Matt Kearns, linguist, archaeologist and reluctant explorer from Beneath the Dark Ice and Black Mountain returns in his first full-time adventure. And this time he doesn't have Alex Hunter to save him when things get weird.
When a fame-hungry scientist brings an impossible, living specimen of a creature long thought extinct back from the wild jungles of South America he unwittingly brings along a passenger. Something with the potential to destroy every living thing on our planet.
The infestation begins, rapidly overtaking medical resources and resisting all treatment. One woman knows the danger, Carla Nero, chief scientist of the Centre for Disease Control. She makes Matt an offer he can't refuse and together they join a team heading to the deep jungle in a desperate race to locate the hidden place where the specimen was taken.
Only by finding the location of the specimen can the team – and the world – hope to uncover the secret of how to survive the ancient, horrifying parasite that has been released.
This title is a novella-length episode of The First Bird. It will conclude with Episode 3 on 1 August. Please visit www.momentumbooks.com.au for release dates, further information and to sign-up to be notified of the next release.
Hi GoodReaders, I’m an Australian author residing in Sydney with my wife, son and a mad Golden Retriever named Jessie. My novels are now available globally, also in Large Print and now in full AUDIO format.
I grew up spending my days surfing at Bondi Beach before entering a career in Information technology which took me around the world. After completing an MBA, i was appointed both an Australasian director of a multinational software company, and tasked with setting up the USA arm of the organisation.
Today, I spend most of my time writing... with plenty left over for surfing.
More information about me and my works can be found at either www.greigbeck.com, or join me on FaceBook (Greig Beck Author).
I have a many favourite authors, and I have a few that stand out even among those. Greig Beck is one of them. I've been reading Greig Beck's books since I first discovered This Green Hell. Always exciting, always well-researched, and, most importantly, always a fun read. For his ongoing Alex Hunter series, of which This Green Hell is the third, the main protagonist is a superhuman soldier, capable of extraordinary feats of strength and stamina. I love these books. Alex takes on creatures that he has little chance of overcoming, yet he always manages to make it out alive, if not unharmed. One of the secondary characters in two of the series is Matt Kearns, a scientist who works in the field of linguistics. Kearns is just a man; no more, no less. As the main protagonist in this new series, Kearns injects a lot more fear into the reader, as he has no special abilities to get him out of the extremely dangerous situation in which he finds himself. In a book that seems like Jurassic Park meets Indiana Jones, Beck manages to inject realism into a very unrealistic concept. From the deadly jungles of the Amazon to a parasitic virus unlike any mankind has ever seen, from a lost jungle tribe to creatures lost in time, the unbelievable becomes acceptable, and we easily manage to suspend our disbelief. This is a well-written and flawlessly-executed read, and I only have one complaint - it ends where it does. As the first part of a three part series, it takes you right up and then dumps you just when it reaches previously-uncharted heights. It contains horror, sci-fi, action, and the apocalypse - what's not to like? I read this in one sitting, and would have kept reading if I could have. At least it's not a long wait until part 2 (July 1) and part 3 (August 1). I just hope those dates hurry up and roll around. Please, Greig Beck, get the next two parts out on time.
5 out of 5.
Geoff Brown - president, Australian Horror Writers Association
Like Lego lurking in the shag-pile waiting for an unprotected foot, there are diseases lurking in the deep jungles waiting for unprotected hoomans.
It's obvious that, like I do, Greig Beck has an abiding interest in all things prehistoric, and it shows in the two books of his that I have read so far. Go Greig! This book borrows quite a bit from one of his other books, In Search of the Lost World, which borrows a lot from Conan Doyle's classic The Lost World. But this story is much more. Much, MUCH more. It's like a smorgasbord of horror genres all ripe for your reading pleasure. Also obvious is the author's extensive research into prehistoric life – flora and fauna – and microorganisms. Or maybe he just knew all that stuff from a life spent reading about it. A bit of exaggeration has taken place, probably to increase the excitement level. For example; Mesothelae, a spider from the Carboniferous Period (about 300 MYA) was only about the size of a human head. Now that's still big enough to cause me to drop a pile into my undies, but not as big as the spiders are in this story. If they were that big - and here with me now, I'd not only need a change of undies, I'd need new running shoes as well!
I won't rehash the synopsis of the story, but I will say it's well-written, in a professional style, with unrelenting tension as our little ensemble of characters face up to the horrors that Mr Beck has dreamt up for them. I easily connected with the characters and the story played out quite vividly in my minds eye. It's been well edited with few, if any typos to distract. I can forgive any little exaggerations, after all, no matter how correct today's paleontologists think they are, if they were transported back to the time of the dinosaurs, they'd see that they were probably wrong about almost everything they assumed to be factual.
An interesting read, but man did I find myself getting frustrated with the main character. That said, it's a sign of how well Beck did in writing this. Rather than a ditatched spectator, I found myself wanting to smack him upside the head one second, and kind of agreeing with him the next. Then going back to wanting to smack some sense into him. Beck does good with bringing real human emotions and irrationalities to life in his characters. As for the plot, the story flew by at a fast pace and left me not believing the audiobook was over already. I feel like it was just finally getting to the best part there at the end.
It does seem somewhat similar to primordia thus far, and since having just read that series I'm still hungry for more. Looking forward to continuing on book 2.
I do wish that the trend of writing episodes, or chapters, rather than a book would cease. This is the first part of a trilogy, all rather short, that should have been a single book. I get that 3 books make more cash than 1. If an omnibus was sold for 15 bucks, instead of 10 per episode, I would have spent the extra 5 bucks and probably thought the book good. I am not shelling out for chapters, and in the knowledge that might just continue and continue with episodes. Ah, moan over, the story is ok, and is probably going somewhere, just without me
I love stuff like outbreak and contagion but I found this book lacking. I didn't identify with the characters and it seemed slow for such a short book. I found out later it was because the book did t end on a cliffhanger but rather almost mid sentence. I would prefer a longer book that gave me more detail in a series that engaged me on the outbreak and the search for a cure. Not sure I'll pursue the series.
One word: Awesome. For a sort of modern version of The Lost World, this book is pretty creative. While the plot is kind of formulaic, the world created is entirely original.
As with Black Mountain, the thing that really makes this book work is the pace. The plot speeds on and before you even realize it, you're completely hooked. And for someone who manages to keep things moving so quickly, the authors gives a lot of attention to details. Very few authors can describe an intense action packed scene in such a way that you can picture every single move, as if in slow motion. The vivid descriptions make the scenes come to life, making all the bad things ten times more horrific. There are few information dumps, but since this is a thin book (and only the first part in a series), I had to wish there were. Episode 1 is almost just a teaser and ends with that pesky cliffhanger. I can't wait to read the second part.
The team is made up of quite a variety of characters, with rather obvious good and bads, so you're bound to find someone to relate to. There's swift, funny dialogue and very cool inputs from the entomologist and the linguist. The native legends, and customs, described mostly by Moema, the local guide of sorts make the whole book very interesting and very real. It also gives you the vaguest idea of what's about to come and how deep the author's capable of digging into a topic. Which is the thing I loved the most: while it's just a novella, it's massive in scope.
There is still time to read this before Episode 2 comes out in July, followed by the final episode in August. If you like action, adventure, history, fantasy and some horror, this is an author you don't want to miss.
I read all three episodes of The First Bird one right after the other because I felt it was one story in three pieces and planned to write a single review. As I read, I found the episodes so logically divvied up the plot it only made sense to write three reviews.
I liked the characters were not stereotyped, per se, but sufficiently relatable as types I'd seen before I was able to fill in the blanks and build them up in my minds. It made it easy to be attached to them and also just as easy to feel okay about being angry with them or cringe when they did something I thought wasn't thought through.
I also really like the whole virus==doomsday scenario and appreciated this one was not the result of a mad scientist or supernatural event. It makes it even creepier when a plague in a remote area spreads and all the more plausible.
Matt Kearns is a great main character. I appreciate a hero who doesn't always do or say the right thing yet figures things out in time to come out okay. I will definitely get in to Beck's Alex Hunter novels.
This episode combines icky illness, great character introductions and diverse settings into an engaging start for the series. If you're picking it up, I recommend going right for the Omnibus. I expect once you start you'll be in for the finish.
I'll just read the first free episode of this series, I said. He'll not make me read the second book, I said. How wrong I was. Greig (such a sneaky writer) left me hanging at the end of the first episode with an all-consuming need to know what was on the other side of the wall. I felt like Pete in "O Brother, Where Art Thou", screaming in desperation after the sirens consume him with their song. Had I only had $3.03 left in my bank account, I would have had to use it to find out what was on the other side of the rose-covered jungle wall. It's true.
This book has the perfect mixture of elements to make it intriguing. A scientist finds a lost tribe in the jungle, brings home a specimen of a toothed bird to the USA, and unleashes a horrible plague. A team is tasked to go into the jungle to try to find a cure. Mixed in with all of this is romance, jealousy, a hieroglyphic language, deadly plants and animals, a mysterious wall from which many have not returned, and a golden statue. I get the feeling I'm going to need to immediately read the last episode as much as I needed to read the second episode.
This is a spin on a couple of old favorites of mine. Indiana Jones mixed with The Land of the Lost with a Chritonesc back drop that kept me interested and wanting to no more. A scientist makes an incredible discovery, races back to civilization to make the announcement to the world. Only to find that he has discovered an incredibly nasty virus. Now a team races against the clock to retrace the steps of the scientist to find a cure.
This being the first of three audio books I understood the need for character building, although I did find it almost excessive. To an extent that it almost interfered with the plot. Ending very abruptly, making me wonder why it was released as a series and not just one book. Maybe this is why they choose to call it episode 1 and not book 1.
I have high hopes for the next "episode" and will be listening to it very soon. I hope that many of the questions created here will be answered.
This book was well written but not a single plot thread was resolved by the end of the book. Although I expect a series book to have some cliffhangers and unresolved issues I do want each book in the series to be a complete story. When this story ended I felt cheated.
This bored me, like a lot. Not like the Hunter series which is all action. I like Matt - usually - but this one just bored me. I dunno that I care enough to read the next, though I might. Dunno. Always enjoy Sean Magnum as a narrator.
I’ve enjoyed Greig Beck’s books in the past, but I felt a bit cheated with this one. The First Bird – Episode 1 is the first of three episodes, and I don’t particularly like books being cut up into bits—especially when the story is no more than a novella.
The pacing was slow, and I just couldn’t get into it. It felt like it took too long to get going, and by the time things started to move, the book was over. On top of that, the main character, Matt, spent too much time caught up in jealousy, which wore thin after a while.
All in all, this instalment didn’t do much for me. I prefer a full-length story rather than one that feels artificially split into pieces. Maybe the full series works better as a whole, but as a standalone episode, this one didn’t grab me.
Good first story in a spin off from the Archadian story line. Worth reading for James Rollins fans.
This was a good first installment in a new storyline spun off from the Archadian story line. Good characters and interesting premise. Worth the reading time - especially for people who like early James Rollins stories.
Like delving into a lost world, the search for answers to a conundrum in Episode One has taken us to Amazonian jungles where evil lurks in the jungles while tension builds in the story. A brilliant read from Greig Beck. Reading the omnibus version and excited to see where Episode 2 takes us.
One of my favorite authors and type stories, I never grow up and still love dinosaur and mysteries from way back in time. Enjoy your both but slightly predictable, but then again what else can you do with Prehistoric creatures. Let’s see what happens next, and he will get eaten and he will survive.
I really liked this book but towards the end of the 3rd part, I think it became a little too fast paced. The infection just ran rampart across the countryside before the end of the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
A mix of the action pace of primordia with a more grounded and slow thoughtful action sequence of a Matthew Kerns. Got to know about Archaeopteryx because of this.
A bit slow moving. But maybe that is because by the end of the book you only get one third of the story. I don't enjoy having a book cut into pieces and have it called a novella. I'd prefer to get all parts of the book in one piece in one book. It feels like Greig Beck is trying to get more money out of one book by selling it off in pieces. NOT appreciated by us readers!!!!! I am a faithful reader, and have read most of Greig Beck's books but won't put up with such tricks in the long run. Either cut out a couple of hundred unnecessary pages so the book fits into one volume, or make it a serial and have it printed in a weekly magazine. But this is not right.
I awarded one extra start for Greig Beck writing about the merits of immunisation. A topic of great importance and that a lot of trendy and un- or badly informed young parents dismiss as unimportant or irrelevant thus risking the health and well-being of a whole generation of Australians.
I really enjoyed The First Bird series. It combines all my favorite elements - a little bit of Valley of Gwangi, and little bit of The Red Zone, with plenty of adventure for all. I think the plot got away from the author a little bit in the third book. One character in particular acts in an uncharacteristically reckless manner, and the characters we started out the book with get shoved off to the side. There's a primitive woman we never hear from again once she's introduced. My biggest complaint is the fauna of the hidden valley - I was hoping for more dinos. BUT...having said all that, it definitely kept me turning the pages, and with a little better editing, this would have been a five-star book. The imagination is fabulous, the description is excellent, and I loved the entire concept of a skin-sloughing disease that forces scientists to explore a hidden, secret prehistoric land.
A wondrous discovery. A scientist brings back a rare specimen from the depths of South America. The specimen has hitch hikers though; a tiny mite that liquefies the sub-strata of the skin and has it basically fall off. Quite the gory way to die. The CDC is immediately involved and forces our hero Matt Kearns, archaeologist and linguist, to join their expedition back to South America to discover the parasites roots and determine why the local natives are immune. Interesting tale, good characters, well developed. Three.point.five
A very interesting and enjoyable read. Story is far from finished at the end of volume 1 with the stage set for the adventure to continue. Likeable characters, several minor sub plots unfolding and a pleasant story line to follow.
Love this guys work. If you love fast pace action with twists that can come from anywhere from Jurassic to aliens and Indiana jones to omega man then you will love this guys stories .
A hard-science medical action adventure thriller. Totally gripping and nicely delivered in a novella format - just like the old serial adventures which it pays such great homage to.
A terrific lot of fun to read and once you are done - you will want to grab the next episodes!
This was my introduction to Greig Beck and I feel it was a great one. I really enjoyed this book, it's the first of three and I cannot wait to read the next episode. The writing is done really well, you can tell lots of research went into it and it is very entertaining.
While Jon's of slow going in some spots just stick with it and you will be glad you did. The story is very unique and interesting just a little slow going at times but stick with it!