What do you think?
Rate this book
The Nameless #1
Whispers of Ash
Book 1 in a thrilling new apocalyptic series that brings an all new look to the genre!
You can give up killing, but death never leaves you...
After a lifetime of hunting down criminals, Ryan just wants to live out his days in peace and in the shadows of Tokyo to grieve the loss of his wife and son. But his old team – the Nameless, experts in extraction and recon – comes with an urgent request for help. The young daughter of one of his closest friends, a girl he once treated as his own, has been kidnapped.
The search leads Ryan and his team into the Japanese mountains and a town steeped in secrets that a new sinister adversary wishes to keep hidden. He begins to unravel a deep, macabre plot that goes far beyond this missing girl. With enemies from the past remerging, they begin targeting members of the Nameless. Ryan quickly realizes that no matter how hard he tries to leave this world behind, it will never let him go until he defeats his demons. Those demons are not just after him, and if they aren’t stopped, it could put all of humanity at risk.
You can give up killing, but death never leaves you...
After a lifetime of hunting down criminals, Ryan just wants to live out his days in peace and in the shadows of Tokyo to grieve the loss of his wife and son. But his old team – the Nameless, experts in extraction and recon – comes with an urgent request for help. The young daughter of one of his closest friends, a girl he once treated as his own, has been kidnapped.
The search leads Ryan and his team into the Japanese mountains and a town steeped in secrets that a new sinister adversary wishes to keep hidden. He begins to unravel a deep, macabre plot that goes far beyond this missing girl. With enemies from the past remerging, they begin targeting members of the Nameless. Ryan quickly realizes that no matter how hard he tries to leave this world behind, it will never let him go until he defeats his demons. Those demons are not just after him, and if they aren’t stopped, it could put all of humanity at risk.
295 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 30, 2021
77 people are currently reading
92 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
March 30, 2021
Not all is as it seems in this thrilling new suspense series. The author has used his superb storytelling skills and plot-building talents to weave a spider’s web of intrigue, action and adventure in this post-apocalyptic story that takes place in a host of countries. The Nameless are an elite group of very determined undercover operatives working for a little-known group called LK3. 5 star, highly recommended first book in a fantastic new series with more twists and turns than a cheap garden hose.
April 14, 2021
Actual rating 3 2/3s stars. An exciting and perhaps action-OVERfilled introduction to what seems like it will become a very good series. Its been a long time since I stayed up well past midnight to finish a book, but this one had me wanting - nay, NEEDING - to know what happened next and to get to the end. And yes, there can be no doubt that there's a lot of comparisons which can be made with Nicholas Sansbury Smith's work, particularly his "Hell Divers" and "Extinction Cycle" classics. But "WoA" is indeed a busy book, with different kinds of death, destruction, mutations, and so, so many characters all packed together tightly in what was for me perhaps too little space.
Case in point: I really wish AJ.Smith had taken his time and let us get to know the characters a bit more. I was thinking about that today (aka "the morning after") in that there were some characters we could NOT get to know much better as they were removed almost immediately from the plot (ah Cordwell, we hardly knew ya'). Then again, there are characters I think I know already, including obviously such players as Ryan, Sofia and Zanzi. In the case of Sofia, even that one tiny scene of her threatening (no spoilers) if he hurt her daughter helped bring so much humanity into her character. And yet other players, such as Booth, just seem to be 'extras'. I can tell you about his hair but I really have no feeling for who he is as a character.
This is something the NS. version of the Smiths does very well. Having a character light a cigarette or hug his kids makes all the difference in the world. How does he prep for a mission, what superstitions to they have, etc.? It doesn't take much but it adds so much to our - connectivity? - with whoever is involved that it can't be understated.
But hey, the science fiction-y, doomsday parts were pretty cool. Like I said, in addition to the tie-in's genre-wise with NS.Smith's work, you'll also get either some real film vibes like "The Wolverine" and any score of WWII-to-present-day reels (maybe "Boys of Brazil" before its said and done?) or even flashbacks to other book series you've read (I had a few "Wayward Pines" feelings myself). The author has set a lot of this up to be really explosive even if I can't see how there can possibly be as many survivors as were indicated at one point from what has already gone down.
In fact, I think I would have ranked this book higher, but some plotting - inconsistencies? - really messed with my head (and yes, my pet peeve of editing mistakes ticked up too much in the 2nd half... e.g. "hadd" is not a word). I could be wrong about any or every one of these but I did double-check and even re-read some passages to check.To wit:
--- after the initial attack at HQ, Lisa and Zanzi are busy escaping through the labyrinth below. One moment they're in a room shredding their electronics and the next they're in the forest. There's no indication of the 'transition' into the woods at all. Yes, a minor point but I felt like it was a glitch in the Matrix;
--- after the same two try to rescue Harriet and are met again by ze German Commandos, Zanzi suddenly has syringes in her pocket. Where did they come from and why was she carrying them? I even did a word search and couldn't find anything. Seems like too big of a plot point when they're handed off later to have show up unexpected like that;
--- the character of Cal threw me for a loop or three (and I say this noting Tilly didn't phase me at all, hee hee, like totally). OK, so Cal was tortured and threatened and all that, so she had to play along as a bad guy (how did no one notice it was a woman driving the 'yellow' bike?). She later says she had to talk all evil because of the implants in her head - which also included a tracker - but that at least the listening parts were zapped away by Ryan's taser shot. But what about the tracker? Shouldn't she have been able to have still been tracked during the ride to Tokyo in the (no spoilers) and the assault on (no spoilers, the return)? I know I'll probably get to realize how dumb I am in coming chapters but we'll see. Her eventual reunion with Zanzi should be quite interesting if either are allowed to live long enough to get to that point.
But this is just me and the picked nits talking. Smith (AJ) has a really interesting concept on his hands and I'm really glad that Smith (NS) is helping us greedy readers enjoy it! And hey, that ending! Wowzers! We're gonna have some fun. Enjoy.
Case in point: I really wish AJ.Smith had taken his time and let us get to know the characters a bit more. I was thinking about that today (aka "the morning after") in that there were some characters we could NOT get to know much better as they were removed almost immediately from the plot (ah Cordwell, we hardly knew ya'). Then again, there are characters I think I know already, including obviously such players as Ryan, Sofia and Zanzi. In the case of Sofia, even that one tiny scene of her threatening (no spoilers) if he hurt her daughter helped bring so much humanity into her character. And yet other players, such as Booth, just seem to be 'extras'. I can tell you about his hair but I really have no feeling for who he is as a character.
This is something the NS. version of the Smiths does very well. Having a character light a cigarette or hug his kids makes all the difference in the world. How does he prep for a mission, what superstitions to they have, etc.? It doesn't take much but it adds so much to our - connectivity? - with whoever is involved that it can't be understated.
But hey, the science fiction-y, doomsday parts were pretty cool. Like I said, in addition to the tie-in's genre-wise with NS.Smith's work, you'll also get either some real film vibes like "The Wolverine" and any score of WWII-to-present-day reels (maybe "Boys of Brazil" before its said and done?) or even flashbacks to other book series you've read (I had a few "Wayward Pines" feelings myself). The author has set a lot of this up to be really explosive even if I can't see how there can possibly be as many survivors as were indicated at one point from what has already gone down.
In fact, I think I would have ranked this book higher, but some plotting - inconsistencies? - really messed with my head (and yes, my pet peeve of editing mistakes ticked up too much in the 2nd half... e.g. "hadd" is not a word). I could be wrong about any or every one of these but I did double-check and even re-read some passages to check.To wit:
--- after the initial attack at HQ, Lisa and Zanzi are busy escaping through the labyrinth below. One moment they're in a room shredding their electronics and the next they're in the forest. There's no indication of the 'transition' into the woods at all. Yes, a minor point but I felt like it was a glitch in the Matrix;
--- after the same two try to rescue Harriet and are met again by ze German Commandos, Zanzi suddenly has syringes in her pocket. Where did they come from and why was she carrying them? I even did a word search and couldn't find anything. Seems like too big of a plot point when they're handed off later to have show up unexpected like that;
--- the character of Cal threw me for a loop or three (and I say this noting Tilly didn't phase me at all, hee hee, like totally). OK, so Cal was tortured and threatened and all that, so she had to play along as a bad guy (how did no one notice it was a woman driving the 'yellow' bike?). She later says she had to talk all evil because of the implants in her head - which also included a tracker - but that at least the listening parts were zapped away by Ryan's taser shot. But what about the tracker? Shouldn't she have been able to have still been tracked during the ride to Tokyo in the (no spoilers) and the assault on (no spoilers, the return)? I know I'll probably get to realize how dumb I am in coming chapters but we'll see. Her eventual reunion with Zanzi should be quite interesting if either are allowed to live long enough to get to that point.
But this is just me and the picked nits talking. Smith (AJ) has a really interesting concept on his hands and I'm really glad that Smith (NS) is helping us greedy readers enjoy it! And hey, that ending! Wowzers! We're gonna have some fun. Enjoy.
May 12, 2022
As he pressed the reset button, the leading German antagonist said succinctly, “There were just too many people”. Dé·jà Vu, the Final Solution. The implied references to the Third Reich seeking to raise the Fourth Reich are obvious. It’s sort of cliché but the story is intriguing and the author holds back the methods of the instrument of destruction. The main characters are well-developed and interesting. Some twists and turns occur throughout this first volume, expanding the story and adding new characters. The plot arc is good. It’s a fairly complex story, adding points of present-day situations for authenticity. The way this volume is coming towards its conclusion it’s difficult to see how this series will continue. Pretty good twists and intrigue. The narrator, Mr. Corkhill was impressive as well.
April 19, 2021
The terror begins in the Philippines near the end of World War 2
The terror is unleashed from Japan in the present. Ryan Connors had spent his life chasing evil as part of the Nameless, his old unit of LK3 specializing in infiltration, recon and extraction. He'd left the unit shortly after losing his wife and son on the same day three years ago. His wife Calwyn drowned while attempting exfil from a satellite station in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Breaking her arm while diving into a raging river, Cal had slipped beneath the waters just as Ryan found purchase on the river bank. Her body was never recovered. Their son Liam had been killed the same day during a mass shooting at his high school. He had been shot and killed trying to get some fellow students
to safety. Left to raise his daughter, Liam's twin sister Zanzi, Ryan left the Nameless and LK3 behind him. Until now.
Sofia Ortiz, current member of the Nameless, breezed into the shop where Ryan was having tea and saki. She told him that her daughter, Keiko was missing. Keiko was like a daughter to Ryan, best friend of Zanzi. Sofia had asked Keiko to check into rumors of a strange bunker deep beneath the Koyasan University in Koya Japan. Keiko wasn't part of the Nameless, but they didn't expect any problem if Keiko just looked into rumors of strange goings on at the University. She never reported back. Ryan was pulled back into the unit, not knowing the terrors he would face: cities covered in people-shaped piles of ash, bloated monsters with translucent skin and cross-shaped cuts who attacked people and tore their spines loose from the neck of their victims, sucking on the end vertebrae like slurping up a straw.
As he chased after clues to find Keiko he found that someone was buying up satellites while others bought up control codes for hundreds more. That led back to shell corporations finally leading to Victor Offenheim. Head of the largest tech company in the world—ReinCorp. What was the giant tech company wanting with satellites and what were they doing to Keiko?
A giant conspiracy to depopulate the planet, killer satellites, secret bunkers, horrible monsters roaming the empty cities and countryside. And wait until you see the real monsters behind this decades old plan! Characters to love and fear. Death and monsters. Love lost and love found. Terror at every turn. A story so twisted that even the storyline isn't sure what's next! Characters to love and hate. Either way you know their hearts. I can't wait to read the second half of the series! This is a great read!
The terror is unleashed from Japan in the present. Ryan Connors had spent his life chasing evil as part of the Nameless, his old unit of LK3 specializing in infiltration, recon and extraction. He'd left the unit shortly after losing his wife and son on the same day three years ago. His wife Calwyn drowned while attempting exfil from a satellite station in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Breaking her arm while diving into a raging river, Cal had slipped beneath the waters just as Ryan found purchase on the river bank. Her body was never recovered. Their son Liam had been killed the same day during a mass shooting at his high school. He had been shot and killed trying to get some fellow students
to safety. Left to raise his daughter, Liam's twin sister Zanzi, Ryan left the Nameless and LK3 behind him. Until now.
Sofia Ortiz, current member of the Nameless, breezed into the shop where Ryan was having tea and saki. She told him that her daughter, Keiko was missing. Keiko was like a daughter to Ryan, best friend of Zanzi. Sofia had asked Keiko to check into rumors of a strange bunker deep beneath the Koyasan University in Koya Japan. Keiko wasn't part of the Nameless, but they didn't expect any problem if Keiko just looked into rumors of strange goings on at the University. She never reported back. Ryan was pulled back into the unit, not knowing the terrors he would face: cities covered in people-shaped piles of ash, bloated monsters with translucent skin and cross-shaped cuts who attacked people and tore their spines loose from the neck of their victims, sucking on the end vertebrae like slurping up a straw.
As he chased after clues to find Keiko he found that someone was buying up satellites while others bought up control codes for hundreds more. That led back to shell corporations finally leading to Victor Offenheim. Head of the largest tech company in the world—ReinCorp. What was the giant tech company wanting with satellites and what were they doing to Keiko?
A giant conspiracy to depopulate the planet, killer satellites, secret bunkers, horrible monsters roaming the empty cities and countryside. And wait until you see the real monsters behind this decades old plan! Characters to love and fear. Death and monsters. Love lost and love found. Terror at every turn. A story so twisted that even the storyline isn't sure what's next! Characters to love and hate. Either way you know their hearts. I can't wait to read the second half of the series! This is a great read!
