The Extinct

by Victor Methos

DEEP IN THE JUNGLE, SOMETHING SINISTER AWAITS . . . Separated by 40 million years, man and nature's apex predators are about to cross paths.A TRAIL OF DEVASTATION . . . Deep in the jungles of Andhra Pradesh, India, hundreds of villagers have been attacked by the most ferocious land predator ever to have lived. At the mercy of a government that cares nothing for them, the body count begins to rise as the villagers cling to the hope that someone, somewhere will have the courage to fight.A SON'S SEARCH FOR HIS FATHER . . . Eric Holden learns that his father is killed by an unknown animal in the unexplored heart of India. A mysterious guide appears and offers him the chance for revenge.ERIC HOLDEN LEARNS THAT HE MAY NOT LEAVE INDIA ALIVE . . .Traveling to India to face his father's murderers, Eric leaves behind the life he knew, unsure if he will ever be able to return. Left to nature and the horrors of the jungle, Eric will see that revenge carries a terrible price.

Genres: Horror, Dinosaurs, Thriller, Science Fiction

358 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 24, 2011

About the author

Victor Methos is the Edgar Award nominated bestselling author of over forty novels. He has been a criminal and civil rights lawyer in the Mountain West, conducting over 100 trials, and produces two books a year with his dog Fraiser by his side.

Reviews

[Scott Allan · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an avid reader of over two thousand novels, I found this to be not quite what I would normally pick up...but it was cheap on kindle so I bought it. All in all, its worth a read. The story is pretty basic with some good characters. Well written

[Stu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aw man, I love monster stories but this one leaves much to be desired. First off, a decent proofreader; every dozen pages there would be a spelling error and it would keep me throwing me out of my concentration.

The story opens with one of the favoured tricks of any such story seeking to introduce a new monster to the reader :- have a well known beast get brutally destroyed by your less familiar beast thus establishing how badass it is. This was a fair idea the first time someone did it, maybe kind of obvious, but it has been done to death now. Stop it.

The structure is all sorts of fucked up, first and second halves are from different books. Characters are muddled, I think this is an attempt at moral ambiguity but that’s not how it comes across.

Monsters are never explained, just there, no origin not explanation for why they suddenly became a problem. Personally didn’t like them at all, they weren’t distinctive enough and seemed to have that superman syndrome where they were just too strong in every characteristic to be interesting.

All that said the author isn’t the worst I’ve come across in this genre by a long distance. With a bit more thought and a decent editor could see him writing some better stories in the future.

[Athena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh.

[Foisal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Failed to live up to the promises it gave in it's initial chapters.

Instead of getting more exciting and thrilling, it gets slow and boring.

Also many things are left unexplained.

[Collette Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book on Smashwords and picked it up. Considering how much I love James Rollins, Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston, etc., I thought it may be fun reading this. He did not disappoint. I was impressed with the way he kept you wondering with that sight unseen feeling thoughout the story. The ending was not cliche, and the pace was fast moving. The one slight problem I had with the story was the character's original motivation for leaving. It seemed a tad bit over the top. Nevertheless, the story was strong.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read the Jon Stanton books and thought they were outstanding. This book I found odd. The setting sounds lovely (Andhra Pradesh in India) and the story is about an unknown animal killing people, including the father of the protagonist Eric Holden. This book to me was not as interesting as the first two Victor Methos books I read. The descriptions of India are gorgeous and there is suspense but the characters really aren't that like-able. Eric does turn out okay in the end though and he has some fine moments even in his drug phase!

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a good story and a quick read however I did not enjoy it as much as "Sea Creature" his other creature thriller. The main character was a whiny kid for most of the book who didn't really grow up till the end. I expected more of a search for his father's killer versus the journey of self discovery that made up the majority of this book, but it did keep me entertained for a few days and I guess that is what matters most.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book! You were able to really get into the horror of the moment! I felt I was there in India running for my life!

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very basic summer thriller. Learning about India was the best part. The character development seems random and the scary hyenas would have been best left as a mystery until the end.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok... not the best I've ever read, but a nice diversion from reality, which is why I chose to read it in the first place.