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Area 51 #13
Earth Abides
Devastated by World War III, then an alien invasion coupled with Danse Macabre, a deadly virus attack, Earth is almost completely depopulated. The land is devastated. The sky is dark with nuclear winter. Despite the Swarm's invasion ultimately being defeated, billions of humans were taken on board the Battle Core, infecting it and then wiped out when it plunged into the sun to prevent further infecting the Swarm.
The remnants of the invaders, monsters out of humanity's worst nightmares, prowl the dark, shrouded landscape. The mothership, containing the Chosen has disappeared into Faster Than Light Transit to an unknown destination.
The survivors, including former Green Beret Mike Turcotte, the young Metabols in their biodome, Nosferatu and Nekhbet, the last of the Elders, and others are scattered and in despair.
Most strangely, though, is another group: the Fades. The humans who did not become Chosen or Metabols but also didn't die. Who are they? What are they?
There seems to be no hope.
But it must always be remembered that Earth Abides and forces dormant for millions of years are beginning to stir. Because the Earth Abides.
The remnants of the invaders, monsters out of humanity's worst nightmares, prowl the dark, shrouded landscape. The mothership, containing the Chosen has disappeared into Faster Than Light Transit to an unknown destination.
The survivors, including former Green Beret Mike Turcotte, the young Metabols in their biodome, Nosferatu and Nekhbet, the last of the Elders, and others are scattered and in despair.
Most strangely, though, is another group: the Fades. The humans who did not become Chosen or Metabols but also didn't die. Who are they? What are they?
There seems to be no hope.
But it must always be remembered that Earth Abides and forces dormant for millions of years are beginning to stir. Because the Earth Abides.
252 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 20, 2020
141 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
About the author
Bob Mayer
213 books47.8k followersBesides my own interests, I read whatever my wife tells me to read-- she's a voracious reader and has wide-ranging tastes as my reviews show (she also always has the TV remote and she's always right about what to watch). I read a lot of nonfiction, mostly for research. Some of my favorite books are Lonesome Dove, Mystic River, LOTR, and an array of science fiction classics including the Foundation series. Our house is covered with books, although I finally broke down and started reading eBooks, strangely enough on my iPhone. Since I carry it pretty much everywhere, it means I always have an entire library of books with me.
I'm a West Point graduate, former Green Beret and a New York Times Bestselling Author. I've sold over five million books. My newest series begins with New York Minute, a thriller set in New York City in 1977.
I love using history and science in my books. My Area 51 series pretty much had me rewriting our entire history of civilization.
I'm a West Point graduate, former Green Beret and a New York Times Bestselling Author. I've sold over five million books. My newest series begins with New York Minute, a thriller set in New York City in 1977.
I love using history and science in my books. My Area 51 series pretty much had me rewriting our entire history of civilization.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 5, 2020
I would have preferred he left the series alone after he wrote Legend back in 2004. I really did not like what he did with the series when he took it back up after so many years.
February 22, 2021
Area 51: Earth Abides by Bob Mayer is the 13th book of long running Area 51 series, and is the third book of the “Swarm War” Story arc. This book takes us back to utterly ravaged Earth and focuses on Major Mike Turcotte, and other various survivors of World War 3 and Swarm Alien Invasion. Area 51 has two parts: from book 1 to 7 is about the efforts to avoid the end of humanity by the conquest of the Airlia and their minions infiltrated in human society, all while the threat of annihilation is looming in the horizon if the interstellar drive is activated, a threat feared by the Airlia too. Except the third book I love that series, is so thrilling. and it is not a simple series, specially the special forces aspects are quite life-like.
