As soon as I saw the cover for The Whyte Python World Tour by Travis Kennedy, I was all in. What’s not to love—the font chosen so that the words—The Whyte Python World Tour—pops right off the page and into your 80s heavy metal-loving little heart. Not to mention, the white electric guitar with a python wrapped around it. Oh, and what’s that just off to the side, a black stamp that says Central Intelligence Agency? What’s that doing on this most awesome cover? For me, being someone who loves music, especially 80s heavy metal and hair bands, I could not wait to dive in and time travel back to 1986.
The Whyte Python World Tour is Kennedy’s debut novel. His work has been featured in the Best New England Crime Stories and Best American Mystery Stories anthologies among others, and he won the Grand Prize for Screencraft’s 2021 Cinematic Book Contest for “Sharks in the Valley,” to be published as Welcome to Redemption.
The story begins in Los Angeles in 1986 where 22-year-old Rikki Thunder, an aspiring drummer, is hoping that one day his band Qyksand will be just as hot and just as famous as the newest, hottest band on the Los Angeles scene—Whyte Python. We quickly learn that Rikki may be the only one in Qyksand who is taking this dream seriously, including his best friend and singer Ron, who Rikki finds out is applying for other jobs on the side. Rikki’s luck changes, however, when one night he meets blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty Tawny Spice, who after the Whyte Python original drummer mysteriously breaks both his arms, encourages Rikki to audition to be the new drummer. But all is not as it seems. As the Whyte Python World Tour begins, Rikki and his bandmates will unknowingly be influenced by the CIA to become a secret weapon in the last days of the Cold War. The CIA may think they have Whyte Python under their control, but they will underestimate the influential power of music.
The Whyte Python World Tour is a unique story, told in a unique way. Kennedy makes the late 1980’s come alive on the page. The characters are well written, and all through the book you root for them and care about what happens to them. An example of this is the arc of Rikki Thunder’s character, who starts his life out as an orphan and by his early teens is somewhat lost, until he learns about music from an unexpected source. This was especially touching.
The chapters of The Whyte Python World Tour are short and move fast—filled with color, sights, and sounds. You can almost see yourself walking down Sunset Strip, hearing Poison, Mötley Crüe, or Van Halen pouring out of one of the many clubs you pass by. You experience being in the crowds on the street or in the venues, smell the cigarette smoke and feel the spandex/leather pants. Most of the chapters alternate from the present to the past. Some chapters take a refreshing turn where we get to experience the lyrics to songs that Rikki wrote or get a chance to read CIA classified documents, where we get an up-close look at the Whyte Python bandmates and learn more of their story. Some of my favorite chapters are the ones where Kennedy describes music montages and the making of a Whyte Python music video. These chapters use the technique of short vignettes that move the story along nicely.
The Whyte Python World Tour is a fun and wild ride of a book. The attention to detail and the touch of the different styles of chapters made this a most enjoyable read. The story of Rikki, Tawny, the CIA, and the 80s music scene kept my attention and will keep yours as well. As Rikki says, “Whyte Python never dies,” and neither does the power of music.
FICTION
by Travis Kennedy
Doubleday
Published on June 24, 2025
