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Chesspocalypse #4
Callsign: King II - Underworld
Strange things have always happened in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona… Bizarre lights, reports of cave entrances that appear and then vanish, hundreds of mysterious disappearances…and rumors of monstrous creatures that inhabit a labyrinthine underworld. When a terrifying accident on an Arizona highway leads to a military exclusion zone and a cover-up of staggering proportions, Jack Sigler— King, field leader of the elite and ultra-secret covert Chess Team—joined by his closest friend, archaeologist George Pierce, sets out into the desert, intent on discovering the truth. Assisted by a beautiful paranormal investigator, dogged by soldiers intent on preserving the quarantine, and pursued by a relentless legendary hitman, King soon finds himself in a race against time to prevent all out war with the creatures that inhabit the underworld. King – Underworld was the fourth in a series of Chess Team novellas released in 2011, and the sequel to the first King story. Each of the eight books in the series—deemed the ‘Chesspocalypse’—follows a single member of the team and is co-authored by Jeremy Robinson and one of six other fantastic authors. The stories take place after the events of Threshold, the third Jack Sigler thriller, and before the events of Ragnarok, the fourth full-length novel in the series. The Chesspocalypse novellas are designed to introduce readers to the series. If you haven’t read the novels, no worries. Enjoy the ride! Praise for Robinson “Rocket-boosted action, brilliant speculation, and the recreation of a horror out of the mythologic past, all seamlessly blend into a rollercoaster ride of suspense and adventure.” —James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of The Eye of God “With Threshold Jeremy Robinson goes pedal to the metal into very dark territory. Fast-paced, action-packed and wonderfully creepy! Highly recommended!” —Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Rot & Ruin “Jeremy Robinson is the next James Rollins” —Chris Kuzneski, New York Times bestselling author of The Einstein Pursuit “If you like thrillers original, unpredictable and chock-full of action, you are going to love Jeremy Robinson...” —Stephen Coonts, New York Times bestselling author of Pirate Alley “How do you find an original story idea in the crowded action-thriller genre? Two Jeremy Robinson.” —Scott Sigler, New York Times bestselling author of Pandemic “There’s nothing timid about Robinson as he drops his readers off the cliff without a parachute and somehow manages to catch us an inch or two from doom.” —Jeff Long, New York Times bestselling author of The Descent Praise for Ellis “Some books are just plain unbridled fun, others are edge of the seat gripping entertainment, some make you think, a few open your eyes. Sean Ellis is a magician, doing it all with a deftness that pulls you in and draws you along from page one breathlessly to the end of the book.” —Steven Savile, international bestselling author of Silver “Sean Ellis delivers another high-octane romp, exploring mythical lost civilizations and alternative histories, with the unrelenting pace of your favorite summer blockbuster.” —Stel Pavlou, bestselling author of Decipher “[The Adventures of Dodge Dalton in the Shadow of Falcon’s Wings] is high flying adventure at its best.
186 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2011
33 people are currently reading
453 people want to read
About the author
Jeremy Robinson
163 books2,596 followersJeremy Robinson is the New York Times bestselling author of seventy novels and novellas, including Apocalypse Machine, Island 731, and SecondWorld, as well as the Jack Sigler thriller series and Project Nemesis, the highest selling, original (non-licensed) kaiju novel of all time. He’s known for mixing elements of science, history and mythology, which has earned him the #1 spot in Science Fiction and Action-Adventure, and secured him as the top creature feature author. Many of his novels have been adapted into comic books, optioned for film and TV, and translated into thirteen languages. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife and three children. Visit him at www.bewareofmonsters.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
November 20, 2022
Great Series!
I’ve just completed reading another of the Chesspocalypse books.
Jack Sigler is a man of smarts, energy and skills.
He always gets the win!
Five thrilling stars. 💫
I’ve just completed reading another of the Chesspocalypse books.
Jack Sigler is a man of smarts, energy and skills.
He always gets the win!
Five thrilling stars. 💫
April 17, 2023
I am loving these Jack Sigler books, and this one was top-notch. The monsters in this story were particularly entertaining, and it was good to have Greg Pierce along for the ride.