(Caution, without being explicit spoilers these observations mention aspects of the plot)
The following books are about the Swarm and answers for mysteries left in the previous books. It is quite interesting, but sadly they are not that original. In the last books I feel I am reading a mix of a description of the movie 'Independence Day' (the chapters in the desert with the Swarm fleet destroying in stages the military defenses of the Earth); then a description of Arthur C. Clarke's 'Childhood's End' (the next step in evolution through children that are accepted to be part of a higher community, while old humanity is discarded); a bit of Lovecraft references, although not that well done as I cringed when a character utters "it is odd that H.P. Lovecraft knew of this specific creature and even drew a rather decent approximation of it," as if the description in the book were more extraordinary, which I don't feel to be the case; and lastly the evolution being driven by androids so old that they are more than androids and whose intent is to make sure there will be a better humanity with peace, harmony and eternal love in communion with the planet I have already read it in Asimov's 'Foundation and Earth,' and I didn't like it much then neither. Of course there is no obligation for an author to make a book with original ideas, that is impossible, but at least it should have his voice, which in this book I felt rather like going to hear a band playing covers. These last books are quite interesting, and maybe quite fast to read as so many chapters are repetitions from the previous ones, but I end feeling that the chapters are different stories glued to each other. Not only that but sadly the trends of the age are lurking unnecessarily, I love feminine strong characters, some of my favorite books ever are written by women, I appreciate when they are shown as complex characters, but here the author has gone a bit for the superficial trend to populate the book with only strong and intelligent women that are neither strong nor intelligent, but are in the company of weak and clumsy men. The Airlia characters are women (a commander and a scientist), which are depicted very differently to the original Airlia which were passionate and extremely intelligent; the leader of the new humanity is a girl, which honestly I found a good character as she is not superior but equal to all her peers; in the chapters mentioned to the story of the Imperium the only smart and good people are two women, a scientist and a commander again, the men are again evil or clumsy, and the good ones are good because they are the followers of the scientist, which was a very exasperating character. I cringed again when the wish of one of the characters is to get a more "inclusive" future, not because is a bad idea, is because is something that is told by some political activists for the society today, but is not coherent in the society of the character. There are problems of logic in general, in these series there is no scientific progress, the same machines exist since the dawn of times (the special metal of the starships and the ruby spheres that are their motors) and there is no more, the supposed scientists are very lazy in this universe; also there is no evolution and humans, Undead and Airlia separated by tens of thousands of years get to just have the same traits, it is a feeling I hadn't in the first arc of the book. But well, although this book was fun to read is so different from the first books that probably it should have been its own story. This review is longer because are my thoughts for what, for now, is the end of the saga, which seems now will be like Matryoshka dolls, at first it was the Airlia devices, then the ones that were before the Airlia and humanity, and now is about those before them that originated the Swarm; I guess it comes the time for the Ancients, and maybe then we will see those that created the Ancients and so ad infinitum... Maybe the plot has been longer than it should.
(Caution, without being explicit spoilers these observations mention aspects of the plot)
The following books are about the Swarm and answers for mysteries left in the previous books. It is quite interesting, but sadly they are not that original. In the last books I feel I am reading a mix of a description of the movie 'Independence Day' (the chapters in the desert with the Swarm fleet destroying in stages the military defenses of the Earth); then a description of Arthur C. Clarke's 'Childhood's End' (the next step in evolution through children that are accepted to be part of a higher community, while old humanity is discarded); a bit of Lovecraft references, although not that well done as I cringed when a character utters "it is odd that H.P. Lovecraft knew of this specific creature and even drew a rather decent approximation of it," as if the description in the book were more extraordinary, which I don't feel to be the case; and lastly the evolution being driven by androids so old that they are more than androids and whose intent is to make sure there will be a better humanity with peace, harmony and eternal love in communion with the planet I have already read it in Asimov's 'Foundation and Earth,' and I didn't like it much then neither. Of course there is no obligation for an author to make a book with original ideas, that is impossible, but at least it should have his voice, which in this book I felt rather like going to hear a band playing covers. These last books are quite interesting, and maybe quite fast to read as so many chapters are repetitions from the previous ones, but I end feeling that the chapters are different stories glued to each other. Not only that but sadly the trends of the age are lurking unnecessarily, I love feminine strong characters, some of my favorite books ever are written by women, I appreciate when they are shown as complex characters, but here the author has gone a bit for the superficial trend to populate the book with only strong and intelligent women that are neither strong nor intelligent, but are in the company of weak and clumsy men. The Airlia characters are women (a commander and a scientist), which are depicted very differently to the original Airlia which were passionate and extremely intelligent; the leader of the new humanity is a girl, which honestly I found a good character as she is not superior but equal to all her peers; in the chapters mentioned to the story of the Imperium the only smart and good people are two women, a scientist and a commander again, the men are again evil or clumsy, and the good ones are good because they are the followers of the scientist, which was a very exasperating character. I cringed again when the wish of one of the characters is to get a more "inclusive" future, not because is a bad idea, is because is something that is told by some political activists for the society today, but is not coherent in the society of the character. There are problems of logic in general, in these series there is no scientific progress, the same machines exist since the dawn of times (the special metal of the starships and the ruby spheres that are their motors) and there is no more, the supposed scientists are very lazy in this universe; also there is no evolution and humans, Undead and Airlia separated by tens of thousands of years get to just have the same traits, it is a feeling I hadn't in the first arc of the book. But well, although this book was fun to read is so different from the first books that probably it should have been its own story. This review is longer because are my thoughts for what, for now, is the end of the saga, which seems now will be like Matryoshka dolls, at first it was the Airlia devices, then the ones that were before the Airlia and humanity, and now is about those before them that originated the Swarm; I guess it comes the time for the Ancients, and maybe then we will see those that created the Ancients and so ad infinitum... Maybe the plot has been longer than it should.
February 6, 2022
Wow. So he really took a 14 year break to come back and do this to this wonderful series? That's impressive and not in a good way. Very lackluster. These new four and this one just did not feel like Area 51 books. There is definitely a loss of quality now that he self publishes. I will give him points for originality so I can say something positive about it. At least with Star Wars it's Disney that ruined that. But Bob Mayer didn't sell his series. He did this to his own works. That's even more sad. Took a page turner series and turned it into a bore.
June 8, 2022
Really enjoyed this one
I enjoyed this book, after a couple I've struggled with, and I'm happy to have kept with the series.
I do wish we'd started we'ding some of the ideas in this book earlier, say last book. But it's a very interesting notion of an alternate life form and how it would see us.
I enjoyed this book, after a couple I've struggled with, and I'm happy to have kept with the series.
I do wish we'd started we'ding some of the ideas in this book earlier, say last book. But it's a very interesting notion of an alternate life form and how it would see us.
June 14, 2022
Solid finish to this part of the saga
Every time I thought I had his figured out, the story would twist, and then when I thought I had things realigned, it would twist again. A genuinely worthy wrap up to the first segment of this story.
Every time I thought I had his figured out, the story would twist, and then when I thought I had things realigned, it would twist again. A genuinely worthy wrap up to the first segment of this story.
October 30, 2025
Great series
Finally got thru all of these, and it was truly worth it. Mr Mayer takes almost every legend known and brings them together to create this universe. Good job!! I look forward to anything else you may add to this universe, can't wait for more.
Finally got thru all of these, and it was truly worth it. Mr Mayer takes almost every legend known and brings them together to create this universe. Good job!! I look forward to anything else you may add to this universe, can't wait for more.
August 20, 2022
8/10: Excellent read, well written, fell right into the fictional world created.
“Earth Mother. She is becoming aware.”
“Earth Mother. She is becoming aware.”
April 21, 2023
An excellent finish to the series. My second favorite in the series.
February 23, 2024
Unsatisfying end to a great series. But still not too bad.
January 31, 2026
I really lked the first 11 books alot, but just like the 12th book (Interstellar), I do not care for the 13th (Earth Abides).
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews