just a week ago!" Yet another lie.

"Liars!" Reverend Hol roared. "You're all males! Where are you hiding a female?"

Despite my horror, I managed to speak. "Reverend, hasn't it occurred to you that other species may have a different concept of gender? Maybe they don't even have the concept of gender at all! Maybe other species reproduce differently than you're used to."

"You perverted scum!" Hol spat. He turned and pointed at our terrified baby. "This abomination is the result of homosexual fornication! This is a blasphemous affront to our Lord and Creator."

"Calm yourself, Hol!" Skully ordered.

"Don't you see, Captain?" Hol blustered. "They've started breeding! It's part of their plan! They're going to take over the ship! They're going to put us in the minority, and they aren't going to stop there! Oh no! They're going to spread to other planets and breed like a demon plague until our species has been replaced across the whole galaxy!"

The captain leaned close to Hol's face. "Shut the hell up, you ranting, frothing, delusional lunatic!" He turned back to me. "Which of you lying creeps is the mom, and who's the dad?"

"It's not like that, Captain," I said. "Sam grew from a fetus in my reproductive pouch. Each of the other kloormari contributed their genetic material. Sam carries the genes of all my kloormari comrades. Sam is the true child of every one of us."

Once again, the holy man couldn't restrain himself. "This creature is . . . is the result of homosexual group fornication? In the name of God, I demand that we kill every single one of them. Now!"