March 31, 2021
Whispers of Ash, book 1 of Adrian Smith's apocalyptic 3 book series, has opened new nightmares on the darkest corners of humanity's capacity for evil. If you love apocalyptic stories, you won't be disappointed with this one. Good intentions are only the beginning, with a moral twist that defies any sense of humanity's morality. A lot of character relationships, personally this is what I look for in a good story, every page is filled with action and a every chapter takes the reader down a darker path to stop the evil.
May 26, 2021
I found this to be an interesting and entertaining read and it was very enjoyable, although I thought the kiwi accented reader (audiobook) was strange listening... I'm a New Zealander myself and I just kept thinking "we don't pronounce words like that" or that the main character was Aussie. Having said that I did get use to it and found it amusing in the end.
I look forward to listening to the next issue in this series.
I look forward to listening to the next issue in this series.
August 16, 2021
This book couldn't figure out it if was a Zombie, apocalypse, Sci Fi, or Vince Flynn/Rainbow 6 book. It honestly tried them all. While it had some decent aspects of all the stories were grossly interwined, and I don't mean in a good way. I was confused most of the book, and the ending was really kind of abrupt and felt very unfinished. While I'm still thinking about it, by inclination at the moment was I wasn't invested in any of the characters to follow to the conslusion....
May 18, 2021
Very good book. Sy-fy and military enthusiast should enjoy this book because of the different array of topics and weapons involved. While the topic of super soldiers or super humans has been a discussion for years, it’s always interesting to see a different take on the possibility of something like that happening.
Definitely can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
Definitely can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
October 13, 2023
This apocalyptic series is very imaginative and depends on some non bacterial agents for the disasters but at least they are not walking dead zombies. I was surprised how much I did enjoy much of the activities even though there are many horrors. I am not convinced that I will read others in this series?
April 1, 2021
Interesting Book
This is a new take on the zombie genre.
The characters are developed well enough to get to know them.
The story is fast paced and makes it seem realistic.
I liked it!
This is a new take on the zombie genre.
The characters are developed well enough to get to know them.
The story is fast paced and makes it seem realistic.
I liked it!
April 7, 2021
Adrian Smith has yet again solidified why I love reading his stories. His writing always pulls me in and keeps me turning the pages wondering what's going to happen next!
I highly recommend this book/series, and the author.
I highly recommend this book/series, and the author.
April 14, 2021
Adrian Smith's new book is well worth the read. The Nameless have their hands full trying to stop the end of civilization as we know it. The action starts early and never lets up. I really felt invested in the characters. Say yo go Adrian.
January 27, 2022
Fantastic reading
Something new in the apocalyptic world of reading, the author has written a novel new approach to how the world ends for billions of humans, can the surviving few be saved from a similar fate, let’s hope so!
Something new in the apocalyptic world of reading, the author has written a novel new approach to how the world ends for billions of humans, can the surviving few be saved from a similar fate, let’s hope so!
May 8, 2021
The Nameless by Adrian Smith is post apocalyptic fiction at its best. Fast paced, smart and fun. This series asks the question..what if the bad guys actually won?
January 4, 2022
90% action. 10% plot.
January 11, 2022
Must read series
Gripping, action packed, scary. It's scary to think there are people out there that would try this if they had the means.
Gripping, action packed, scary. It's scary to think there are people out there that would try this if they had the means.
February 21, 2022
Didnt do it for me. Mine was an Audible copy and the narrator didnt work for me which didnt help either.
March 8, 2022
A new twist!
Well written page turner. Never a dull moment. Believable scenario for the near future. More fun if you pull up a map of the different areas described.
Well written page turner. Never a dull moment. Believable scenario for the near future. More fun if you pull up a map of the different areas described.
abandoned
January 10, 2023DNF.
Gave up early on the audiobook. Every line is read so dramatically/over-acted/theatrical that it’s incredibly distracting and I can’t get immersed in it.
Gave up early on the audiobook. Every line is read so dramatically/over-acted/theatrical that it’s incredibly distracting and I can’t get immersed in it.
September 9, 2024
DNF just not my thing
May 19, 2021
Loved this!
I did love this novel, even with a cliff hanger, which can be forgiven since it’s such a good one. I really enjoyed pausing to look up the occasional word. It’s a pleasure to learn from the authors research. What an apocalypse this one is! People turning to ash makes any cleanup easy. Seriously though, the story has layers upon layers that will keep eyes on the book. With twists and turns that’ll get you gasping in shock. Absolutely brilliant story!
I did love this novel, even with a cliff hanger, which can be forgiven since it’s such a good one. I really enjoyed pausing to look up the occasional word. It’s a pleasure to learn from the authors research. What an apocalypse this one is! People turning to ash makes any cleanup easy. Seriously though, the story has layers upon layers that will keep eyes on the book. With twists and turns that’ll get you gasping in shock. Absolutely brilliant story!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews