What do you think?
Rate this book
Lost Cargo
When college student Travis Maguire chases his dog into Washington, D.C.'s Rock Creek Park wilderness, he finds more than the dog--he discovers a camera with photos of a mysterious black triangular aircraft that crashed in the woods.
Obsessed with the photos and the unknown photographer, Travis searches for the wreck, accompanied by two friends: beautiful Lexie Collins, who's convinced a UFO came down outside the city, and her brother Burke, who argues that the photos have to be fake. Their lives take an unimaginable turn when they encounter a six-eyed galactic animal control officer and the murderous creature he was transporting. Lost Cargo is set in the shadows of Washington's famous streets, with wicked twists and turns and unforgettable aliens.
Obsessed with the photos and the unknown photographer, Travis searches for the wreck, accompanied by two friends: beautiful Lexie Collins, who's convinced a UFO came down outside the city, and her brother Burke, who argues that the photos have to be fake. Their lives take an unimaginable turn when they encounter a six-eyed galactic animal control officer and the murderous creature he was transporting. Lost Cargo is set in the shadows of Washington's famous streets, with wicked twists and turns and unforgettable aliens.
220 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 31, 2011
19 people are currently reading
222 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 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 26, 2018
Thumbs down, skimmed a lot,blergh
This book couldn’t decide whether it was a horror or sci-fi and didn’t really do a good job of either. The characters are fairly unlikable - most of the men are jerks and the women are clueless (e.g. there is this weird subplot with a dentist grifter and one of the main female characters that is unecessary and absurd). The main “good guy“ character takes something personal from the girl he is interested in and never tells her (i’m purposely being vague to avoid spoilers as though that matters with this book🙄). Even with lots and lots of skimming I still do not recommend this book. Highly repetitive and lackluster.
This book couldn’t decide whether it was a horror or sci-fi and didn’t really do a good job of either. The characters are fairly unlikable - most of the men are jerks and the women are clueless (e.g. there is this weird subplot with a dentist grifter and one of the main female characters that is unecessary and absurd). The main “good guy“ character takes something personal from the girl he is interested in and never tells her (i’m purposely being vague to avoid spoilers as though that matters with this book🙄). Even with lots and lots of skimming I still do not recommend this book. Highly repetitive and lackluster.
October 30, 2011
Lost Cargo is not your typical sci-fi story. It begins with the crash of an interstellar vehicle in Rock Creek Park in Washington DC. Hooked me easily, and not just because I was raised in the suburbs of DC. Soon we learn that the witness to this crash will not be our protagonist. Instead, college student Travis finds a hidden camera bag, camera inside, and the pictures it contains. He has a hard time convincing anyone that these are indeed pictures of a crashed UFO, but happy chance gives him Lexi, another college student with an interest in UFOs. The hunt begins. In more ways than one.
Be prepared for some horror elements. Turns out something extraterrestrial has escaped from the crash, and it’s hungry. Our pair of UFO hunters soon find themselves the hunted.
I did not want to put this book down. The author used just enough gore to set the tone, and easily built up the tension to the snapping point, because the reader is never sure who is safe and who is alien food. Thank heavens the predator is not the only alien on the ship. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the predator and the alien animal control officer who also has to find Travis in order to facilitate capture of his escaped cargo.
In a few instances, I got a little annoyed at the actions and reactions of the main characters, but given the drastic circumstances, I suppose I should cut them some slack.
I also thought the dentist was an unnecessary addition to the book.
But what a great, unexpected way to wrap it all up. Kudos for an ending I did not anticipate.
Overall, a gripping read with solid writing and a fast pace.
Be prepared for some horror elements. Turns out something extraterrestrial has escaped from the crash, and it’s hungry. Our pair of UFO hunters soon find themselves the hunted.
I did not want to put this book down. The author used just enough gore to set the tone, and easily built up the tension to the snapping point, because the reader is never sure who is safe and who is alien food. Thank heavens the predator is not the only alien on the ship. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the predator and the alien animal control officer who also has to find Travis in order to facilitate capture of his escaped cargo.
In a few instances, I got a little annoyed at the actions and reactions of the main characters, but given the drastic circumstances, I suppose I should cut them some slack.
