Nightstalkers (Area 51: The Nightstalkers, #1) in SSG: Spy/Spec-Ops Group

Feb 26, 2014 Mike (the Paladin) rated it liked it

Shelves: military-fantasy, military-science-fiction, urban-fantasy

This is an interesting idea and could have been much better than it is. I'm hoping that the series will improve. I have marked the sequels and placed them on my wish list on Audible. I'll do what I've done with other books that were a bit, "borderline". I plan to give it one more book.

The book is constructed around a special ops "team" that have to face a strange phenomenon that seems to have (in the past) been brought about by "careless scientific inquiry".

Actually that's not a new idea. There This is an interesting idea and could have been much better than it is. I'm hoping that the series will improve. I have marked the sequels and placed them on my wish list on Audible. I'll do what I've done with other books that were a bit, "borderline". I plan to give it one more book.

The book is constructed around a special ops "team" that have to face a strange phenomenon that seems to have (in the past) been brought about by "careless scientific inquiry".

Actually that's not a new idea. There are scientists out there who sort of work on the premise that "if it can be done it ought to be done". Or even "If it might be possible it should be tried". During dialogue in the book one of the characters points out that when the first atomic bomb was set off some of the scientists present thought that they could set of a chain reaction that might destroy the world.

And they still set it off. (We'll not talk about the Hadron Collider and reports that the safety reports were biased).

Anyway that idea is one that's been done in science fiction before (not only in books but in movies and TV). It's not new but it's a good reliable place to start a short story or a book (or movie or TV show).

Anyway, scientists keep repeating the experiment apparently in ignorance of early problems or attempting to get a different outcome...(what was that Einstein said about doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome?).

There does seem to be an idea that it's not ALWAYS the same experiment (and that possibly "others" from "outside our universe" may also be involved) but for the last century+ we've apparently not grown significantly in understanding.

See these things cause "rifts" and things called "fireflies" come through the rifts. Fireflies "possess" animals and things (they apparently can't possess people). They can possess animals and cause them to attack...or "things" and cause them to attack. (At one point they possess a curling iron....).

As I said this has been going on a while...You see the tunguska blast was a rift.

Anyway the action sequences are okay. We get to know the people and that puts a little strain on our suspension of disbelief muscles. If like me you're a military and/or weapons buff you'll probably wonder why they use their chosen weapon.

I mean it's nothing huge but there's enough sour notes to make me roll my eyes now and again.

Not bad, not great, jury's still out on the series. ...more

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