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The Whyte Python World Tour
It’s Los Angeles, 1986, and metal rules the world. For aspiring drummer Rikki Thunder, life is good - even if he is sleeping in a condemned paint store and playing with a band that’s going nowhere.
But when he gets a shot to join L.A.’s hottest up-and-coming band, Whyte Python, Rikki’s young life turns up to 11. Soon he has a hit single scorching up the charts, and the new love of his life in the audience. Rikki couldn’t ask for anything more.
But good fortune can be deceiving. With the Cold War breathing its last gasps and American music blasting through the Iron Curtain, a youth revolution is taking hold - and a hair band is unknowingly playing host to the final battle for the hearts and minds of the Eastern Bloc.
Rikki Thunder soon realizes there is a deeper web of influence propelling Whyte Python, and the stakes for his mission - to spread peace, love, and epic shredding across the globe - are far more dangerous than he could ever imagine.
But when he gets a shot to join L.A.’s hottest up-and-coming band, Whyte Python, Rikki’s young life turns up to 11. Soon he has a hit single scorching up the charts, and the new love of his life in the audience. Rikki couldn’t ask for anything more.
But good fortune can be deceiving. With the Cold War breathing its last gasps and American music blasting through the Iron Curtain, a youth revolution is taking hold - and a hair band is unknowingly playing host to the final battle for the hearts and minds of the Eastern Bloc.
Rikki Thunder soon realizes there is a deeper web of influence propelling Whyte Python, and the stakes for his mission - to spread peace, love, and epic shredding across the globe - are far more dangerous than he could ever imagine.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published June 24, 2025
106 people are currently reading
8725 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
July 17, 2025
This book/audiobook is so entertaining, funny. Will Wheaton was so great at narrating this one. I highly recommend it if you need a fantastic escape. Taking place in Los Angeles during the 1980's rock era, this book felt so nostalgic for me. Rikki Thunder is a 22 yr old drummer who has joined the new rock metal band WHYTE PYTHON after being recruited by the CIA (It sounds weird but totally works) and is livin' the life. With his gorgeous girlfriend by his side, Whyte Python is out on a world tour. We get all the chaos and madness of what it's like to be in a rock band and live a life of traveling around the world. Definitely a fun book and I'm so happy I was able to listen to it on audiobook.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. I grabbed the audiobook as well through Spotify. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. I grabbed the audiobook as well through Spotify. All opinions are my own.
February 24, 2025
4.5 stars. The funniest book that I have read in a long while. Just loved it.
September 6, 2025
I’ll preface my comments on Whyte Python by noting that my hobbies include playing a triumphant air guitar, perfecting a most bodacious guitar face, and meticulously cataloguing Bon Jovi deep cuts.
This fanciful yarn about a rising 80s metal band whose drummer gets turned into a CIA asset that helps bring down communist regimes across Eastern Europe is a delightful mashup of and riff on conspiracy thrillers, California rock culture, and everything that makes a soaring power ballad the unsurpassed pinnacle of human achievement.
Now, back to my treatise on why Edge of a Broken Heart is the biggest hit song never to hit the airwaves* and how it would have cemented Bon Jovi's place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a decade earlier, easy...
(Okay, well, it KIND of hit the airwaves, but not in a meaningful way, and never on a proper album until it showed up on a (fantastic) boxed set years later...had that happened, it's probably Bon Jovi's music that would have been used for Wyld Stallyns in Bill & Ted instead of Robbie Robb's (though props to In Time, which is a banger.)
This fanciful yarn about a rising 80s metal band whose drummer gets turned into a CIA asset that helps bring down communist regimes across Eastern Europe is a delightful mashup of and riff on conspiracy thrillers, California rock culture, and everything that makes a soaring power ballad the unsurpassed pinnacle of human achievement.
Now, back to my treatise on why Edge of a Broken Heart is the biggest hit song never to hit the airwaves* and how it would have cemented Bon Jovi's place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a decade earlier, easy...
(Okay, well, it KIND of hit the airwaves, but not in a meaningful way, and never on a proper album until it showed up on a (fantastic) boxed set years later...had that happened, it's probably Bon Jovi's music that would have been used for Wyld Stallyns in Bill & Ted instead of Robbie Robb's (though props to In Time, which is a banger.)
April 30, 2025
4.5 cans of hair spray rounded up
I knew I needed to write this review, so I only had like, 7 beers and 2 shots.
What a fun romp through the mid to late eighties, hair metal, rock n roll excess, and cold war spy stuff! Rikki Thunder is a drummer for a go-nowhere hair metal band in LA when he meets the coolest groupie who helps him join the biggest up and coming band. Things that seem too good to be true often are, and it turns out she works for the CIA , who are trying to ignite revolution in Eastern Bloc countries through western music, specifically hair metal. I grew up with hair metal, so this book was right up my alley. It's mostly a lighthearted comedy with some action thrown in, but there are some heavy emotions tackled here and there (with humor, of course). My only real complaint is the way time progresses in the book. We think a few months have passed and suddenly Rikki says something like, "It was our first time at home in my bed in over a year." But it's a minor quibble. Rikki is a lovable quasi doofus and you can't help but cheer him on. Did anyone else sing the Whyte Python anthem, "Tonight, for Tomorrow" in their head when reading the lyrics?
If you dig this kinda thing, go check out the Whyte Python website! https://whytepython.com/
Fun fact: "Still of the Night" by Whitesnake is my karaoke jam.
Devil horns in the air to NetGalley, Doubleday Books, and Travis Kennedy for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I knew I needed to write this review, so I only had like, 7 beers and 2 shots.
What a fun romp through the mid to late eighties, hair metal, rock n roll excess, and cold war spy stuff! Rikki Thunder is a drummer for a go-nowhere hair metal band in LA when he meets the coolest groupie who helps him join the biggest up and coming band. Things that seem too good to be true often are, and it turns out she works for the CIA , who are trying to ignite revolution in Eastern Bloc countries through western music, specifically hair metal. I grew up with hair metal, so this book was right up my alley. It's mostly a lighthearted comedy with some action thrown in, but there are some heavy emotions tackled here and there (with humor, of course). My only real complaint is the way time progresses in the book. We think a few months have passed and suddenly Rikki says something like, "It was our first time at home in my bed in over a year." But it's a minor quibble. Rikki is a lovable quasi doofus and you can't help but cheer him on. Did anyone else sing the Whyte Python anthem, "Tonight, for Tomorrow" in their head when reading the lyrics?
If you dig this kinda thing, go check out the Whyte Python website! https://whytepython.com/
Fun fact: "Still of the Night" by Whitesnake is my karaoke jam.
Devil horns in the air to NetGalley, Doubleday Books, and Travis Kennedy for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 4, 2025
Thank you @doubledaybooks for the gifted copy
🚨Book Rec!🎸📚
Just finished The Whyte Python World Tour by Travis Kennedy (out 6/24 from Doubleday) and it’s an absolute ride—hilarious, sharp, and unexpectedly heartfelt.
The story follows the chaotic global tour of a rock band led by the wildly unpredictable Whyte Python. Think fame, ego, breakdowns, backstage madness—but with real emotional depth beneath all the noise.
What stood out to me most was Kennedy’s ability to balance humor with real emotional weight. The absurdity of life on tour—complete with egos, mishaps, and media frenzy—is genuinely entertaining, but beneath the laughs is a thoughtful exploration of what it means to lose (and possibly find) yourself in the spotlight. The characters feel vivid and distinct, and the writing is fast-paced and smart, with moments of surprising tenderness.
This is a novel that doesn’t just lampoon the world of rock stardom—it invites us to consider the human cost behind the performance. Highly recommended for readers who appreciate satire with substance and storytelling that entertains while also digging deeper.
🎤 Wild, weird, and surprisingly moving. Highly recommend.
#BookReview #TheWhytePythonWorldTour #TravisKennedy #Bookstagram #NewFiction #SummerReads #RockAndRollReads
🚨Book Rec!🎸📚
Just finished The Whyte Python World Tour by Travis Kennedy (out 6/24 from Doubleday) and it’s an absolute ride—hilarious, sharp, and unexpectedly heartfelt.
The story follows the chaotic global tour of a rock band led by the wildly unpredictable Whyte Python. Think fame, ego, breakdowns, backstage madness—but with real emotional depth beneath all the noise.
What stood out to me most was Kennedy’s ability to balance humor with real emotional weight. The absurdity of life on tour—complete with egos, mishaps, and media frenzy—is genuinely entertaining, but beneath the laughs is a thoughtful exploration of what it means to lose (and possibly find) yourself in the spotlight. The characters feel vivid and distinct, and the writing is fast-paced and smart, with moments of surprising tenderness.
This is a novel that doesn’t just lampoon the world of rock stardom—it invites us to consider the human cost behind the performance. Highly recommended for readers who appreciate satire with substance and storytelling that entertains while also digging deeper.
🎤 Wild, weird, and surprisingly moving. Highly recommend.
#BookReview #TheWhytePythonWorldTour #TravisKennedy #Bookstagram #NewFiction #SummerReads #RockAndRollReads
August 4, 2025
If this isn't made into a film, I'll sue.
On the shortlist of faves for 2025 :)
On the shortlist of faves for 2025 :)
June 23, 2025
I loved this book from page 1 because it grabs one's attention and does not let go. It is a truly unique and fun story that begins with a lonely young man who survived a horrible foster-home childhood through his love of music.
Now it's the rock and roll bar era on Southern California's Sunset Strip and protagonist Rikki is barely getting by as a member of one of the many mediocre garage bands. However, just as one is enjoying the struggles and raucous tales of low-budget partying of Rikki and his friends... voila! Some incredible twists and turns and you are into quite a thriller. Author Travis Kennedy conveys characters' emotions in a way that really made me feel as if I were a part of all the action.
Making this plot even better, the book touches upon some real CIA maneuvers that are a mini history lesson. (Some generations of readers may have to do some googling to verify what was going on.) When I first read this book, I made the comment that I was certain thatThe Whyte Python World Tour would have a film adaptation, whether in theaters or a television series. The other day I finally read the author's Acknowledgments page and learned that the film rights adaptation process had already been done.
Of course you can find detailed summaries and very detailed reviews of this book, but it is time to resist. Let yourself be surprised by the developments in Rikki's life!! I received an ARC thanks to BookBrowse.com and the Knopf Doubleday Group of Penguin Random House. All opinions are my own, and I am happy to give this book 5 stars since I feel lucky to have received such a whopper of a tale!
February 22, 2025
This a big dumb 80s action movie packed into a book. That’s one of the highest praises I can think of. An incredible premise that the CIA is using a hair metal band as a psy-op to destabilize Eastern Europe during the Cold War totally pays off. The characters are lovable (Buck Sweet, everyone!), the music will melt your face, the jokes are funny, the hair is big, and there are enough twists and turns to satisfy a spy thriller fan too. I could see this being an awesome movie or graphic novel.
July 28, 2025
I kept seeing this book pop up on my various book newsletters and so I thought I'd give it a try as it is such a fun premise and the time period is definitely my wheelhouse (80's hairbands anyone?).
The premise is that Rikki Thunder becomes the drummer for rising stars Whyte Python - rock and roll isn't dead - it is uniting the people! Rikki is being utilized by the C.I.A. for Project Facemelt (love that name). I won't get into the details, but it's a pretty far-fetched premise, but one I can get behind because music is the common denomintor for people. It unites us.
The story hits the ground running and keeps running! It's a lot to take in. I like the chapters that offer a soundtrack to a moment in time. I also like the chapters that offer a montage to move the story along (I have never seen this in print. It really works brilliantly). I think Kennedy could have utilized this more in the last half of the book to move the story along.
This offers a unique set of characters and a story that is steeped in pop culture and recent history.
Kennedy makes references to heavy metal bands of the eighties. Some of the band members even make cameos (I'm thinking of you Brett Michaels). It's a clever premise and a fun tour of the world, but I was expecting a bit more of a bang. I will say that the story ends with one character holding a secret - so perhaps a sequel or a peripheral story is in store.
The premise is that Rikki Thunder becomes the drummer for rising stars Whyte Python - rock and roll isn't dead - it is uniting the people! Rikki is being utilized by the C.I.A. for Project Facemelt (love that name). I won't get into the details, but it's a pretty far-fetched premise, but one I can get behind because music is the common denomintor for people. It unites us.
The story hits the ground running and keeps running! It's a lot to take in. I like the chapters that offer a soundtrack to a moment in time. I also like the chapters that offer a montage to move the story along (I have never seen this in print. It really works brilliantly). I think Kennedy could have utilized this more in the last half of the book to move the story along.
This offers a unique set of characters and a story that is steeped in pop culture and recent history.
Kennedy makes references to heavy metal bands of the eighties. Some of the band members even make cameos (I'm thinking of you Brett Michaels). It's a clever premise and a fun tour of the world, but I was expecting a bit more of a bang. I will say that the story ends with one character holding a secret - so perhaps a sequel or a peripheral story is in store.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 23, 2025
A deliberately gullible satire (think Golden Retriever energy) but quippy take on sex, drugs, and rock & roll… and Cold War espionage. It’s very Dude-Bro coded, in a flippant way, BUT doesn’t fall into the cliched male author trap. The women are smart, involved, woven into the thick of the plot, and thankfully described with an equal 80s glam rock filter like the men. A woman may look like Tawny Kitaen in a White Snake music video but never do her boobs boob boobily through these pages. Rock on!
It’s a wild, fun, and ridiculous ride to the top of musical fame while being roped into a subversive CIA scheme. Our hero, Rikki Thunder, is a fish out of water in many ways and the chuckles are plenty. There are a lot of close characters to side-eye, the band members in particular with their almost caricature-like personalities, until we get toward the end and realize that the author has built a surprising number of layers to nearly everyone. They’re amusing layers but the depth is snuck in there.
And it’s an intricate plot, there is a lot going on and a lot of characters. The amazing Wil Wheaton narrates the audiobook and excels (as I’m sure you’d expect) with the tone of this story, but I sometimes wanted to switch to a physical copy. With the article add-ins and occasional dossier file and just sheer number of names to keep straight, I think I would have followed along better by eye.
Overall, it’s an entertaining read, (very) occasionally slow, but with an action-packed third act. Definitely recommend giving it a try.
* I received a free early audiobook from the publisher
It’s a wild, fun, and ridiculous ride to the top of musical fame while being roped into a subversive CIA scheme. Our hero, Rikki Thunder, is a fish out of water in many ways and the chuckles are plenty. There are a lot of close characters to side-eye, the band members in particular with their almost caricature-like personalities, until we get toward the end and realize that the author has built a surprising number of layers to nearly everyone. They’re amusing layers but the depth is snuck in there.
And it’s an intricate plot, there is a lot going on and a lot of characters. The amazing Wil Wheaton narrates the audiobook and excels (as I’m sure you’d expect) with the tone of this story, but I sometimes wanted to switch to a physical copy. With the article add-ins and occasional dossier file and just sheer number of names to keep straight, I think I would have followed along better by eye.
Overall, it’s an entertaining read, (very) occasionally slow, but with an action-packed third act. Definitely recommend giving it a try.
* I received a free early audiobook from the publisher
August 7, 2025
Can I offer you some nice escapism in this trying time?
The Whyte Python World Tour is easily the best book I’ve read this year. This fantastic debut novel takes us back to the awesome ‘80s in a hilarious combination of espionage, music, and over the top mayhem. This is a thoroughly enjoyable silly action movie in book form (indeed, it’s already been optioned), complete with on-page music montages. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and neither should you.
Readers will follow the guys of Whyte Python (Rikki, Davy Bones, Spencer Dooley, and Buck Sweet) and their accompanying CIA team (masquerading as roadies and fashion designers) across the country and through the Eastern Bloc countries in a whirlwind tour of rock & roll, sex, drugs, clandestine meetups, tour bus shenanigans, inspiring anthems, underground clubs, and lots and lots of alcohol. The writing style is casual for the most part, and the story is interspaced with CIA memos and case files, as well as song lyrics and the aforementioned music montages.
While much of the book is written from Rikki’s point of view, there are frequent break-aways to check in on what’s going on with the long-suffering CIA team, and characters on both sides of the conflict in East Berlin. While I think everyone will enjoy this, those of us of a Certain Age will get extra enjoyment from this nostalgia-filled journey.
I can’t say much more than the publisher has regarding the plot without giving stuff away, so crank up the volume, find your hairspray, and get ready to shred!
Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for the ARC!
This review originally published at GPL Blog: https://galesburglibrary.org/book-rev...
The Whyte Python World Tour is easily the best book I’ve read this year. This fantastic debut novel takes us back to the awesome ‘80s in a hilarious combination of espionage, music, and over the top mayhem. This is a thoroughly enjoyable silly action movie in book form (indeed, it’s already been optioned), complete with on-page music montages. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and neither should you.
Readers will follow the guys of Whyte Python (Rikki, Davy Bones, Spencer Dooley, and Buck Sweet) and their accompanying CIA team (masquerading as roadies and fashion designers) across the country and through the Eastern Bloc countries in a whirlwind tour of rock & roll, sex, drugs, clandestine meetups, tour bus shenanigans, inspiring anthems, underground clubs, and lots and lots of alcohol. The writing style is casual for the most part, and the story is interspaced with CIA memos and case files, as well as song lyrics and the aforementioned music montages.
While much of the book is written from Rikki’s point of view, there are frequent break-aways to check in on what’s going on with the long-suffering CIA team, and characters on both sides of the conflict in East Berlin. While I think everyone will enjoy this, those of us of a Certain Age will get extra enjoyment from this nostalgia-filled journey.
I can’t say much more than the publisher has regarding the plot without giving stuff away, so crank up the volume, find your hairspray, and get ready to shred!
Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for the ARC!
This review originally published at GPL Blog: https://galesburglibrary.org/book-rev...
July 15, 2025
Pull out your bell bottoms and tie dye shirts, fluff your hair big and enjoy being in the music scene of the 80's with the coolest band, the Whyte Python. But if glam metal music is not you, (it is certainly not me!) don't worry this is a book of humor, characters and an interesting plot.
Rikki Thunder, the drummer, has hit it big with a beautiful girlfriend and a successful music career, when he finds out his girlfriend works for the CIA and he needs to help her spy. Fans of the Winds of Change podcast will get the reference (check it out if you haven't listened to it).
Travis Kennedy has written a clever, original debut novel, that has already been sold and is in production for a movie. And yes, there will be a sequel book...after all we all want a reunion tour!
Rikki Thunder, the drummer, has hit it big with a beautiful girlfriend and a successful music career, when he finds out his girlfriend works for the CIA and he needs to help her spy. Fans of the Winds of Change podcast will get the reference (check it out if you haven't listened to it).
Travis Kennedy has written a clever, original debut novel, that has already been sold and is in production for a movie. And yes, there will be a sequel book...after all we all want a reunion tour!
dnf
August 6, 2025DNF @ 40% I love '80s rock, so I was super excited to read this, especially as it is a parody of the metal/ rock bands of the 1980s, but this, unfortunately, did not make me laugh one bit. I was looking for more Spinal Tap vibes and instead ended up falling asleep. Unpopular opinion as this book seems to be getting perfect reviews. I am so sad that I did not love it and couldn't seem to finish it.
August 10, 2025
Musical books are not my typical go to reads, but I usually end up enjoying them, and The Whyte Python World Tour by Travis Kennedy was no exception. Especially being set in the late 80s, and especially with a CIA component added in. Audio was definitely how I wanted to read this one and I thought it was great, especially with Wil Wheaton’s narration. Now, was Rikki Thunder a little much? For sure, but weren’t most metal bands back then? There are a couple of cameos (if you will) from some well known bands in the book, and while overall it could have been a little shorter for my liking, I had an absolute blast reading this one.
Thank you to DoubleDay Books and Wunderkind PR #partner for the finished copy and to PRH Audio for the ALC to review.
Thank you to DoubleDay Books and Wunderkind PR #partner for the finished copy and to PRH Audio for the ALC to review.
May 31, 2025
The problem is quite possibly me. Maybe the stars are aligned wrong. Or the rain is making me cranky. Whatever the issue, I’m just not connecting with this book.
I love music, and obviously I love books. So what’s the problem? Well, this reads much like a teenage boy’s fantasy. I think. I don’t know for sure, since I’ve never been a teenage boy. But I’ve raised teenage boys, which gives me some insight. Probably.
Anyway…
The vibe is very much YA, despite these band members being in their early to late twenties. The humor is stoner teenage boy stuff. The “romance” is teenage boy stuff. The plot is far-fetched.
The story is… silly? Yes, sorry, that’s what I’m going with.
And maybe it’s supposed to be. Again, I don’t know. It’s just not working for me. I’m setting the book aside for now. Maybe I’ll come back to it one day, when I’m over-caffeinated and it’s sunny on mars.
*Thanks to Doubleday Books (#DoubledayPartner) for the free copy!*
I love music, and obviously I love books. So what’s the problem? Well, this reads much like a teenage boy’s fantasy. I think. I don’t know for sure, since I’ve never been a teenage boy. But I’ve raised teenage boys, which gives me some insight. Probably.
Anyway…
The vibe is very much YA, despite these band members being in their early to late twenties. The humor is stoner teenage boy stuff. The “romance” is teenage boy stuff. The plot is far-fetched.
The story is… silly? Yes, sorry, that’s what I’m going with.
And maybe it’s supposed to be. Again, I don’t know. It’s just not working for me. I’m setting the book aside for now. Maybe I’ll come back to it one day, when I’m over-caffeinated and it’s sunny on mars.
*Thanks to Doubleday Books (#DoubledayPartner) for the free copy!*
December 25, 2024
This was such a fun and wild ride with Whyte Python. The unique personalities of all of the characters made them incredibly entertaining as they all tried to accomplish different things. Money, fame, redemption… the life of a rockstar/CIA agent. Where can I buy tickets to the next world tour?
Thank you to Doubleday and NetGalley for the ARC!
Thank you to Doubleday and NetGalley for the ARC!
June 30, 2025
4.5 ⭐️ ridiculous & I loved it.
March 23, 2025
Wow! What a hilariously irreverent but fun thriller about a heavy metal band in the late 1980s being recruited by the CIA to “topple the Eastern Bloc [through] the power of rock.” Strange and weird premise but it works! The author has created a great character in Richard Henderson aka “Rikki Thunder”. He’s a sweet guy who’s just looking for love and acceptance but on a dead end course with his current band, Qyksand, when he’s unwittingly recruited by Tawny Spice (undercover CIA operative, Amanda Price) to replace the drummer of the up-and-coming Whyte Python, a glam-pop band, and who eventually gets the band on a “youth corrupting” world tour of Soviet bloc countries. The humor is tongue-in-check as the band is a group of misfits as are the CIA operatives - think the Apple series, Slow Horses, if you’ve seen it, with its MI15 misfits and you get the idea of the humor! I laughed so many times but there is also a seriousness to the story in how Rikki grows up and how he gains acceptance with his new band. The Whyte Python band has some crazy characters whom you grow to love. I really enjoyed this ARC from Penguin Books. I highly recommend it.
July 18, 2025
It's the 1980s and the Cold War is still raging and hair metal is hot. Rikki Thunder is a drummer for a band that is going nowhere, sharing a squalid apartment with his bandmates. Then things start looking up--a new girlfriend and an opportunity to fill in as drummer for the white hot band Whyte Python. Turns out Rikki's good fortune isn't entirely a coincidence, but part of a CIA operation to win over the hearts and minds of the young adults of the Eastern Bloc, one rock anthem at a time. This is a novel that doesn't take itself too seriously, and is exactly as much fun as the premise. It's part spoof, part spy thriller and it's what you might get if the people in a hair metal video wandered onto the set of an 80s action flick. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Wil Wheaton, who has the right energy but should perhaps lose the accents. I did not realize that this outlandish premise is based on speculation around the Scorpions' song "Winds of Change", and that one of my favorite nonfiction writers, Patrick Radden Keefe, did a podcast about it, so that's what I'm going to be listening to soon. Super fun!
July 10, 2025
I absolutely adored this book!! as someone who loves stories about rock ‘n’ roll bands, this book was so much fun to read from start to finish. The band members were such boneheads, but still so so great, and always had me laughing!! There truly never was a dull moment.
Also- the book was both inspirational and heartwarming as an ode to rock music, but at the same time it never took itself too seriously.
Definitely one of the best books I’ve read in a while!! It was right up my alley. Five stars babeyyy!!!
Also- the book was both inspirational and heartwarming as an ode to rock music, but at the same time it never took itself too seriously.
Definitely one of the best books I’ve read in a while!! It was right up my alley. Five stars babeyyy!!!
July 27, 2025
Extremely fun and entertaining read. The CIA agents remind me of "Slow Horses" and I really liked referring to the bad German guy as "Hans Gruber."
July 13, 2025
This is the book Bandit Heeler and Lucky’s dad would read in a book club. It’s goofy and hilarious and a very fun time.
Whyte Python never dies and neither does my love for this book
Whyte Python never dies and neither does my love for this book
July 27, 2025
fun and stupid, hair metal meets the CIA and communism
there's guns and action
good characters
it's a three and a half
there's guns and action
good characters
it's a three and a half
July 28, 2025
Just a ton of fun!
July 11, 2025
If you have any appreciation for glam rock and are of a certain age, you’ll enjoy this. It was far too long, however, and only really picked up after the first half of the book. But it was a fun ride!
April 7, 2025
The Whyte Python World Tour was a fun trip. It is so difficult in this world of many, many books to come across an uplifting and original novel like this. The writing was descriptive, the characters jumped off the pages. Reading this book was just like watching a movie in my head. I really felt like I knew the characters. Rikki Thunder is an amazing narrator!
I think any reader would have get a kick out of this book, outlandish and yet believable at the same time. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a fun read, anyone who is interested in music, especially 80s rock, and anyone who likes memorable characters with heart. I hope my book club will choose to join me on the Whyte Python World Tour, I think they will love it!
Thanks to Bookbrowse and Doubleday for my ARC.
I think any reader would have get a kick out of this book, outlandish and yet believable at the same time. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a fun read, anyone who is interested in music, especially 80s rock, and anyone who likes memorable characters with heart. I hope my book club will choose to join me on the Whyte Python World Tour, I think they will love it!
Thanks to Bookbrowse and Doubleday for my ARC.
July 8, 2025
I see the reviews getting up there in numbers a little bit. Adding to them because I want everyone to see this and read this book! It wasn’t available at any of my libraries or digitally. Had to get it from an indie book store. I hope this picks up in popularity so that everyone has the opportunity to read it!
Ok that said, this is the best book I’ve read this year, maybe in 5 years, and is now in my top 5 list. Funny, action packed, but somehow serious too? Kennedy did an excellent job with historic research and his 80s music knowledge is top notch. Excellent story that could have really happened (I tried to do some deep diving afterwords to figure out if it actually DID happen). Love love this so much! Please make it a movie!
Ok that said, this is the best book I’ve read this year, maybe in 5 years, and is now in my top 5 list. Funny, action packed, but somehow serious too? Kennedy did an excellent job with historic research and his 80s music knowledge is top notch. Excellent story that could have really happened (I tried to do some deep diving afterwords to figure out if it actually DID happen). Love love this so much! Please make it a movie!
April 29, 2025
More YA simple than I’d hoped, an ‘80s, bro-and-I-was-like-dude stoner comedy when I’d rather the singer/lyricist be a gritty if ironic voice. It’s like Totally Kyle from the Amanda Show plus Russian spy infiltrating though that doesn’t start soon enough for me to stick around for the denude style.
Songs are cute and the foster care backstory
sweet but the pace isn’t doing it for me on top of the cliche MTV movie/doc moments. It’s not Motle Crue or GnR rowdy. There’s a love story with a blonde rock mag groupie girl.
To give an example of the humor, a band member asks for more drugs when captured by the sleeper cell, then air-guitars while looking at the clouds.
Songs are cute and the foster care backstory
sweet but the pace isn’t doing it for me on top of the cliche MTV movie/doc moments. It’s not Motle Crue or GnR rowdy. There’s a love story with a blonde rock mag groupie girl.
To give an example of the humor, a band member asks for more drugs when captured by the sleeper cell, then air-guitars while looking at the clouds.
July 29, 2025
I had heard a lot of buzz about The Whyte Python World Tour by Travis Kennedy. When he visited my local bookshop recently, I decided to attend his discussion. After all, I love 80s metal. I kept hearing it was light and funny but also suspenseful and ultimately uplifting and thought, "I could use a book like that." And it was everything I'd heard and more. The characters are fantastic. I'm definitely going to miss Rikki Thunder, and I loved Tawny's final line as she exits our story. I don't recall a more perfect end to a character's story arch. I loved the theme of the community of metal - how it unites people, gives misfits a place to belong and is very much a safe place to land and process in a world of chaos. I loved the camoes of different rock stars. I laughed out loud throughout the book. I even learned quite a bit about the Cold War. And the uplifting parts do give a person such great hope in this time of darkness. This book shall be entered into the permanent collection of my personal library as I will definitely read it again and again. And that's the highest compliment I can give any book. It is that fun of a read.
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