Saturday, January 24, 2015

The Book of Truths (Area 51: The Nightstalkers series)

Bob Mayer
47North, 2013 (my copy was gracefully provided by 47North for review)
Size: Short (my paperback copy has 258 pages)
Theme: Military sci-fi
Narrative: third-person
Main character: The nightstalkers team
Recommended minimum age: Teenager
Would purchase as a gift to any sci-fi reader: YES


Continuing from the first “Nightstalkers” series book, we again follow the operations of the US covert special-ops team. This time there is no looming alien threat. Yet, a truth serum is on the loose and as it starts infecting more people (and ones with considerable power within the military ranks), an impending nuclear disaster is at hand and it is up to the nightstalkers to stop it. But as they tackle this threat to the nation – and in fact the entire world – we get to know other players from the secret operations world. As the truth starts being spit out all around, we learn some of the nation’s best kept secrets, and the entire world might be at stake.

The second book of this series keeps the pace and decisive action of the first. Mayer continues to grip the reader tight to the story. The team plays a much smaller role though, as new characters are introduced and other agencies involved.  It is much less sci-fi than its predecessor and more like a thriller fiction… I much enjoyed reading it and would recommend as a continuation of the previous book. If anything, I have to say I wished the story was longer and we got more details throughout.

Related work:

This is the second book of the series, after “Nightstalkers”, and will be continued in “Nightstalkers: The Rift” (already available).


Friday, January 16, 2015

Nightstalkers (Area 51: The Nighstalkers series)

Bob Mayer
47North, 2012 (my copy was gracefully provided by 47North for review)
Size: Average (my paperback copy has 311 pages)
Theme: Military sci-fi
Narrative: third-person
Main character: The nightstalkers team
Recommended minimum age: Teenager
Would purchase as a gift to any sci-fi reader: YES



The Nightstalkers are a covert special-ops team, operating from near Area 51, and dealing with extremely dangerous threats to the nation, particularly nuclear, chemical, biological, and alien threats. And, as their leader would put it, ‘things that go bump in the night’. With extremely high clearance for intel, access to absolutely all equipment and weaponry in existence, and discretion on the level of force required to get the job done, this small team recruits only the most exceptional individuals. In this book we follow them on a couple of missions related to a strange phenomenon: strange man-made rifts which are thought to bridge between our world and either a parallel dimension or an alien world. These rifts represent a significant threat and are not easily dealt with…

The plot is well defined, and characters are interesting and well explored. The pace is quite nice, and there are no useless plot fillers; every page contributes to the overall story. Bob Mayer is the author of the Area 51 series, a great series I have read a few years ago. The ‘Nightstalkers’ series follows the same style he imprinted onto the Area 51 books.

This is excellent military sci-fi. There is just enough detail on the military aspect to make you feel you are part of a real covert-ops team, yet not abusive to the point where it seems like you are reading a tech-spec. Yet, it is the action adventure side of the story which grabs you and does not let go. I went through the whole book very quickly and immediately started reading the sequel. I highly recommend it to all sci-fi fans.

Related work:
This is the first book of a new series, and at the time of this review, books 2 and 3 are already available.


Friday, January 2, 2015

Hellhole Inferno

Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
Tor, 2014 (my paperback ARC copy was gracefully provided by Tor for review)
Size: Average (my paperback ARC copy has 446 pages)
Theme: Space Opera
Narrative: third-person
Main character: General Tiber Adolphus
Recommended minimum age: Teenager
Would purchase as a gift to any sci-fi reader: YES


The story picks up right after the events of Hellhole Awakening, the previous novel of this series. Thus, this really works as a continuation of the ongoing story rather than as a single novel by itself. And, as one could expect, the writing style, the plot flow, and the pace of the story continue in line with the earlier books. That being said, I should remark that Herbert and Anderson maintain their usual option of multiple plotlines developing simultaneously and the story switching between locations/characters to follow where events are unfolding.

The main plot is now around a renewed attack by Commodore Percival on the DZ planets, by order of the new Diadem, the continued attempts of the Xayan alien species to reach their Ala’ru, and the asteroids which are en route to Hellhole. With the previous army of the Constellation under guard at Hellhole, the power balance has shifted, and the confrontation between the Commodore and the General will change significantly. Also, the book reveals exactly what Alu’ru is and why it has caused rupture among the alien race.

I enjoyed the book and felt it concluded the series very successfully. The events are not blown out of proportion nor are there out-of-character actions (which I’ve seen a lot when trying to end a novel). Although some might say the series is shallow, for me this was light and entertaining reading and, when taken that way, I’d say the books are definitely worth the time.

Related work:
Hellhole Inferno concludes the Hellhole trilogy, after Hellhole and Hellhole Awakening.