The Rift (Area 51: The Nightstalkers)

Bob Mayer
47North, 2014 (my copy was gracefully provided by 47North for review)
Size: Short (my paperback copy has 257 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 story starts with an unusual rift forming in the Gateway Arch at St. Louis MO. In this case, a person comes through (the ex-team member Burns), and with the Nightstalkers team on his tail, moves through the US until Knoxville TN. Not by accident, this coincides with the current residence of Scout’s parents. But what are the intentions of Burns in trying to create a new rift? This and other questions, some that had been lingering from the two previous books, will be answered in this novel.

As the pages turn, we find more about Neeley and Hannah from the Cellar, who play a vital role in this book, and also Ivar, who is show to be more than what everyone thought. There is still room to learn details about the beginning of the Nightstalkers and the creation of the first rift.

I much enjoyed the pace and the mystery aspects of the book. The end was quite unpredictable and gave a sense of closure. With the team presented and characters explored during the two previous books, the author did not need to spend much time on that, and could focus on the storyline. I found it as compelling as the two previous installments, and highly recommend it as a follow-up from book 2.

Related work:
This is the third book of the series, after “Nightstalkers” and “Nightstalkers: The Book of Truths”.


*** Spoiler Alert ***
(Warning: the following text contains information that may hamper/ruin how much you enjoy the book):

At the end, we find out that the rifts being created over the years have been an attempt from the other side to open a portal back, in order to return the original Demon Core. As Burns creates a rift at the end of the book, all the members from the Odessa team (who had opened the first rift), come through without having aged a single day.