I also thought the dentist was an unnecessary addition to the book.
But what a great, unexpected way to wrap it all up. Kudos for an ending I did not anticipate.
Overall, a gripping read with solid writing and a fast pace.
September 18, 2016
DNF. Just didn't hold my interest.
February 11, 2015
I'll admit it, I got the book while it was free. And at first I thought it would be a great find- the author knew how to put words together in a fashion that did more than paint a scene, they immersed you in it. I found myself highlighting passages because they were particularly colorful or clever, and at one point the scene became so suspenseful that I actually jumped when my wife walked into the room.
Then somewhere along the way it turned into just another story.
I'm not sure exactly when this shift happened, and I don't know what role the editor played in that shift. All I know is there were suddenly too many loosely threaded or unnecessary story lines and their set-up was contrived. For the sake of spoilers, I'll remain vague while pointing out that there was one potentially large story line that came up, had the potential to redirect the main story, then resolved itself with no fanfare. It was so anticlimactic that I kept waiting for it to pop back up as late as the last chapter! For that matter, it could have been left out of the book entirely with no effect other than to reduce the page count.
I'm glad I read this story -if nothing else then as an exercise in reading more- but I'm really interested in seeing how it would have turned out had a different editor been involved.
Then somewhere along the way it turned into just another story.
I'm not sure exactly when this shift happened, and I don't know what role the editor played in that shift. All I know is there were suddenly too many loosely threaded or unnecessary story lines and their set-up was contrived. For the sake of spoilers, I'll remain vague while pointing out that there was one potentially large story line that came up, had the potential to redirect the main story, then resolved itself with no fanfare. It was so anticlimactic that I kept waiting for it to pop back up as late as the last chapter! For that matter, it could have been left out of the book entirely with no effect other than to reduce the page count.
I'm glad I read this story -if nothing else then as an exercise in reading more- but I'm really interested in seeing how it would have turned out had a different editor been involved.
May 17, 2012
I just got a Kindle recently, and picked up this book from Amazon for free. It kept my glued to it as I raced through the chapters.
An alien ship crash lands in a Washington D.C. park. One bad alien escapes and terrorizes the area, while a good alien needs to hunt him down. Most of the book revolves around a few people who know the truth and are struggling to get back a captured friend and warn others while not getting eaten in the process.
This book is a mix of Sci-Fi, thriller, horror, and humor. It does not blend the genres together well. One chapter feels like a comedy while the next chapter becomes gory.
An excessive amount of the book is dedicated to chase sequences. It feels like most of the plot involves either the alien chasing people, or the main characters trying to follow the alien. If you are famalier with the Washington D.C. area, you may enjoy this more then I did since the author works in many of the streets and parks.
Some characters are irrelevant, and the main character frequently behaves oddly. For example, one of his friends just got trapped in a UFO and needs help getting out. His first instinct is to go get a cup of coffee instead of getting help.
Overall it's a somewhat flawed novel that is still enjoyable as a light read.
An alien ship crash lands in a Washington D.C. park. One bad alien escapes and terrorizes the area, while a good alien needs to hunt him down. Most of the book revolves around a few people who know the truth and are struggling to get back a captured friend and warn others while not getting eaten in the process.
This book is a mix of Sci-Fi, thriller, horror, and humor. It does not blend the genres together well. One chapter feels like a comedy while the next chapter becomes gory.
An excessive amount of the book is dedicated to chase sequences. It feels like most of the plot involves either the alien chasing people, or the main characters trying to follow the alien. If you are famalier with the Washington D.C. area, you may enjoy this more then I did since the author works in many of the streets and parks.
Some characters are irrelevant, and the main character frequently behaves oddly. For example, one of his friends just got trapped in a UFO and needs help getting out. His first instinct is to go get a cup of coffee instead of getting help.
Overall it's a somewhat flawed novel that is still enjoyable as a light read.
November 18, 2011
When an alien spaceship crashes in a wooded park area of Washington DC, the pilot is injured and his cargo, a shape-shifting animal escapes. The shape-shifter immediately kills a girl, taking on her shape - and to an extent - her identity. Soon, unexplained deaths occur in and around the area and it is not long before three people accidently find - and enter - the hidden (cloaked) spaceship.
A rather enjoyable read which was spoiled by a few turns which contradict human nature. For example if a friend is hurt or trapped somewhere, there is no-ways you would leave them there without attempting to rescue them (I refer to Lexie's brother trapped in the spaceship). Also, with all the unexplained deaths occurring in the park, why would anybody leave their wife and car there - at sundown - and walk home? Some of the characters did not add value to the story - like the so-called dentist....
These small issues aside, it was a fairly interesting read.
Got my ebook as a Kindle freebie which it no longer is.
A rather enjoyable read which was spoiled by a few turns which contradict human nature. For example if a friend is hurt or trapped somewhere, there is no-ways you would leave them there without attempting to rescue them (I refer to Lexie's brother trapped in the spaceship). Also, with all the unexplained deaths occurring in the park, why would anybody leave their wife and car there - at sundown - and walk home? Some of the characters did not add value to the story - like the so-called dentist....
These small issues aside, it was a fairly interesting read.
Got my ebook as a Kindle freebie which it no longer is.
December 9, 2011
I struggled to finish this one. It's a bit like a horror movie. It's tempting to say "like a bad horror movie" but since I don't like horror, they all seem bad to me. Anyway, the characters in this novel behave inexplicably, and lots of strings are left dangling. As other reviewers have mentioned, the whole thing with the dentist is weird and leads nowhere. I would add the same is true for Monroe- we never find out why he seemed connected to the alien, unless it's because his grandfather told him about the stars as a child.
The main characters are exasperating and annoying, frequently angry for no reason. They seem unevenly developed, for lack of a better phrase. On a better note, there weren't many typos or grammar errors, which was nice. If you enjoy horror, you might like it, but I would not recommend it for any other reason.
The main characters are exasperating and annoying, frequently angry for no reason. They seem unevenly developed, for lack of a better phrase. On a better note, there weren't many typos or grammar errors, which was nice. If you enjoy horror, you might like it, but I would not recommend it for any other reason.
December 19, 2011
I thoroughly enjoyed reading LOST CARGO. Admittedly, the title drew me in first with its obvious tie with that of my adventure MACEDONIA PASSAGE: DANGEROUS CARGO. Kind of a silly reason to pick up a book, I know, but who's to say what inspires us to pick up a book.
You can look up the book to get the synopsis, but I'll say it was one of those books that keeps you turning the pages. A good old-fashioned science fiction adventure.
You can look up the book to get the synopsis, but I'll say it was one of those books that keeps you turning the pages. A good old-fashioned science fiction adventure.
December 18, 2012
This book was actually pretty decent! Cheesy, but decent. I liked the fact that I couldn't predict what would happen and some parts left me laughing out loud while others left me grimacing with horror! I would of liked to have seen more of the alien technician though. He was suppose to hunt down and recapture his lost cargo, but the human characters tended to track it more than the alien. Anyway, I thought it was pretty good!
January 30, 2012
It was a slow start. About half way in you really got attached to Travis and Lexie the two main characters. By that time you couldn't put the book down. Wondering if they were going to be attacked. Or if Travis's sister and husband would be since they moved into the same building as the monster. And if the little blue man was ever going to release Lexie's brother Burke from the space ship.
June 3, 2012
Years back I read many Dean Koontz books, (before he went to the psychobabble type of stories) This book reminded me of the old Dean Koontz. Far fetched, but not that far fetched that it isnt believable. I would recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of Koontz/King type books.
February 20, 2016
Awesome story
This was a almost can't put it down book. But I did but still it took only three days to finish. I would recommend this book to any friends. It would make a great movie.
This was a almost can't put it down book. But I did but still it took only three days to finish. I would recommend this book to any friends. It would make a great movie.
May 9, 2012
Fun little monster thriller. Only tangentially SF, but hearkens back to the old pulps.
Read
December 7, 2013False
November 20, 2014
Very good reading
excellent and simple science fiction
Very entertaining. could not put the book down until finished. recommend for any one who enjoys good science fiction.
excellent and simple science fiction
Very entertaining. could not put the book down until finished. recommend for any one who enjoys good science fiction.
August 10, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. It was an interesting story. Entertaining, easy read.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews