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Extinction #1
Extinction Code
We were wrong about the origins of our species.
For eons, the truth has remained hidden.
Until now...
Geophysicist Jack Greer believes he may finally have found the resting place of the meteorite that wiped out the dinosaurs sixty-five million years ago. A few miles off the Yucatán coast, Jack and a team of scientists tow an aging drilling platform over the impact crater with the aim of securing a sample. But buried deep beneath the earth lies a shocking discovery that threatens to shatter everything we think we know about the origins of our species.
A world away, geneticist Dr. Mia Ward receives a mysterious delivery from her former boss and mentor, Alan Salzburg. In it are clues of a dire warning hidden inside the human genome, one which foretells man's very extinction.
His instructions to Mia are simple: keep the information safe and, above all, trust no one--words all the more chilling after Alan turns up dead. But who wrote the message and what does it mean? Jack's recent discovery just may hold the answers, but can she reach him in time to save the human race?
For eons, the truth has remained hidden.
Until now...
Geophysicist Jack Greer believes he may finally have found the resting place of the meteorite that wiped out the dinosaurs sixty-five million years ago. A few miles off the Yucatán coast, Jack and a team of scientists tow an aging drilling platform over the impact crater with the aim of securing a sample. But buried deep beneath the earth lies a shocking discovery that threatens to shatter everything we think we know about the origins of our species.
A world away, geneticist Dr. Mia Ward receives a mysterious delivery from her former boss and mentor, Alan Salzburg. In it are clues of a dire warning hidden inside the human genome, one which foretells man's very extinction.
His instructions to Mia are simple: keep the information safe and, above all, trust no one--words all the more chilling after Alan turns up dead. But who wrote the message and what does it mean? Jack's recent discovery just may hold the answers, but can she reach him in time to save the human race?
337 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 8, 2017
5212 people are currently reading
2152 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 280 reviews
January 23, 2018
Extinction Code
Ancient Origins Series, Book 1
By: James D. Prescott
Narrated by: Gary Tiedemann
This is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary.
I absolutely adored this book! It was brain food and entertaining! I love a good science fiction that has good science in it. It is basically two stories going on at one time merging at the end. One is about what is found in the bottom of the ocean. There is a group of people trying to keep this a secret and will do anything to keep it away from being found and letting the public know about it. The other deals with a different part of the effects...can't say more. Those same people are trying to kill them. You can't trust anyone! It is so suspense-filled, exciting, fast paced, and thrilling from the first page. I was wowed by this book! The people doing the science is in deep trouble ...you really feel for them.
The narrator made this book POP! His performance really enhanced the book and made it more like a movie. I enjoyed it much more by listening to it far more than I could have by me reading it. Wonderful job!!!
Ancient Origins Series, Book 1
By: James D. Prescott
Narrated by: Gary Tiedemann
This is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary.
I absolutely adored this book! It was brain food and entertaining! I love a good science fiction that has good science in it. It is basically two stories going on at one time merging at the end. One is about what is found in the bottom of the ocean. There is a group of people trying to keep this a secret and will do anything to keep it away from being found and letting the public know about it. The other deals with a different part of the effects...can't say more. Those same people are trying to kill them. You can't trust anyone! It is so suspense-filled, exciting, fast paced, and thrilling from the first page. I was wowed by this book! The people doing the science is in deep trouble ...you really feel for them.
The narrator made this book POP! His performance really enhanced the book and made it more like a movie. I enjoyed it much more by listening to it far more than I could have by me reading it. Wonderful job!!!
July 7, 2018
More like 3.5/5.0, but willing to round up. Interesting idea, and I'm sure I'll pick up the second one at some point.
February 22, 2018
Great ideas, really interesting concepts.
The writing did not work for me at all. We're told everything -- nothing is shown. The characters are one-dimensional and flat. The villains are all supposed to be pretending to be something else but they're so blatantly villainous that I kept expecting someone to twirl his mustache. Very disappointing.
The writing did not work for me at all. We're told everything -- nothing is shown. The characters are one-dimensional and flat. The villains are all supposed to be pretending to be something else but they're so blatantly villainous that I kept expecting someone to twirl his mustache. Very disappointing.
August 23, 2018
I'm truly baffled by the good reviews of this book and have to assume they come from people who don't actually like to read. I DO love to read and am particularly a fan of science fiction, but this is the type of sci-fi book that gives sci-fi a bad name. Somehow my book club ended up picking this book otherwise I would have quit - and very nearly did anyway (SEVERAL times).
It reads like it was self published (the drivel that seems to be swamping out real literature these days) with poorly formed characters, completely unbelievable dialogue, and frustratingly banal descriptions of characters, all tied up with a stupid and largely uninteresting plot. I can't even say it was a good idea poorly executed. The book reads like a creative writing assignment by a fifth grader with some quickly Wikipedia-ed but not fully understood science thrown in.
There are many of the classic indicators of immature writing like physically describing every character the moment they are introduced and usually with some predictable trope like a "shock of black hair" - these characters all inevitably being named something one-syllable of Anglo-Saxon origin (Tom, Jack, Dag?). Luckily there is a Rajesh and a Sven thrown in for good measure. And no single character is ever explored enough to make you care about them - even our two leads.
Perhaps the most frustrating for me is that the book is written as though the author believes the reader is a moron. If two characters are talking (ANY two characters, least of all two scientists), no one is ever going to say "the CDC, you know, the Centers for Disease Control" - we ALL know what the CDC is. We also don't need to be told that Cuba is Communist or any number of other obvious facts. If your reader truly doesn't know a piece of information, they can go look it up or keep reading and gather the needed background from context. That's how the real world works and it's how the reader should be engaging with the characters as well. Don't infantilize your reader.
Then again, if your reader enjoyed this book then maybe you need to.
It reads like it was self published (the drivel that seems to be swamping out real literature these days) with poorly formed characters, completely unbelievable dialogue, and frustratingly banal descriptions of characters, all tied up with a stupid and largely uninteresting plot. I can't even say it was a good idea poorly executed. The book reads like a creative writing assignment by a fifth grader with some quickly Wikipedia-ed but not fully understood science thrown in.
There are many of the classic indicators of immature writing like physically describing every character the moment they are introduced and usually with some predictable trope like a "shock of black hair" - these characters all inevitably being named something one-syllable of Anglo-Saxon origin (Tom, Jack, Dag?). Luckily there is a Rajesh and a Sven thrown in for good measure. And no single character is ever explored enough to make you care about them - even our two leads.
Perhaps the most frustrating for me is that the book is written as though the author believes the reader is a moron. If two characters are talking (ANY two characters, least of all two scientists), no one is ever going to say "the CDC, you know, the Centers for Disease Control" - we ALL know what the CDC is. We also don't need to be told that Cuba is Communist or any number of other obvious facts. If your reader truly doesn't know a piece of information, they can go look it up or keep reading and gather the needed background from context. That's how the real world works and it's how the reader should be engaging with the characters as well. Don't infantilize your reader.
Then again, if your reader enjoyed this book then maybe you need to.
November 20, 2018
I tried and tried to like this but at 83% I gave up. If it hasn't pulled me in by now, it's not going to happen!
There wasn't anything in particular that I didn't like- the audio performance was just dull and boring. Maybe if I would have just read the book I would have enjoyed it more but not going to hold my breath on that.
There wasn't anything in particular that I didn't like- the audio performance was just dull and boring. Maybe if I would have just read the book I would have enjoyed it more but not going to hold my breath on that.
March 14, 2018
Eh...
This book was too fragmented. It got going, halted, then stumbled around. Too many characters , none of which were ever fully developed. Lots of questions but no answers. I kept wondering when the plot would make an appearance. I felt like I wasted my time reading this one.
This book was too fragmented. It got going, halted, then stumbled around. Too many characters , none of which were ever fully developed. Lots of questions but no answers. I kept wondering when the plot would make an appearance. I felt like I wasted my time reading this one.
April 25, 2018
It was alright. I didn’t love it. Lots of plot holes that I’m assuming the next book will cover. Not that interested to know.
August 28, 2018
if you want to read a series of cliches strung together, you've come to the right place!
April 4, 2018
My original Extinction Code audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
“Extinction Code” is the first book available in the “Ancient Origins” series, and I’m looking forward to the rest to come. The book is written by James D. Prescott and the audiobook edition is narrated by Gary Tiedemann; a prolific and well-liked narrator of mine. Let me say up front, I enjoyed the book and it often kept me on the edge of my seat while listening. It is an action-packed adventure where two seemingly parallel events converge in an attempt to save not only the individuals but the world itself. As I listened to the book, it reminded me of a blending of “The Sphere” with portions of “The Abyss” including pieces of “The Da Vinci Code”. Place on top of this, the Twilight Zone episode “To Serve Man”, if you liked any of these you will like this book. Also, if you like stories having intrigue, suspense, and mystery, I think you will find this book enjoyable.
The author does an exceptional job making the characters and scenes feel three dimensional. Each of the characters in the book are given depth and complexity which I found refreshing. You will quickly find that the quote from the X-Files which says, “Trust No One”, is relevant to this book. You are always wondering if you are rooting for the right side or not, and I found myself flipping many times and still surprised at the end. What is even more exciting than to bring a team of scientists and clash them together with the U.S. military, is the discovery of a mysterious object during a drilling event which did not want to be uncovered. Once you have opened Pandora’s box, it becomes very difficult to close it again. Throughout the story, I like the level of research and scientific quips the author drops. Not only am I enjoying a well-written story, but I’m learning along the way. On a side note, I will say that at times the humor felt forced, but this was often required to relieve the built-up tension.
I’m more a technology person than a science one, but I felt the science was rather strong whereas the technology may have been a bit weaker then I prefer. As with television, I understand that deep dives into technology can be tedious and boring for non-technical people. Much of a person’s time spent on hacking is waiting; which is not very interesting. However, I would have like a bit more technology to go with the level of science this book provided. Maybe a bit more jargon or usage would have made the book more enjoyable. How can you not like a book that has hackers, human desires, genetics, and aliens? The author did a good job of keeping this all in check while making the book very interesting and suspenseful.
I liked the rather short chapters making the book easier to digest in smaller pieces. Not until the end of the book do you find out who’s who, keeping the listener questioning? The characters are mostly shrouded in mystery and each has its own issues making you think they are the good or bad guys. The author does a good job of making you always question who you are loyal towards. I felt the scenes and locations were well described, while also allowing me to include a bit of my own imagination. I did not as much enjoy the flipping back and forth between the two teams, but the author did a good job of keeping me engaged during the transitions. There was just enough geopolitical conflict to keep one wondering what could happen next. I found the last chapter of the book quite informative as it lays out the science and other details the book was founded upon, and this was very interesting.
Gary Tiedemann did a wonderful job narrating the book. I have previously reviewed a few of his other books and really enjoy his voice. In a few places I would have like to have had more inflection, but this is more a personal preference then a requirement. By no means do I mean the book monotone or plain, I just would have likes a bit more variety during times of action. The story flowed very well, and the narration was clean and clear. I found no issues with audiobook’s volume or other audio artifacts that can often jolt a listener out of a story. The recording was professional, and the voicing of the many characters was done satisfactorily.
For parents and younger readers. I do not remember, nor did I make note of, any vulgar language used in the book. This does not mean there was none, but it was not prevalent enough for me to make note of it for my review. There are a few elements in the book which could be considered anti-religious or poking fun at religious people, but this is limited and often used in the correct context. There are a few scenes of graphic violence which may be intense for younger readers.
In conclusion, the story is solid, entertaining, and from a discovery perspective an engrossing adventure story. When you have aliens, ASCII codes, and the anticipation of E.T., what could go wrong? For me, the cover art drew me in to listening to the book, but the story itself kept me listening until the end. I would recommend this to anyone who likes disaster type stories or people who like suspenseful and mysterious stories of unknown alien civilizations.
Audiobook was provided for review by the author.
“Extinction Code” is the first book available in the “Ancient Origins” series, and I’m looking forward to the rest to come. The book is written by James D. Prescott and the audiobook edition is narrated by Gary Tiedemann; a prolific and well-liked narrator of mine. Let me say up front, I enjoyed the book and it often kept me on the edge of my seat while listening. It is an action-packed adventure where two seemingly parallel events converge in an attempt to save not only the individuals but the world itself. As I listened to the book, it reminded me of a blending of “The Sphere” with portions of “The Abyss” including pieces of “The Da Vinci Code”. Place on top of this, the Twilight Zone episode “To Serve Man”, if you liked any of these you will like this book. Also, if you like stories having intrigue, suspense, and mystery, I think you will find this book enjoyable.
The author does an exceptional job making the characters and scenes feel three dimensional. Each of the characters in the book are given depth and complexity which I found refreshing. You will quickly find that the quote from the X-Files which says, “Trust No One”, is relevant to this book. You are always wondering if you are rooting for the right side or not, and I found myself flipping many times and still surprised at the end. What is even more exciting than to bring a team of scientists and clash them together with the U.S. military, is the discovery of a mysterious object during a drilling event which did not want to be uncovered. Once you have opened Pandora’s box, it becomes very difficult to close it again. Throughout the story, I like the level of research and scientific quips the author drops. Not only am I enjoying a well-written story, but I’m learning along the way. On a side note, I will say that at times the humor felt forced, but this was often required to relieve the built-up tension.
I’m more a technology person than a science one, but I felt the science was rather strong whereas the technology may have been a bit weaker then I prefer. As with television, I understand that deep dives into technology can be tedious and boring for non-technical people. Much of a person’s time spent on hacking is waiting; which is not very interesting. However, I would have like a bit more technology to go with the level of science this book provided. Maybe a bit more jargon or usage would have made the book more enjoyable. How can you not like a book that has hackers, human desires, genetics, and aliens? The author did a good job of keeping this all in check while making the book very interesting and suspenseful.
I liked the rather short chapters making the book easier to digest in smaller pieces. Not until the end of the book do you find out who’s who, keeping the listener questioning? The characters are mostly shrouded in mystery and each has its own issues making you think they are the good or bad guys. The author does a good job of making you always question who you are loyal towards. I felt the scenes and locations were well described, while also allowing me to include a bit of my own imagination. I did not as much enjoy the flipping back and forth between the two teams, but the author did a good job of keeping me engaged during the transitions. There was just enough geopolitical conflict to keep one wondering what could happen next. I found the last chapter of the book quite informative as it lays out the science and other details the book was founded upon, and this was very interesting.
Gary Tiedemann did a wonderful job narrating the book. I have previously reviewed a few of his other books and really enjoy his voice. In a few places I would have like to have had more inflection, but this is more a personal preference then a requirement. By no means do I mean the book monotone or plain, I just would have likes a bit more variety during times of action. The story flowed very well, and the narration was clean and clear. I found no issues with audiobook’s volume or other audio artifacts that can often jolt a listener out of a story. The recording was professional, and the voicing of the many characters was done satisfactorily.
For parents and younger readers. I do not remember, nor did I make note of, any vulgar language used in the book. This does not mean there was none, but it was not prevalent enough for me to make note of it for my review. There are a few elements in the book which could be considered anti-religious or poking fun at religious people, but this is limited and often used in the correct context. There are a few scenes of graphic violence which may be intense for younger readers.
In conclusion, the story is solid, entertaining, and from a discovery perspective an engrossing adventure story. When you have aliens, ASCII codes, and the anticipation of E.T., what could go wrong? For me, the cover art drew me in to listening to the book, but the story itself kept me listening until the end. I would recommend this to anyone who likes disaster type stories or people who like suspenseful and mysterious stories of unknown alien civilizations.
Audiobook was provided for review by the author.
December 12, 2019
The grumpus23 (23-word commentary) Great premise. It was not a meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs. Investigations of the impact site find it is an alien craft.
January 19, 2018
This has two different plot lines, which converge at the end. On one side we see Geophysicist Jack Greer and his team of scientists who believe they may have found the asteroid that killed off the Dinosaurs. They are drilling off the Yucatán coast, with the hope of getting a sample, when they suddenly drill into something that will change everything!
Meanwhile, geneticist Dr. Mia Ward is baffled with the strange illness that has been popping up. She receives a package from her former mentor Alan Salzburg that contains clues to what this illness could be. But someone doesn't want her decoding the information and she is attacked. With the help of a friend she escapes, but is on the run trying to find the answers before it's too late. When these two finally come together, its with some shocking thoughts about life on earth.
This book was awesome!! It almost feels like two separate stories for the most part, which I actually really liked. Jack's side of the story was fascinating and I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of it. The idea of searching for the asteroid was enough for me, but when they find the thing in the water, it was thrilling. Following them into the ship kept me on the edge of my seat. When you think you have things figured out, well the author just throws something else into the mix that makes you think.
Mias story was just as fascinating but with the added bonus of action and adventure thrown in. She is trying to figure things out, all the while trying to stay alive. She is trying to figure out this illness that has spread so quickly. Her findings bring some truly shocking results and I loved finding things out along with her. I can't wait to find out more!!!
In all, this was a thrilling read. Once I started, I had a hard time stopping because there was always something happening and I needed to see what happened next. I am so looking forward to book 2 of this as it did end on a bit of a cliff hanger.
Gary Tiedemann read this well. His tones and cadences brought this to life and he easily kept my attention throughout. He gave each character their own voice, which made following the book a lot easier. I've listened to a good few that he has narrated and have enjoyed his performance each time.
I was given this free audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.
Meanwhile, geneticist Dr. Mia Ward is baffled with the strange illness that has been popping up. She receives a package from her former mentor Alan Salzburg that contains clues to what this illness could be. But someone doesn't want her decoding the information and she is attacked. With the help of a friend she escapes, but is on the run trying to find the answers before it's too late. When these two finally come together, its with some shocking thoughts about life on earth.
This book was awesome!! It almost feels like two separate stories for the most part, which I actually really liked. Jack's side of the story was fascinating and I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of it. The idea of searching for the asteroid was enough for me, but when they find the thing in the water, it was thrilling. Following them into the ship kept me on the edge of my seat. When you think you have things figured out, well the author just throws something else into the mix that makes you think.
Mias story was just as fascinating but with the added bonus of action and adventure thrown in. She is trying to figure things out, all the while trying to stay alive. She is trying to figure out this illness that has spread so quickly. Her findings bring some truly shocking results and I loved finding things out along with her. I can't wait to find out more!!!
In all, this was a thrilling read. Once I started, I had a hard time stopping because there was always something happening and I needed to see what happened next. I am so looking forward to book 2 of this as it did end on a bit of a cliff hanger.
Gary Tiedemann read this well. His tones and cadences brought this to life and he easily kept my attention throughout. He gave each character their own voice, which made following the book a lot easier. I've listened to a good few that he has narrated and have enjoyed his performance each time.
I was given this free audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.
July 21, 2021
Mini-Review:
A light, SF thriller that I could easily imagine. The story has enough action and drama to make a great movie. There are a handful of cool characters and elements that keep the plot moving. I went looking for a horror story and ended up with an entertaining thriller instead.
A light, SF thriller that I could easily imagine. The story has enough action and drama to make a great movie. There are a handful of cool characters and elements that keep the plot moving. I went looking for a horror story and ended up with an entertaining thriller instead.
Read
November 14, 2022A waste of ink
Rating: Minus 5
I noticed as I rewrite this that as usual I am blocked from all other reviews of a book.🤔 This together with the masking of commenter ID's on all but one of my reviews is my new Goodreads experience. 🤔 As they say, "Write a brutal negative review of a 'badly written bit of ethno supremacist drivel' and suddenly being a communist is s bad thing". Who knew. 😁
If curious about the full Goodreads story, see my review of "Dark Horse", a good novel by Diener or Powers of the Earth (a badly written bit of ethno supremacist drivel) and the comments of a Claes Rees, Jr/cgr710 (a self-identified NeoNazi and US patriot).
To Claes Rees, Jr/cgr710
Don't be a numpty. Be a smarty. Come and join the Communist Party.
I wonder sometimes at the size of the gold transfers that cause US patriots (Tucker Carlson, Claes Rees Jr and the US Republican Party, for example) to very vocally support Putin and Russia even after they have threatened their own country with nuclear strikes. I suspect that it is a case of "Come for the gold. Stay for the attempted genocide of Ukraine." In any case.
Today Kherson. Tomorrow Crimea. GLORY TO UKRAINE !!! and GLORY TO THE HEROES !!!
This book is mediocre and unimaginative. There was no hint of the big question or social examination that defines all books with a claim to the label "science fiction". There is not much to say about character depth, dialogue or plot. Most of this type of book does not really deserve much detailed criticism.
The writing was less than stellar, even for low end science fiction. Every named character was a North American named Grant, Bishop, etc. with the exception of a MIT South Asian professor (Rajeesh, I think). The writer was probably too busy to visit a library with an old phone directory collection which might mitigate a case of severe lack of imagination.
If the writer never went to school with or worked with anyone whose last name was Polish, Greek, Italian, Dutch, Hungarian, Turkish, etc. and never watched PBS, BBC or U.S. sitcoms he should market his work solely to Ivy League legacies. 😎
To the writer, even the Winchester School had a Rishi Sunak and Oxford University has black and brown (and the occasional ginger) members of the student body, as does half of Britain's cabinet on a good day. Spare the rest of us, who are not so posh or is it racist? Better yet, ask Goodreads to adopt my magic four labels. See my review of Powers of the Earth. 😊
Before the 5 percent mark, I chose to bail. It started to read as a faux adventure and/or a paean to the "right sort" of American. It is a common occurrence in US science fiction but really, if it does not accompany uncommon writing, the blandness is mind numbing.
Most of current US science fiction does not meet the standards of other genres and is impossible to compare to literary fiction. I have several ideas concerning why this is and I think that other readers might want to give it a thought. My present thought is that it has been a more than fifteen years long process of degradation of the genre and an (apparently successful) assault on critical thinking.
The consistently poor quality of current science fiction has turned me away from the genre for the most part. When I feel interested in science fiction, I turn to the streaming services which provide better stories and better writing as a rule, than the print (which is opposite to what I expected). Netflix in particular with their multinational selection is a good alternative to unedited books, which replace imagination with various capitalist narratives, a space woman in a cat suit and a spaceship backdrop.
Visiting YouTube and overcoming my naivete regarding other readers were the two benefits that I derived from my experiences with whatever Amazon/Goodreads are.
Goodreads/Amazon are toxic. Visit reviews with one star ratings for comments that suggest a female reader is recovering from anal rape because of her review of the Ringo zombie series, on some other book directing a woman to shut up and just enjoy the book, on another to get the stick out of her ass or (something that I've seen several times) explaining to a woman that she because of her gender could not possibly understand science fiction. 🤔
Goodreads' supposedly sneaky antics, which no longer amuse me were less annoying than than the lurkers. I mistakenly tolerated them even after realizing that these friends never posted and that mysteriously I would get as many as six or seven aggressively negative comments to a new review in a day, from readers who did not even have a similar title on their shelves. I finally took the advice of a site friend, who had previously suggested I purge my list. 😐
Most disturbing of all was that only three or four times over four years did a reader, even from my friends list respond to an attack on one my reviews. I think that I was seeing the same fear that Russians display on YouTube channels and that is frightening. I finally deleted the last friends whose reading interests were different to mine or did not post regularly. It was a series of purges and unpleasant. I still have a Susan Hamilton, who wrote several bad books and whom Goodreads will not allow me to remove. 🤔 She is a Maths professor at University of Tennessee ?, has not posted over the two years since her friend request and has not responded to my one question "Why not remove me?". After four messages, I will have to contact her office. This is madness, not a reader's site. Of course it might be that she finds me that fascinating. If so, how sad for her, since I am the least interesting person among those whom I know well or otherwise 😃.
I began searching YouTube about two years ago for decent science fiction recommendations and shorts. I found many of those channels and then discovered all sorts of other interest area channels that I had not thought to find. The book channels were the most pleasant of my discoveries. They are varied and cover everything from library redecorating to literary criticism. They are the bibliophile's dream. 😍
The book channels host communities of readers who are thoughtful, curious, have varied and many interests but above all are enamored of all things bookish. Obviously they are the complete opposite to whatever Goodreads are. I recommend a visit to several book channels for any reader and have listed some below.
In addition to the essayists and documentaries on YouTube I noticed advertisements for the dedicated educational video sites. They host documentaries galore. I began with Curiosity Stream/Nebula at a cost of about $15 USD for a yearly subscription and found it fascinating. I think that they are all worth a look.
My YouTube picks of the moment.
Michael Siegel, Diane Morgan, Clever Dick Films, The Juice Media, Mrs Betty Bowers, Some More News, Elina Charatsidou, Honest Ads, A Day of Small Things, Linguoer Mechanic, Ben and Emily, Jack Wolff.
Some of my favorite YouTube channels are.
The Leftist Cooks, No Justice MTG, Some More News, Ship Happens, Ben and Emily, Munecat, Second Thought, Sarah Z, Novara Media, Tara Mooknee, Lady of the Library, The Juice Media, Eleanor Morton, Tulia, Nerine Skinner Comedy, Sabine Hossenfelder, Stefan Milo, Lindsey Stirling, Merphy Napier, Enby Reads, Lilly's expat life, Double Down News, Alice Cappelle, Alize, France 24, Karolina Zebrowska, Jill Bearup, Tom Nicholas, Between the Wars, The Great War, Maiorianus, Quinn's Ideas, Tibees, Beautifully Bookish Bethany, Jean's Thoughts, The Roomies's Digest, Danni and Joe, Big Think, What Vivi did next, Three Arrows, Sort of Interesting, Chugging Along, Cruising Alba, Invicta, Chloe Stafler, Dr Becky, We're in Hell, Engineering with Rosie, Zoe Baker, I'm Rosa, With Olivia, Ben G Thomas, Half as Interesting, Adam Something, Olly Richards, Big Think, Spacedock, The Gravel Institute, Pro Robotics, Overly Sarcastic Productions, Books and Lala, Lady knight the Brave, Owen Jones, Vlad Vexler, The Templin Institute, Real Engineering, Casual Navigation, The Piano Guys, Prime of Midlife, Armor Cast, Paleo Analysis, Philosophy Tube, Event Horizon, (Dis)Honesty the truth about lies, Linguoer Mechanic, Cruising the Cut, Boat Time, Chill Goblin, Hakim, The Present Past, A Cup of Nicole, Books with Emily Fox, The Angry Astronaut, 2Cellos, HBomberguy, iilluminatii, Serena Skybourne, Thirdworld Booknerd, Diane Callahan Quotidian Writer, Interesting Engineering, Redcoat British Military History, Kathy's Flog in France, Malinda, Mala Armia Janosika, Certifiably Ingame, The European, UA Courage, Austin McConnell, Noah Samsen, History Line, Jessica Gagnon, Art by Annamarie, Adult Wednesday Addams, Jack in the Books, DW News, Cold Fusion, Camper Vibe, Mythic Concepts, Jessie Gender, Natasha's Adventures, Kalaripayattu, Depressed Russian, Rowan J Coleman, Art Deco, The Armchair Historian, The Narrowboat Pirate, Northern Narrowboaters, May Moon Narrowboat, Kitty G, Emmie, Renegade Cut, TIKHistory, Chris Animations, The Carpenter's Daughter, DUST.
I wish you a great morning, a wonderful afternoon, a superb evening, a pleasant night and may we all keep learning.
A person's Humanity can easily be measured by their level of Empathy.
Atilla the Hun
Rating: Minus 5
I noticed as I rewrite this that as usual I am blocked from all other reviews of a book.🤔 This together with the masking of commenter ID's on all but one of my reviews is my new Goodreads experience. 🤔 As they say, "Write a brutal negative review of a 'badly written bit of ethno supremacist drivel' and suddenly being a communist is s bad thing". Who knew. 😁
If curious about the full Goodreads story, see my review of "Dark Horse", a good novel by Diener or Powers of the Earth (a badly written bit of ethno supremacist drivel) and the comments of a Claes Rees, Jr/cgr710 (a self-identified NeoNazi and US patriot).
To Claes Rees, Jr/cgr710
Don't be a numpty. Be a smarty. Come and join the Communist Party.
I wonder sometimes at the size of the gold transfers that cause US patriots (Tucker Carlson, Claes Rees Jr and the US Republican Party, for example) to very vocally support Putin and Russia even after they have threatened their own country with nuclear strikes. I suspect that it is a case of "Come for the gold. Stay for the attempted genocide of Ukraine." In any case.
Today Kherson. Tomorrow Crimea. GLORY TO UKRAINE !!! and GLORY TO THE HEROES !!!
This book is mediocre and unimaginative. There was no hint of the big question or social examination that defines all books with a claim to the label "science fiction". There is not much to say about character depth, dialogue or plot. Most of this type of book does not really deserve much detailed criticism.
The writing was less than stellar, even for low end science fiction. Every named character was a North American named Grant, Bishop, etc. with the exception of a MIT South Asian professor (Rajeesh, I think). The writer was probably too busy to visit a library with an old phone directory collection which might mitigate a case of severe lack of imagination.
If the writer never went to school with or worked with anyone whose last name was Polish, Greek, Italian, Dutch, Hungarian, Turkish, etc. and never watched PBS, BBC or U.S. sitcoms he should market his work solely to Ivy League legacies. 😎
To the writer, even the Winchester School had a Rishi Sunak and Oxford University has black and brown (and the occasional ginger) members of the student body, as does half of Britain's cabinet on a good day. Spare the rest of us, who are not so posh or is it racist? Better yet, ask Goodreads to adopt my magic four labels. See my review of Powers of the Earth. 😊
Before the 5 percent mark, I chose to bail. It started to read as a faux adventure and/or a paean to the "right sort" of American. It is a common occurrence in US science fiction but really, if it does not accompany uncommon writing, the blandness is mind numbing.
Most of current US science fiction does not meet the standards of other genres and is impossible to compare to literary fiction. I have several ideas concerning why this is and I think that other readers might want to give it a thought. My present thought is that it has been a more than fifteen years long process of degradation of the genre and an (apparently successful) assault on critical thinking.
The consistently poor quality of current science fiction has turned me away from the genre for the most part. When I feel interested in science fiction, I turn to the streaming services which provide better stories and better writing as a rule, than the print (which is opposite to what I expected). Netflix in particular with their multinational selection is a good alternative to unedited books, which replace imagination with various capitalist narratives, a space woman in a cat suit and a spaceship backdrop.
Visiting YouTube and overcoming my naivete regarding other readers were the two benefits that I derived from my experiences with whatever Amazon/Goodreads are.
Goodreads/Amazon are toxic. Visit reviews with one star ratings for comments that suggest a female reader is recovering from anal rape because of her review of the Ringo zombie series, on some other book directing a woman to shut up and just enjoy the book, on another to get the stick out of her ass or (something that I've seen several times) explaining to a woman that she because of her gender could not possibly understand science fiction. 🤔
Goodreads' supposedly sneaky antics, which no longer amuse me were less annoying than than the lurkers. I mistakenly tolerated them even after realizing that these friends never posted and that mysteriously I would get as many as six or seven aggressively negative comments to a new review in a day, from readers who did not even have a similar title on their shelves. I finally took the advice of a site friend, who had previously suggested I purge my list. 😐
Most disturbing of all was that only three or four times over four years did a reader, even from my friends list respond to an attack on one my reviews. I think that I was seeing the same fear that Russians display on YouTube channels and that is frightening. I finally deleted the last friends whose reading interests were different to mine or did not post regularly. It was a series of purges and unpleasant. I still have a Susan Hamilton, who wrote several bad books and whom Goodreads will not allow me to remove. 🤔 She is a Maths professor at University of Tennessee ?, has not posted over the two years since her friend request and has not responded to my one question "Why not remove me?". After four messages, I will have to contact her office. This is madness, not a reader's site. Of course it might be that she finds me that fascinating. If so, how sad for her, since I am the least interesting person among those whom I know well or otherwise 😃.
I began searching YouTube about two years ago for decent science fiction recommendations and shorts. I found many of those channels and then discovered all sorts of other interest area channels that I had not thought to find. The book channels were the most pleasant of my discoveries. They are varied and cover everything from library redecorating to literary criticism. They are the bibliophile's dream. 😍
The book channels host communities of readers who are thoughtful, curious, have varied and many interests but above all are enamored of all things bookish. Obviously they are the complete opposite to whatever Goodreads are. I recommend a visit to several book channels for any reader and have listed some below.
In addition to the essayists and documentaries on YouTube I noticed advertisements for the dedicated educational video sites. They host documentaries galore. I began with Curiosity Stream/Nebula at a cost of about $15 USD for a yearly subscription and found it fascinating. I think that they are all worth a look.
My YouTube picks of the moment.
Michael Siegel, Diane Morgan, Clever Dick Films, The Juice Media, Mrs Betty Bowers, Some More News, Elina Charatsidou, Honest Ads, A Day of Small Things, Linguoer Mechanic, Ben and Emily, Jack Wolff.
Some of my favorite YouTube channels are.
The Leftist Cooks, No Justice MTG, Some More News, Ship Happens, Ben and Emily, Munecat, Second Thought, Sarah Z, Novara Media, Tara Mooknee, Lady of the Library, The Juice Media, Eleanor Morton, Tulia, Nerine Skinner Comedy, Sabine Hossenfelder, Stefan Milo, Lindsey Stirling, Merphy Napier, Enby Reads, Lilly's expat life, Double Down News, Alice Cappelle, Alize, France 24, Karolina Zebrowska, Jill Bearup, Tom Nicholas, Between the Wars, The Great War, Maiorianus, Quinn's Ideas, Tibees, Beautifully Bookish Bethany, Jean's Thoughts, The Roomies's Digest, Danni and Joe, Big Think, What Vivi did next, Three Arrows, Sort of Interesting, Chugging Along, Cruising Alba, Invicta, Chloe Stafler, Dr Becky, We're in Hell, Engineering with Rosie, Zoe Baker, I'm Rosa, With Olivia, Ben G Thomas, Half as Interesting, Adam Something, Olly Richards, Big Think, Spacedock, The Gravel Institute, Pro Robotics, Overly Sarcastic Productions, Books and Lala, Lady knight the Brave, Owen Jones, Vlad Vexler, The Templin Institute, Real Engineering, Casual Navigation, The Piano Guys, Prime of Midlife, Armor Cast, Paleo Analysis, Philosophy Tube, Event Horizon, (Dis)Honesty the truth about lies, Linguoer Mechanic, Cruising the Cut, Boat Time, Chill Goblin, Hakim, The Present Past, A Cup of Nicole, Books with Emily Fox, The Angry Astronaut, 2Cellos, HBomberguy, iilluminatii, Serena Skybourne, Thirdworld Booknerd, Diane Callahan Quotidian Writer, Interesting Engineering, Redcoat British Military History, Kathy's Flog in France, Malinda, Mala Armia Janosika, Certifiably Ingame, The European, UA Courage, Austin McConnell, Noah Samsen, History Line, Jessica Gagnon, Art by Annamarie, Adult Wednesday Addams, Jack in the Books, DW News, Cold Fusion, Camper Vibe, Mythic Concepts, Jessie Gender, Natasha's Adventures, Kalaripayattu, Depressed Russian, Rowan J Coleman, Art Deco, The Armchair Historian, The Narrowboat Pirate, Northern Narrowboaters, May Moon Narrowboat, Kitty G, Emmie, Renegade Cut, TIKHistory, Chris Animations, The Carpenter's Daughter, DUST.
I wish you a great morning, a wonderful afternoon, a superb evening, a pleasant night and may we all keep learning.
A person's Humanity can easily be measured by their level of Empathy.
Atilla the Hun
December 8, 2019
3.5 stars
Took me awhile to get into this but it’s intriguing enough that it kept me interested. The only problem is, it raises way more questions than it answers!! I’m hoping the other books in this series answers those crazy amount of questions.
I’m interested to see where this goes because it’s been super fascinating. After I got into it, of course 😉
Took me awhile to get into this but it’s intriguing enough that it kept me interested. The only problem is, it raises way more questions than it answers!! I’m hoping the other books in this series answers those crazy amount of questions.
I’m interested to see where this goes because it’s been super fascinating. After I got into it, of course 😉
December 27, 2017
I couldn't put this book down once I started reading. It's great. It's awesome. It's thought-provoking. Buy it. Read it. Do I need to say more?
OK. A short summary:
The story follows two separate plot lines that converge near the end. The first follows Jack Greer and a team of scientists as they drill near the Yucatan Peninsula to try to reach the remnants of the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs.. As they reach 1500 feet, they drill into--something--and an incredible white light is seen throughout the world. After receiving assistance from the US Navy, they go down and find a huge spaceship, shaped like a diamond. Needless to say, they are blown away. They get in the ship and try to find its purpose? Did the ship kill the dinosaurs? Did it arrive afterwards to help life get started again? If so, how and why did they do that? Finally, where did the aliens go?
At the same time, Mia Ward, a doctor of genetics is trying to solve a genetic mystery. It seems that the burst of light is making some people sick by somehow altering their DNA. Her scientific world is at a loss to explain this and she spends the book trying to solve the mystery. There are some people that don't want anyone to find out about the ship, so Mia flies around the world to consult various experts, and is constantly being followed by people trying to stop her (kill her).
Jack and Mia finally meet up once Mia finds the data she needs. Once they exchange information, we learn about a possible alternative to our common belief of how life evolved on earth. There is a lot of science and genetics that you may have to read twice, but it is well worth it. I love reading about alternatives to common beliefs because...what if? What if makes things more interesting.
The book ends with a cliffhanger that comes out of left field and leaves you with a sense of, "Oh no. What have we gotten ourselves into?" Luckily, the sequel is already out!
Highly recommended.
OK. A short summary:
The story follows two separate plot lines that converge near the end. The first follows Jack Greer and a team of scientists as they drill near the Yucatan Peninsula to try to reach the remnants of the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs.. As they reach 1500 feet, they drill into--something--and an incredible white light is seen throughout the world. After receiving assistance from the US Navy, they go down and find a huge spaceship, shaped like a diamond. Needless to say, they are blown away. They get in the ship and try to find its purpose? Did the ship kill the dinosaurs? Did it arrive afterwards to help life get started again? If so, how and why did they do that? Finally, where did the aliens go?
At the same time, Mia Ward, a doctor of genetics is trying to solve a genetic mystery. It seems that the burst of light is making some people sick by somehow altering their DNA. Her scientific world is at a loss to explain this and she spends the book trying to solve the mystery. There are some people that don't want anyone to find out about the ship, so Mia flies around the world to consult various experts, and is constantly being followed by people trying to stop her (kill her).
Jack and Mia finally meet up once Mia finds the data she needs. Once they exchange information, we learn about a possible alternative to our common belief of how life evolved on earth. There is a lot of science and genetics that you may have to read twice, but it is well worth it. I love reading about alternatives to common beliefs because...what if? What if makes things more interesting.
The book ends with a cliffhanger that comes out of left field and leaves you with a sense of, "Oh no. What have we gotten ourselves into?" Luckily, the sequel is already out!
Highly recommended.
July 16, 2019
What an amazing book! I love it when I find good series. This would've made a great movie. Well written and full of suspense.
May 14, 2023
Awesomeness
I really enjoyed this book. Full of action and mystery. I thought the discovery of how our DNA evolution began is fascinating and how after all these years scientists had it all wrong. Then of course there is always a evil bad organization that keeps the truth from being revealed, and yes we all know there is always a leak in the government. The book was fast paced, the characters were thrilling and real, and the ending was satisfying Knowing that our DNA comes from Aliens and Jack and Mia got out of the ship before it exploded, it let just enough of a hanger for more to the story. Now I gotta read the next book in the series.
Great read.
I really enjoyed this book. Full of action and mystery. I thought the discovery of how our DNA evolution began is fascinating and how after all these years scientists had it all wrong. Then of course there is always a evil bad organization that keeps the truth from being revealed, and yes we all know there is always a leak in the government. The book was fast paced, the characters were thrilling and real, and the ending was satisfying Knowing that our DNA comes from Aliens and Jack and Mia got out of the ship before it exploded, it let just enough of a hanger for more to the story. Now I gotta read the next book in the series.
Great read.
January 29, 2020
Yippee Yahoo I cannot believe how much fun this book was.
I enjoyed it. It was fast paced. It was exciting. It was suspenseful. I was pleased with the female characters. Their strong sense of survival was on point. The male characters were just what this kind of a book needed. I am so pleased when the Syfy book reads smoothly like watching a movie.
This book was just what I was craving. Hopefully the complete trilogy will continue to be a rockin, rollin, ride!
I enjoyed it. It was fast paced. It was exciting. It was suspenseful. I was pleased with the female characters. Their strong sense of survival was on point. The male characters were just what this kind of a book needed. I am so pleased when the Syfy book reads smoothly like watching a movie.
This book was just what I was craving. Hopefully the complete trilogy will continue to be a rockin, rollin, ride!
July 23, 2018
Dr. Jack Greer gambled big when he leased a deep sea drilling rig and sought evidence of the meteorite that devastated the dinosaurs sixty-five million years ago on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico. He never expected to find a space-craft…and he never expected to find himself controlled by the U.S. Navy in what could easily become a war-zone; or find himself the potential victim of extremist elements determined to destroy his find.
Dr. Mia Ward, sought answers necessary to cure human genetic diseases. When her old nemesis and former mentor, Alan Salzburg, is killed, she finds that his death, and her research, seem linked to Greer’s drilling operation in the Gulf.
What follows is a fascinating and suspense filled tale of intergalactic genetic engineering of the human genome designed to result in the rise of hominids on Earth.
Greer, Ward and Greer’s partner in the expedition, Dr. Gabby Bishop, are well developed characters. Each of them is likable and believable. None of them are heroes; all of them have big risks on the table; none of them trust the Navy…although with some exceptions, the Navy proves to be a reliable ally. In identifying with the characters, however, the reader is called upon to identify with the courage it would take to enter and explore an ancient alien space-craft buried beneath the ocean floor. This is not the first book of this kind I’ve read, but in reality, the type of courage it would take to actually do this is, in my estimation, mind-blowing.
A clear winner for sci-fi and action adventure fans, I found this to be an excellent, riveting story and well worth 5-Stars.
Dr. Mia Ward, sought answers necessary to cure human genetic diseases. When her old nemesis and former mentor, Alan Salzburg, is killed, she finds that his death, and her research, seem linked to Greer’s drilling operation in the Gulf.
What follows is a fascinating and suspense filled tale of intergalactic genetic engineering of the human genome designed to result in the rise of hominids on Earth.
Greer, Ward and Greer’s partner in the expedition, Dr. Gabby Bishop, are well developed characters. Each of them is likable and believable. None of them are heroes; all of them have big risks on the table; none of them trust the Navy…although with some exceptions, the Navy proves to be a reliable ally. In identifying with the characters, however, the reader is called upon to identify with the courage it would take to enter and explore an ancient alien space-craft buried beneath the ocean floor. This is not the first book of this kind I’ve read, but in reality, the type of courage it would take to actually do this is, in my estimation, mind-blowing.
A clear winner for sci-fi and action adventure fans, I found this to be an excellent, riveting story and well worth 5-Stars.
May 26, 2018
The story was suspenseful and entertaining for the most part. The main problem was the the ending was predictable. I suspect that given the title of the series that predictability will be inevitable.
February 23, 2020
Pass
This is a review warning you not to read this series. I finished the trilogy for the sole purpose of telling you not to waste your time. The books are cheap thriller novels disguised as science fiction, and seem to be full of random thoughts shoehorned into a mediocre story. The small dabbles of science are underdeveloped, which makes their presence in the story incoherent.
I wish I would’ve quit 20 pages into the first book because I have a personal problem where I have to finish a series once I finish one book, no matter how bad it is.
Save your time.
This is a review warning you not to read this series. I finished the trilogy for the sole purpose of telling you not to waste your time. The books are cheap thriller novels disguised as science fiction, and seem to be full of random thoughts shoehorned into a mediocre story. The small dabbles of science are underdeveloped, which makes their presence in the story incoherent.
I wish I would’ve quit 20 pages into the first book because I have a personal problem where I have to finish a series once I finish one book, no matter how bad it is.
Save your time.
December 12, 2019
A waste of time. This book sounds like it's written in a high school writing class. The premise is unbelievable, the plot is predictable, the characters are shallow. And please don't explain common facts as of we are children.
August 30, 2020
A thriller with a basic premise suspiciously like Crichton's "Sphere". This is a good novel to read in order to recognize when there is WAY TOO MUCH EXPOSITION. There's an old saying, "Show don't Tell". That means, give me lots of action and dialogue, and not so much of the narrative explaining things that are better seen unfolding in the story.
Prescott LOVES exposition, to the detriment of this story. A lot of over-description of characters -- at least once, an extra who steps in for a fleeting sentence is given a physical description and a short bio. That was downright weird. Nearly everywhere, as soon as a character is introduced you're given a bio and too much description. If you read a Stephen King novel, you can often read the whole book and be left with no idea what the main characters looked like. That's a good thing when it doesn't matter what they look like. The character is developed by their actions and dialogue.
And often here, where there should be rapid-fire exchanges of dialogue lines, instead each utterance is followed by an elaboration of what the character was really thinking or feeling when they said that thing they just said. Imagine that going back and forth for a whole novel.
At one point the main character, Jack, is recounting some long pointless convoluted back story. None of it mattered. None of it explained his behavior or personality or affected events of the story.
Then, maybe because Prescott wanted this to be one of those globe-trotting thrillers, for no good reason the slow action moves to Amsterdam and then Kathmandu. This confuses the tight timeline for anyone trying to keep track of it, as there seems to be no time lost in the travel. Prescott spends a paragraph introducing and describing Amsterdam as if he's writing a Wikipedia article. Because no one's heard of Amsterdam. Did any of those words matter? No.
On to the story, the basic premise is pretty good. If you summarized it to a thriller fan it would sound enticing. But Prescott lacks the skill of the top thriller writers, so my attention often drifted as I listened to the audio book, nor was I particularly keen on returning to the story after ending a session. It was a bit of a grind to get back to it and get through. I did however buy the 3-book series so I guess I'll ignore what my Economics training teaches me about sunk costs being sunk, and press on and see if Prescott improved as he progressed.
Prescott LOVES exposition, to the detriment of this story. A lot of over-description of characters -- at least once, an extra who steps in for a fleeting sentence is given a physical description and a short bio. That was downright weird. Nearly everywhere, as soon as a character is introduced you're given a bio and too much description. If you read a Stephen King novel, you can often read the whole book and be left with no idea what the main characters looked like. That's a good thing when it doesn't matter what they look like. The character is developed by their actions and dialogue.
And often here, where there should be rapid-fire exchanges of dialogue lines, instead each utterance is followed by an elaboration of what the character was really thinking or feeling when they said that thing they just said. Imagine that going back and forth for a whole novel.
At one point the main character, Jack, is recounting some long pointless convoluted back story. None of it mattered. None of it explained his behavior or personality or affected events of the story.
Then, maybe because Prescott wanted this to be one of those globe-trotting thrillers, for no good reason the slow action moves to Amsterdam and then Kathmandu. This confuses the tight timeline for anyone trying to keep track of it, as there seems to be no time lost in the travel. Prescott spends a paragraph introducing and describing Amsterdam as if he's writing a Wikipedia article. Because no one's heard of Amsterdam. Did any of those words matter? No.
On to the story, the basic premise is pretty good. If you summarized it to a thriller fan it would sound enticing. But Prescott lacks the skill of the top thriller writers, so my attention often drifted as I listened to the audio book, nor was I particularly keen on returning to the story after ending a session. It was a bit of a grind to get back to it and get through. I did however buy the 3-book series so I guess I'll ignore what my Economics training teaches me about sunk costs being sunk, and press on and see if Prescott improved as he progressed.
September 22, 2018
Extinction Code is a cerebral sci-fi thriller that explores the origin of the human species. The story is written in third-person omniscient point of view with occasional lapses to first person pontifications (an unfortunate and unnecessary distraction). The plot moves at a good pace, although the main characters (Jack and Mia) are not fully develop, leaving me wanting more. Perhaps this was by design as this book is the first in a series. As such, there is no closure at the end... a pity, as the plot premise is rich with possibilities.
February 2, 2020
I was really excited about getting to read this one, but unfortunately it didn't exactly blow me away. The concept was pretty good, the story line was pretty good and characters were okay and the writing was pretty good too, (although the split story lines early on annoyed me a fair bit). So overall...pretty good. But just not great. The science was one of the most interesting parts I felt and some of the action was enjoyable to read. I do agree with some of the other reviews that at times this read like a movie more than a novel. I will give the next book a go though, as I think it could still be something special. And I kind of want to see where this goes.
May 25, 2019
Interesting
I liked the science in the novel and the story, but the characters sometimes show irrelevant emotions to the scene. As if it was a movie not a novel.
I liked the science in the novel and the story, but the characters sometimes show irrelevant emotions to the scene. As if it was a movie not a novel.
December 29, 2019
Had to read this pretty much without stopping. Good story about genetic warfare? Invasion? or something? Heavy on the science, which I like.
March 11, 2020
Fun
I enjoyed every none and am looking forward to the rest of this adventure. It opens up lots of questions...
I enjoyed every none and am looking forward to the rest of this adventure. It opens up lots of questions...
April 14, 2021
I have a love-hate relationship with this series. The premise is interesting - a team of scientists are digging near the Yucatan Peninsula to find the asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs and instead finding what appears to be an alien spacecraft. The secondary story - that this craft is somehow sending out "lightwaves" that seem to be awakening something in some peoples' DNA - is also interesting.
My problem with the story is the writing. As each character is introduced, the character proceeds to tell another character his/her entire life story or motivation...something that doesn't happen in real life very often. When a new piece of science is introduced, one or more characters pretty much vomit up a "discussion" that reads like a Wikipedia article explaining that piece of science.
The author doesn't seem to grasp the fundamental writing concept of "show, don't tell." If I wanted to read a science textbook, I would buy a science textbook.
The characters are not very well-developed, not to the point that I actually care about any of them. Admittedly, I'm on the third book in this series because I am curious about the subject matter/premise, not because I care about any of these characters. To be honest, there are a few characters who even this far into the story, I have no idea which side they're on. The few times the author has tried for a plot twist (character you are supposed to think is a "good guy" betrays one of the main characters), it's been very predictable.
To summarize, the concept itself is interesting and is what made me give 3 stars; the premise is the only thing that saved this series. On book 3, now I just want it to be over. The delivery is poor and would earn 1 star.
My problem with the story is the writing. As each character is introduced, the character proceeds to tell another character his/her entire life story or motivation...something that doesn't happen in real life very often. When a new piece of science is introduced, one or more characters pretty much vomit up a "discussion" that reads like a Wikipedia article explaining that piece of science.
The author doesn't seem to grasp the fundamental writing concept of "show, don't tell." If I wanted to read a science textbook, I would buy a science textbook.
The characters are not very well-developed, not to the point that I actually care about any of them. Admittedly, I'm on the third book in this series because I am curious about the subject matter/premise, not because I care about any of these characters. To be honest, there are a few characters who even this far into the story, I have no idea which side they're on. The few times the author has tried for a plot twist (character you are supposed to think is a "good guy" betrays one of the main characters), it's been very predictable.
To summarize, the concept itself is interesting and is what made me give 3 stars; the premise is the only thing that saved this series. On book 3, now I just want it to be over. The delivery is poor and would earn 1 star.
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