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Dark Evolution, #1
Pathosis
A sloppy extermination. Evidence mismanaged. And all of America is at risk. Coast Guard Lt Emily Brisbane is in charge of a strange ship at her dock. Everyone on board has been ripped apart. Even more disturbing, some of the bodies show teeth marks. Human teeth marks. Before she can conduct a full investigation, she needs to clear the ship of aggressive spiders attacking her investigators. Jack Wolfgang has seen a lot of strange things in his pest control job, but nothing like this ship. Picking through the bloody decks is bad, but spiders who hunt men is just too much. The government lady isn’t paying him to risk his life, so he does the bare minimum before heading home.,
286 pages, Paperback
First published April 28, 2015
13 people are currently reading
563 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 26, 2018
This book had my attention from the very first page! And I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes a fast-paced dystopian read. One thing I really liked about this story was its multiple points of view. You get the prospective of a young teen girl, a sea captain, and an officer. All with different takes on the story. I will definitely be reading more works by Jason LaVelle.
June 20, 2016
Well firstly, this has spiders in it! Secondly, this has big ass spiders in it and thirdly, this has big ass deadly spiders in it!!! I think I forgot to mention the spiders this has in it ;) *Shudders*.
I'm not a fan of spiders, just in case you couldn't tell, but I wanted to give this a try cause it sounded too good to pass, and while it may be totally unbelievable, it was such an entertaining read. I think if you go into it with the attitude that it's simply a great story then you will enjoy it. Don't go into it expecting a believable story because this isn't it!
The plot was fast paced, creepy and totally shudder inducing. The idea of an unknown species of deadly spiders the size of your palm was extremely and utterly terrifying. The idea that they contain a deadly virus was even worse, then add in the fact that it spreads to the mosquitoes, well that was just the icing on the cake!!
Anyway, this book caught my attention from the very first page and didn't let go till the very end. It's a well thought out and executed story and one that will stay with me for a while, I still check every shoe I put on just in case ;) Not for the faint of heart but a book that I highly recommend.
Melanie Ewbank was awesome. There are quite a few characters but she manages to make each one separate and gives them their own voice. She was easy to listen to and drew me into the story.
*I received a copy of this for review. This in no way affected my thoughts.*
I'm not a fan of spiders, just in case you couldn't tell, but I wanted to give this a try cause it sounded too good to pass, and while it may be totally unbelievable, it was such an entertaining read. I think if you go into it with the attitude that it's simply a great story then you will enjoy it. Don't go into it expecting a believable story because this isn't it!
The plot was fast paced, creepy and totally shudder inducing. The idea of an unknown species of deadly spiders the size of your palm was extremely and utterly terrifying. The idea that they contain a deadly virus was even worse, then add in the fact that it spreads to the mosquitoes, well that was just the icing on the cake!!
Anyway, this book caught my attention from the very first page and didn't let go till the very end. It's a well thought out and executed story and one that will stay with me for a while, I still check every shoe I put on just in case ;) Not for the faint of heart but a book that I highly recommend.
Melanie Ewbank was awesome. There are quite a few characters but she manages to make each one separate and gives them their own voice. She was easy to listen to and drew me into the story.
*I received a copy of this for review. This in no way affected my thoughts.*
January 16, 2016
*A complimentary ecopy was given by the author in exchange for my honest review.*
I was truly in awe at this story. We get glimpses into several stories coming together to make one hell of a creepy, horrific, and definitely an entertaining read. Have you ever read a 'zombie' apocalypse story and ask yourself, "How did it start?" Well, 99.9% of the time you're left wondering and never getting a definitive answer. This, however, explains how an apocalypse could start. It's not too far fetched to think that this could be a reality. I, myself, do suffer from arachnophobia. Hate spiders, can't stand them. I will kill one if in the presence of me. I am freaked out by such creepy crawly creatures. Ughh...Pathosis is a well written horror story that will definitely have you on the edge of your seat while checking for those creepy crawlies at the same time. I really enjoyed the concept that became so much more clearer there in the end. Nature. Is nature doing this to rid the humans? Since this is Book 1, I'm assuming more of THAT will come into play. Overall, I loved this story. Creepy, horrific, and definitely a page turner. Excited to see where this series goes.
I was truly in awe at this story. We get glimpses into several stories coming together to make one hell of a creepy, horrific, and definitely an entertaining read. Have you ever read a 'zombie' apocalypse story and ask yourself, "How did it start?" Well, 99.9% of the time you're left wondering and never getting a definitive answer. This, however, explains how an apocalypse could start. It's not too far fetched to think that this could be a reality. I, myself, do suffer from arachnophobia. Hate spiders, can't stand them. I will kill one if in the presence of me. I am freaked out by such creepy crawly creatures. Ughh...Pathosis is a well written horror story that will definitely have you on the edge of your seat while checking for those creepy crawlies at the same time. I really enjoyed the concept that became so much more clearer there in the end. Nature. Is nature doing this to rid the humans? Since this is Book 1, I'm assuming more of THAT will come into play. Overall, I loved this story. Creepy, horrific, and definitely a page turner. Excited to see where this series goes.
January 9, 2016
I received a copy of this book for free, in exchange for an honest review by the author.
**** I would consider this a book for mature readers do to extreme violence in this book. ****
This book Is about a very unique type of zombie apocalypse.
When This book started I was engrossed. It was woven into excitement, and horrifying experience as well.
There were a few parts where I became a little lost in the story, because I felt that parts of the story were a little off topic, and because of that I found myself a little confused at some points in the story.
Most of the story I did understand, and I thought it written beautifully.
In this story you get to actually know how the predator of the book thinks, and this is a very unusual predator. This is a good thing, but also a very creepy thing.
This book is a very realistic book; so realistic that it will actually give you chills at certain parts, and give you goosebumps, because it feels so real, and so scary.
If you are looking for a zombie apocalypse book that is unique to the core, and one that will scare you, and really make you think about survival, than this one is for you.
**** I would consider this a book for mature readers do to extreme violence in this book. ****
This book Is about a very unique type of zombie apocalypse.
When This book started I was engrossed. It was woven into excitement, and horrifying experience as well.
There were a few parts where I became a little lost in the story, because I felt that parts of the story were a little off topic, and because of that I found myself a little confused at some points in the story.
Most of the story I did understand, and I thought it written beautifully.
In this story you get to actually know how the predator of the book thinks, and this is a very unusual predator. This is a good thing, but also a very creepy thing.
This book is a very realistic book; so realistic that it will actually give you chills at certain parts, and give you goosebumps, because it feels so real, and so scary.
If you are looking for a zombie apocalypse book that is unique to the core, and one that will scare you, and really make you think about survival, than this one is for you.
November 3, 2015
This book sounded very creepy when I read the synopsis and it started out that way, which was great. Unfortunately, it went away from the creepy aspects that made the first half of the book so good. Pathosis ended well enough, but I think it unraveled at the end instead of finishing in a tightly constructed preview to possible future works. Also, the ending felt rushed to me, which was also unfortunate, because the surviving characters were interesting enough to stretch out a bit and get to know. That didn't happen, but maybe it will in future works? The ending is not bad, I was just hoping for something more / better. Overall I did like this book and it is an entertaining read, but what started as a high four star rating, ended at about three and a half. 3.5 outta 5 stars.
January 6, 2016
I hate spiders and probably wouldn't have read this book, but a friend recommended it and I'm so glad I listened to her!
It utterly creeped me out, especially the descriptions, but I thoroughly enjoyed it as a whole. The book was detailed and well executed, I liked the crossover between the origins and the repercussions.
There are so many sections about different characters that you never know who will survive, it kept me gripped to the story.
There were a few sections that lost my attention a little, I soon got back into the flow of the story so that wasn't too much of a problem.
*I received this for an honest review, my opinions are my own.*
It utterly creeped me out, especially the descriptions, but I thoroughly enjoyed it as a whole. The book was detailed and well executed, I liked the crossover between the origins and the repercussions.
There are so many sections about different characters that you never know who will survive, it kept me gripped to the story.
There were a few sections that lost my attention a little, I soon got back into the flow of the story so that wasn't too much of a problem.
*I received this for an honest review, my opinions are my own.*
October 14, 2015
Goodreads win. Will read and review once received.
I despise spiders. So picking up this book was so ugh for me. I will say though this book was very well thought of and written. I did enjoy it, but I will forever hide the cover from view. I would recommend and would love to read more from this author.
I despise spiders. So picking up this book was so ugh for me. I will say though this book was very well thought of and written. I did enjoy it, but I will forever hide the cover from view. I would recommend and would love to read more from this author.
October 2, 2015
This book sounds great! I hope to win, read it and enjoy the story ... If I win, the review will be updated once I finish the book :)
May 13, 2017
Wow!!! This book turned out to be nothing like I thought it would be. It was soooooo much better. I just couldn't put it down. Even though in places it had my stomach churning. So well written and certainly makes you think.....
December 14, 2022
A fun and disturbing read. Good end of days vibes with spiders as the vector of transmission for a virus that results in zombie like infected people. A great start to the series! Pacing was excellent and I found myself really becoming invested in the characters plight. Highly recommended.
July 9, 2020
The novel provides a detailed depiction of how an epidemic spreads. This means a bunch of peripheral characters that are not much more than a piece to the puzzle.
There was only one character I truly cared about (Kala). Whenever I was reading a chapter where that character wasn't in, I just kept asking, "I wonder what Kala is up to?"
Still, the book scores major points with reminiscences to classics like The Thing and Alien. The gore is well-written here too because it's not too much but just enough to gross the reader out. I look forward to reading the second book in the series mostly because I love Kala and I think she's a fucking badass.
Cheers.
There was only one character I truly cared about (Kala). Whenever I was reading a chapter where that character wasn't in, I just kept asking, "I wonder what Kala is up to?"
Still, the book scores major points with reminiscences to classics like The Thing and Alien. The gore is well-written here too because it's not too much but just enough to gross the reader out. I look forward to reading the second book in the series mostly because I love Kala and I think she's a fucking badass.
Cheers.
July 8, 2020
Pathosis by Jason LaVelle is a horror story par excellence. When the presence of an unusual-looking spider is found on a derelict ship where all the crew members and explorative scientists are dead, an exterminator is called. The spiders are nothing like he’d seen before and he flees the ship thinking he’d contained and destroyed them. He was wrong.
Arachnophobia affects hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. I am not among those, but I always had a strong distaste for spiders. After reading Pathosis, and now, in the middle of a pandemic, I have an entirely new perspective. LaVelle’s writing style is one of imagery; you can see the characters, the scenes, and most uncomfortably—the spiders, as the story unfolds. Horror stories are intended to scare people, but few actually accomplish that. Instead, they create a sense of unreality which is contra to my personal desire for verisimilitude in fiction. A sense of reality is paramount to involving the reader in the story. Without it, the reader is simply reading the words and occasionally fitting those words to a part of his/her life. With verisimilitude, the reader becomes emotionally involved in the story and that trait is where Jason LaVelle truly excels. From scenes that include details of government entities, how scientists conduct explorations of strange phenomena, to characterization and dialog, Pathosis is a true to life story. Even the small cliff-hanger at the end works to perfection, as a cliff-hanger is intended. I cannot wait for book two.
Arachnophobia affects hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. I am not among those, but I always had a strong distaste for spiders. After reading Pathosis, and now, in the middle of a pandemic, I have an entirely new perspective. LaVelle’s writing style is one of imagery; you can see the characters, the scenes, and most uncomfortably—the spiders, as the story unfolds. Horror stories are intended to scare people, but few actually accomplish that. Instead, they create a sense of unreality which is contra to my personal desire for verisimilitude in fiction. A sense of reality is paramount to involving the reader in the story. Without it, the reader is simply reading the words and occasionally fitting those words to a part of his/her life. With verisimilitude, the reader becomes emotionally involved in the story and that trait is where Jason LaVelle truly excels. From scenes that include details of government entities, how scientists conduct explorations of strange phenomena, to characterization and dialog, Pathosis is a true to life story. Even the small cliff-hanger at the end works to perfection, as a cliff-hanger is intended. I cannot wait for book two.
April 26, 2016
An exciting, well thought out audiobook that captures your attention from the very start with great hooks both in the first sentence of the prolog and at the start of chapter one. Once you are hooked it is difficult to put the book down, as the story captures your imagination and scares the pants right off you. The occurrences in this book are not outside the realms of possibility, and I think it is that, more than the spiders, that makes this book so creepy. If you are afraid of spiders though, this book defiantly won't help you overcome that fear. They are big, nasty and aggressive but they are really only the lead into a more complex story that illustrates just how fragile human kind is and how nature really has the controlling hand. The narrator did a great job, the characters were well defined and she managed to convey the emotion, tension and horror contained within the book. It is a creepy, captivating story that, once you start, you won't be able to put down. I received this audiobook from the author in exchange for an honest review
September 26, 2016
Kala, typical high school sophomore girl by day, awesome closet scientist, and loving big sister by night. But it is what happens to their city that changes everything.
This is not exactly a zombie book, but it is one of the best plague type books I have read, well listened too. I loved the side story that explained how the virus got to Florida in the first place, that was really cool, especially since I don't live there. It also really liked the how the story shows how the virus spreads and the only way to stop it as of that time. The book was very precise without the reader knowing it, no facts and figures but still precise.
I had the audio version narrated by Melanie Ewbank and she does a awesome job. There was one spot I knew it was coming because I actually did the books backwards, but she was so good with her voices and the emotions she puts into them she had me crying. Ms. Ewbank is just a awesome narrator and this is just a awesome book.
This is not exactly a zombie book, but it is one of the best plague type books I have read, well listened too. I loved the side story that explained how the virus got to Florida in the first place, that was really cool, especially since I don't live there. It also really liked the how the story shows how the virus spreads and the only way to stop it as of that time. The book was very precise without the reader knowing it, no facts and figures but still precise.
I had the audio version narrated by Melanie Ewbank and she does a awesome job. There was one spot I knew it was coming because I actually did the books backwards, but she was so good with her voices and the emotions she puts into them she had me crying. Ms. Ewbank is just a awesome narrator and this is just a awesome book.
June 1, 2016
I was given this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
Pathosis is an enthralling story. It's a Zombie story, but not your run of the mill Zombie. I love all things horror, so I jumped at the chance to read/listen to this story. It was a great creepy story of how a zombie apocalypse could be brought about by large infected spiders. Being from Florida I have seen my fair share of big creepy spiders, and to think they could cause Zombies, kinda of freaks me out lol. This is a very fast paced gory story of nature on the warpath. so watch out if spiders creep you out. Loved this book, can't wait to read the next one.
Pathosis is an enthralling story. It's a Zombie story, but not your run of the mill Zombie. I love all things horror, so I jumped at the chance to read/listen to this story. It was a great creepy story of how a zombie apocalypse could be brought about by large infected spiders. Being from Florida I have seen my fair share of big creepy spiders, and to think they could cause Zombies, kinda of freaks me out lol. This is a very fast paced gory story of nature on the warpath. so watch out if spiders creep you out. Loved this book, can't wait to read the next one.
February 20, 2016
Excellent! The cover gave me a shiver and the story leaves you with the shakes. This is a very fast paced gory story of nature on the warpath. One little decision leads to a major domino effect. I can totally see this being a terrifying horror movie. Arachnophobia move on over and make way for Pathosis! It’s a huge step up from spiders when you add something even scarier to the mix. Warning, don’t turn the lights out to read this one.
Want to read
September 28, 2016What an interesting twist!
I loved this book. At first, I wondered if it would pull me in, but the character development was fantastic! I can't list the sadness I felt or why because it would spoil it, but if you love zombies and gore, this book is for you! Reluctant readers will love it and young adults especially. It was graphic gore, but not over the top. A great book and I'm looking forward to the next one in the series!
I loved this book. At first, I wondered if it would pull me in, but the character development was fantastic! I can't list the sadness I felt or why because it would spoil it, but if you love zombies and gore, this book is for you! Reluctant readers will love it and young adults especially. It was graphic gore, but not over the top. A great book and I'm looking forward to the next one in the series!
January 4, 2016
Suspenseful
Spiders have never been one of my fears. My reaction to them being more of a ,"oh how cool."
This story is well developed to make the reader focus more on the result of a species without natural predators. A species that will do anything to survive.
I would recommend this book to my friends.
Spiders have never been one of my fears. My reaction to them being more of a ,"oh how cool."
This story is well developed to make the reader focus more on the result of a species without natural predators. A species that will do anything to survive.
I would recommend this book to my friends.
August 29, 2016
I loved this book by Jason LaVelle. It was a wonderful surprise as I had never read this author before. I loved all his characters especially Kala. And definitely not the spiders! This is a new breed of spiders that have never been seen before. Where did they come from and how did they get here?
October 29, 2016
Interesting
I enjoyed the way it was interwoven. some areas were intense. If you don't like spiders this won't be the book to read. The story plot is feasible.
I enjoyed the way it was interwoven. some areas were intense. If you don't like spiders this won't be the book to read. The story plot is feasible.
December 31, 2016
Very creepy! Brrrr!!!! I do not like spiders, but gave it a go anyway, and it hooked me from the first page! Give it a try, it is well worth a read! Highly Recommended!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews