Tag Archives: Nicholas Sansbury Smith

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Extinction End

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Extinction End (The Extinction Cycle #5)

 

I love this series and am very happy with the way things have played out in this last entry in the main story. The writing has just gotten better and better from book to book.The characters were already well done but have also seemed to gain more depth and emotion as things have progressed throughout. The language never caused the story to drag either through dialogue or descriptions. The action was just that, action packed and engrossing. The monsters were everything you would have expected as they morphed into even more grotesque creatures. I was totally into the story from the first page to last.

In the midst of some devastating losses we have even more things happening to make life almost unbearable. Kate, Meg, Tasha, Jenny, and many other survivors are taken from Plum Island and may be lost. Reed and Big Horn come home to find them missing but is still happy to see that Fitz and Apollo are not lost to them. The juvenile variants are a much bigger threat than originally thought, but they may still at least be able to eliminate part of the problem. But can they get back the woman who helped create the weapon? Will the remaining members of Team Ghost and the Variant Hunters be able to neutralize the juveniles and take back the cities? It is an uphill battle that is fought with courage and honor by everyone except a very few.

The action starts from the beginning and barely gives you time to breath as it moves from one tense situation to the next. One of the things I have loved about these books is that when they are in tight spots the way they get out makes perfect sense and does not seem contrived or over the top. I have cried and laughed and cheered for these characters because they have become like friends and family. I am going to miss them and hope to see them again in better times.
Great series, great book, Highly Recommend!

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“Fitz slid his mask into position and pulled his bandana up to cover it. He breathed in, and picked up a distinct sour smell of sweat. It took his mind a moment to grasp that it was from the bandana’s previous owner. A piece of Riley was going back out there after all. And so was a piece of Meg. Glancing down, Fitz admired the axe hanging from his belt. He’d sawed the handle down so it would fit over his armor, but that didn’t change the fact it had been Meg’s. She’d held onto it all the way from New York to the GW. When Garcia had given it to him, Fitz had thought he might display it as a memento of her. Then he decided that a better way to honor her memory would be to split some Variant heads with it. He wasn’t much of a religious man, but he did believe the deceased lived on in the hearts and minds of those they left behind. Today, Riley and Meg would join them in battle.”
― Nicholas Sansbury Smith, Extinction End

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Extinction Evolution

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Extinction Evolution (The Extinction Cycle #4)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I am completely blown away by this book. I loved it! The story is being built upon in such an effortless way that it is almost as if it is happening right in front of me. The characters continue to grow and expand as individuals as more are introduced who come forth as full blown people. The tension continues to build pulling you further into their world and their lives. Though this is just as much a medical thriller as it is about zombies/infected, the language does not hold it back and keeps it where you can understand what they are talking about all the time. I was into the story from the first page and only slowed down when I had to sleep mainly.

Staff Sergeant Jose Garcia is commanding officer of the Variant Hunters, so named because they have gone after them and survived more than any others. They are a part of the strike group on the George Washington Carrier and consider themselves to be Americas last best chance to survive. He and his team have seen a lot of action, including first hand knowledge of the changes taking place to the Variants in various locations.

Master Sergeant Reed Beckham and his men had to take charge when an outsider murdered their CO and tried to take over. They are now waiting for the consequences of their actions to arrive on the Island. What happens is far from consequences and the Island gets some much needed support but it is also left without its center. Kate and Ellis are working on their newest attempt to kill the Variants but get word that a new threat may make their work obsolete before it is even deployed. Fitz and Apollo are placed into danger with green recruits and find that they can do more than they thought. What happens while Team Ghost is away is enough to break any man.

Two teams manned by some of the best the world still has to offer will come together to stop what has become the last gasp of mankind. The question is can they do it and if so at what cost.

I cannot stress how much I believe that this series should be read. It is one of the best in the genre! I was crying by the end because I lost some friends in this book and I was so sad to see them go. This is what I want from a book, to make me feel so much for the characters that I forget they are fictional. If you haven’t guessed, I recommend this book highly! 🙂

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Red Sands

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Red Sands: An Orbs Prequel

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a continuation of the story started in White Sands. Jeff and David have survived alone for an unknown amount of time. They are staying ahead of the aliens and hoping that maybe their father was able to do the same. The writing is still very clear with a nice feel for who the boys are. There is also a look at the man in charge of the NTC, Dr. Hoffman, who seems to want to save humanity but if it might risk his life he will not try very hard.

Another nice entry in the Orbs saga leading us to what is behind the invasion and what we can do to win.

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White Sands

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White Sands: An Orbs Prequel (Orbs Series 0.2)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This prequel gave a good background on the children and how they came to be at White Sands when everything happened. I would have liked to have gotten a little more on the parents before things went completely crazy. The narrative flows well and the story is good if a little light on some details. The language is great and the relationships ring true.

Jeff and David are traveling to White Sands with their step-mother Paula for Jeff’s birthday. Their father Michael is stationed there working for the NTC. When the aliens come and start to wreak havoc,  life becomes terrifying for the boys and their father as they try to survive.

Definitely a must read if you want more on the people who populate the later novels.

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Extinction Age

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Extinction Age (The Extinction Cycle Book 3)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Here we are at book number three and things just keep getting better and better. I am so invested in this series that I cannot bear to have any of the characters hurt or even worse. The characters are true to life and make it very easy to feel for what they are going through. I even understand some of the science stuff that is talked about because it is not over the head of anyone. I am totally loving the action and even if I want to scream at them sometimes it only means that I have found my fully into their world.

When we left off last time Reed and Jensen along with other members of Team Ghost had been dumped into the sewers underneath New York as the rest of the military evacuated back to Plum Island. Things did not look good for them as they found their way through the maze underneath the city. I will say that everywhere they go they seem to find survivors in the most unlikely places.

Kate is still feeling as if she is responsible for the death of the world, even though she made it at least a little safer. Major Kennor finally takes responsibility for his mistakes, though its to little to late. And they are back to needing Ellis and Kate to come up with a way to save them all.

The tension and horror is ratcheted up ten fold as changes come to the Island and to the world around them. They are working to survive for each other and for their friends. I have to say again that Reed is my ideal man but if Fitz were a little older I could go for him too. Death, destruction, loyalty, betrayal, and bravery. These are things they deal with and it is exciting to get to be a part of it.

If you have not read this series you have no idea what you are missing, so you should remedy that right away. Extinction Horizon is where it all begins but the story is far from over here.Enjoy!

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Extinction Edge

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Extinction Edge (The Extinction Cycle, #2)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What can I say about this book that I did not say about the first? I love the characters who have pulled me into their world and made me care about them in a big way. The ‘zombies’, still prefer the term infected but I will let that go because the story is good enough to make me not care as much. The introduction of the new characters was done perfectly and allowed me to get a feel for them when they return further down the line. The imagery pulls me in and I can actually visualize and put myself in the narrative as it plays out, even though I have never been to the locations described.

With the threat of infection no longer a part of the equation thanks to Kate, the military is now looking to take back the cities. The infected are still in the cities, roaming and killing any survivors they find. But they are not the simple creatures that the men in charge think they are by any means. They are sending their men into a situation that could further decimate their ranks and put them on a path to complete extinction.

There is tension from the moment this book begins to the time it ends and I loved every minute of it. There is a great deal of violence but you know that it is necessary and it is so well done that you cannot help but cheer them on in its execution. The relationships between the men is solid and what you want to see between guys who have each others back on a daily basis.

I don’t know what more to say other than this is a really great series. When I wasn’t actively reading I found myself thinking about it and what might happen next. I was still in this world long after I finished and all I could think about was what will happen in the next book. I am hooked! Highly recommend to zombie lovers or anyone who has a thing for the military.

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Extinction Horizon

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Extinction Horizon

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

First thing I have to say is that these are not zombies! They are infected individuals, there is a difference. I know it does not seem important but I am serious about my zombies. Secondly my true rating is 4.5 stars, and that is only because it started a bit slowly for me.

I have here an author who can write a great apocalypse and make me enjoy it as the world falls apart. The characters are realistically portrayed and feel like they could be someone you might meet in your everyday life or at least know someone who knew them. The science is easy to understand, which is good since it could get technical and bog the story down if not handled right. The disease vectors are well thought out, both for the natural and unnatural ones depicted. The descriptions of the infected did put me in the mind somewhat of those in the Will Smith movie ‘I Am Legend’ but I think it is more because they are fast and animal like. Once again, not a bad thing because I like them, as long as you don’t call them zombies.

There have been more breakouts of the Ebola virus around the globe and it appears to be mutating making it harder to treat. Doctors from the CDC are being sent out and coming back with samples hoping to isolate the strain and be able to create a cure. During the Vietnam war there had been experiments with various drugs in an attempt to create better soldiers, those attempts were disastrous.

Now Delta Force operatives are being sent in to rescue or bring back the work of a scientist who has been experimenting with some dangerous virus’s and has gotten into trouble. Master Sargent Reed Beckham and his team go in without a full understanding of the consequences and come away without the prize. Dr. Kate Lovato and her mentor are asked to help figure out what was done and find a cure, but once again they are not given all the facts. Can the world be saved when men decide to play god?

I could give a blow-by-blow but then there would be no need to read the book, and you really should read it. I kind of fell a little in love with Reed Beckham because he seemed so needy in a way, even though he is a strong man who can take care of himself and others. This seems to escalate pretty quickly and I like that we are taken through it day by day which gives a better measure of how swiftly things get out of control.

I cried a little, laughed a little, yelled at the stupid and the slow, was truly disturbed by some of the things done by the infected, and generally had a blast. This is the start, I hope, of a new world of survivors. Enjoy this immediately!

Available for pre-order. Release date December 29, 2014.
http://www.amazon.com/Extinction-Horizon-Cycle-1/dp/1505410479/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419751529&sr=8-1&keywords=extinction+horizon