On to start another book from the series.
On to start another book from the series.
September 3, 2018
Great Series!
I’ve just completed reading another of the Chesspocalypse books. Jack Sigler is a man of smarts, energy and skills. He always gets the win.
I’ve just completed reading another of the Chesspocalypse books. Jack Sigler is a man of smarts, energy and skills. He always gets the win.
December 15, 2019
400 BCE... Deep in the caves in a far distant and unknown land, a man ventures forth into the dark with nothing but his might and a VERY large club. His place among men had led him into many adventures and now he would labor to complete this new task. Deadly mists... strange deformed creatures... a river that destroyed everything it touched. These were just the beginning of his discoveries in the stygian darkness. And yet, he walked on...
The present... A strange turn of events...INCLUDING an assassination attempt leads Jack Sigler - otherwise known by his Ops Callsign KING - and one of his oldest friends to the scorching deserts of Arizona where a horrible disaster draws King into a conflict he had not seen coming fighting human foes and inhuman beings from the distant past, both of which might be the death of him...and perhaps the world. And the worst of those might not even be alive.
Jeremy Robinson and Sean Ellis have created the next chapter in the CHESSPOCALYPSE series by revisiting Jack Sigler in the second of the CALLSIGN: KING novella series. Robinson has built a dynamic world of intrigue and danger, creatures from out of myth and legend, and scientific wonders that are on the cutting edge of genius. Joining with Sean Ellis to write the singular adventures of Jack brings Jeremy's creations into Sean's reach and the two produce another thrilling ride that will have the readers enthralled and wanting more rushing while rushing to an end that will leave them begging for more which... luckily... is available and in print and eBook.
While this book fits into the larger milieu of the JACK SIGLER/CHESSTEAM universe, the new reader can pick this book up and read it as a stand alone with outside references being either self-explanatory or minor to the story.
The present... A strange turn of events...INCLUDING an assassination attempt leads Jack Sigler - otherwise known by his Ops Callsign KING - and one of his oldest friends to the scorching deserts of Arizona where a horrible disaster draws King into a conflict he had not seen coming fighting human foes and inhuman beings from the distant past, both of which might be the death of him...and perhaps the world. And the worst of those might not even be alive.
Jeremy Robinson and Sean Ellis have created the next chapter in the CHESSPOCALYPSE series by revisiting Jack Sigler in the second of the CALLSIGN: KING novella series. Robinson has built a dynamic world of intrigue and danger, creatures from out of myth and legend, and scientific wonders that are on the cutting edge of genius. Joining with Sean Ellis to write the singular adventures of Jack brings Jeremy's creations into Sean's reach and the two produce another thrilling ride that will have the readers enthralled and wanting more rushing while rushing to an end that will leave them begging for more which... luckily... is available and in print and eBook.
While this book fits into the larger milieu of the JACK SIGLER/CHESSTEAM universe, the new reader can pick this book up and read it as a stand alone with outside references being either self-explanatory or minor to the story.
October 19, 2020
I have enjoyed all of the Jermy Robinson Chess Team books! I somehome missed these novellas and are now "catching" up reading them.
I had to do a double take while reading Callsign King II - Underworld when the story talked about Jeff Long and his theory of a series of tunnerl under the earth! As a fan of Jeff Long's Descent books this was a great "homage" to Jeff and his books!
I had to do a double take while reading Callsign King II - Underworld when the story talked about Jeff Long and his theory of a series of tunnerl under the earth! As a fan of Jeff Long's Descent books this was a great "homage" to Jeff and his books!
October 20, 2020
A great king adventure.
King is off on a solo adventure away from the chess team. There are several challenges that king and his companions have to deal with. someone is trying to kill king and mysterious creatures are attacking people. Will they be able to solve the mysteries, save the world and survive all at the same time?
King is off on a solo adventure away from the chess team. There are several challenges that king and his companions have to deal with. someone is trying to kill king and mysterious creatures are attacking people. Will they be able to solve the mysteries, save the world and survive all at the same time?
February 13, 2018
This book was slightly better than the first in this subset of the Chess Team novels. The story made a little more sense and flowed better. Curious how the final of the trilogy will go.
November 1, 2018
This series is great, yet insane, whether the main series or novellas!
October 31, 2021
Just...meh. Really underwhelming.
February 15, 2024
Action and monsters!!!
Jeremy Robinson and Sean Ellis team up to create a story so fun to read you won't stop until you're done!
Jeremy Robinson and Sean Ellis team up to create a story so fun to read you won't stop until you're done!
February 1, 2017
For anyone who actually bothers to read my reviews (and who am I kidding, nobody does. Clearly I do this for my own shits and giggles) they'll know I'm a huge fan of Jeremy Robinson. They'll also know that I'm working my way through his chesspocalypse novellas in between longer, deeper novels. Keen observers (ok, nobody) will notice that as I've read each book/story in this series, each successive one has gotten progressively worse. The first of King's solo adventure might not have been the absolute best of Robinson's work, but it was fun, entertaining and a quick, almost mindless read. Callsign: Queen lowered the bar in depth, but it was still readable. However it was the Rook storyline that was flat out awful and did literally nothing to further the character of Rook or even bring out a decent story. I said in my review of that book that I think a lot of it had to do with having just come off the far better Warhawk by the always rewarding James Rollins, but honestly, Callsign: Rook wasn't good.
And now with all that backstory out of the way: what a difference a co-author can make. When Sean Ellis joins Robinson, as he has in the previously mentioned Callsign: King, along with some of the other full length Chessteam novels, everything is ramped up. The writing is better; the action is more succinct and to the point, and the overall story is just that much more enjoyable. And that's the case with Callsign: King- Underworld. Unlike both Queen (co-authored by David Wood) and Rook (by the disappointingly mediocre Edward G. Talbot), Ellis brings so much more excitement to a story. Underworld moves along at a smoothly conceived breakneck pace and lacks any of the clunky dialogue and structure of the previous 2 in this series. Plus, as I've said before a few times, it's fun and doesn't feel like a chore to read.
I suppose this one definitely tested the realms of possibility and some of the things mentioned in here (the "Muggy Monsters", the science of the Bluelight faculty, Sokoloff's history) could have been given more time to develop and maybe been looked at more in-depth. But then again, this is a novella afterall, meant for a quick 2 or 3 hour read, so a lack of real substance is totally understandable here.
Whatever the case may be, it's nice to see this series get back on track after the mediocrity of the previous 2. Hopefully Callsign: Bishop keeps this trend going.
And now with all that backstory out of the way: what a difference a co-author can make. When Sean Ellis joins Robinson, as he has in the previously mentioned Callsign: King, along with some of the other full length Chessteam novels, everything is ramped up. The writing is better; the action is more succinct and to the point, and the overall story is just that much more enjoyable. And that's the case with Callsign: King- Underworld. Unlike both Queen (co-authored by David Wood) and Rook (by the disappointingly mediocre Edward G. Talbot), Ellis brings so much more excitement to a story. Underworld moves along at a smoothly conceived breakneck pace and lacks any of the clunky dialogue and structure of the previous 2 in this series. Plus, as I've said before a few times, it's fun and doesn't feel like a chore to read.
I suppose this one definitely tested the realms of possibility and some of the things mentioned in here (the "Muggy Monsters", the science of the Bluelight faculty, Sokoloff's history) could have been given more time to develop and maybe been looked at more in-depth. But then again, this is a novella afterall, meant for a quick 2 or 3 hour read, so a lack of real substance is totally understandable here.
Whatever the case may be, it's nice to see this series get back on track after the mediocrity of the previous 2. Hopefully Callsign: Bishop keeps this trend going.
February 27, 2014
Ever hear of the Mogollon Monster?
King, Jack Sigler, is supposed to have the weekend off to go fishing with his best friend, George Pierce. An incident in Arizona abruptly changes those plans. A video makes it online showing a young woman being attacked by some sort of monster. Then the video mysteriously disappears from online and every computer that it had been downloaded to.
The military has secured the area of the attack so King and Pierce are sneaking in a back way. They come upon a paranormal investigator and end up getting caught by the military. King, Pierce and the investigator survive attacks by the monsters, being chased by the military, and an assassin as they try to figure out what is attacking and why.
This is a very fast paced story, all of it happening in the space of a few hours one night. King is in fine form using his computer type brain to save the day and Pierce is delightful. This is a great edition to the Chess Team story line. I would read it again. In fact, I have already read it twice.
King, Jack Sigler, is supposed to have the weekend off to go fishing with his best friend, George Pierce. An incident in Arizona abruptly changes those plans. A video makes it online showing a young woman being attacked by some sort of monster. Then the video mysteriously disappears from online and every computer that it had been downloaded to.
The military has secured the area of the attack so King and Pierce are sneaking in a back way. They come upon a paranormal investigator and end up getting caught by the military. King, Pierce and the investigator survive attacks by the monsters, being chased by the military, and an assassin as they try to figure out what is attacking and why.
This is a very fast paced story, all of it happening in the space of a few hours one night. King is in fine form using his computer type brain to save the day and Pierce is delightful. This is a great edition to the Chess Team story line. I would read it again. In fact, I have already read it twice.
April 28, 2013
Underworld is a collaboration between Jeremy Robinson and Sean Ellis and is a great action packed thriller. I have read both authors separately and this is a good pairing of the two. Underworld is a series in Robinson’s Chess Team saga but it is a good stand-alone novel. There are a few references to past events but are not necessary to understand the book.
Underworld follows “King” who is the leader of the secret covert Chess Team is on a solo adventure. This is Classic Robinson with high tech gear fighting monsters but as always, he does it in a very believable manner. It was an easy read with plenty of action and of course the ending sets you up for another book to see what happens.
If you’ve read Robinson or Ellis before, you won’t be disappointed if not, this is a good book to start with.
Underworld follows “King” who is the leader of the secret covert Chess Team is on a solo adventure. This is Classic Robinson with high tech gear fighting monsters but as always, he does it in a very believable manner. It was an easy read with plenty of action and of course the ending sets you up for another book to see what happens.
If you’ve read Robinson or Ellis before, you won’t be disappointed if not, this is a good book to start with.
October 9, 2013
Congratulations to Jeremy Robinson & Sean Ellis, this is the best Callsign so far. Relentless action and skilled storytelling propels the plot forward at lightning speed. It is a short read at less then two hundred pages but short read has nothing to do with the length of the novella but the speed you go through it. This story proves that with or without his team, Jack Sigler is an engaging character. Kudos to the authors, another great read.
December 26, 2013
I wanted a Chess Team adventure, I got a Jack Sigler (aka King) adventure. The action comes fast and is edge-of-the-seat stuff! But this is a solo affair, lacking the chemistry and witty dialog that is pervasive with the Chess Team, and that's too bad. Don't expect the story to be remotely plausible, it's not even close. But as a monster adventure it is engaging. Still, it feels like the Chess Team and the Event Group are competing for the same business.
February 3, 2015
If you like James Rollins, you'll love Jeremy Robinson. I've read all the "Callsign:" novels and novellas, and I've enjoyed them all. This one has military action, paranormal activity, some science, an assassin and... a MONSTER that is totally believable. That's what I like about Jeremy's books: they're kinda way out there, but he writes the adventure in a way that you can feel you're a part of the thrill ride.
February 20, 2014
Original review (17/07/2012) - Brainstorm is back and King has to defeat it along with a world famous hitman on his tail. It was also nice to have George Pierce back along for the ride.
Listened to the audible version - Jeffrey Kafer is an amazing narrator and really brings an already great story to life!
Listened to the audible version - Jeffrey Kafer is an amazing narrator and really brings an already great story to life!
February 10, 2014
Call Sign: King, book 2: Underworld is the second part of the Brainstorm trilogy. Fast paced and action-packed, this novella is hard to put down. Just like all the others! Try it out once you've read the rest: Prime, Pulse, Instinct, Threshold, and the Call Sign novellas for King, book 1, Queen, Rook, Bishop, and Knight-in that order. Now onto Call Sign: Deep Blue!
February 24, 2014
Another excellent Sigler book by Jeremy Robinson. Callsign: King - Book 2 - Underworld brings yet another mysterious foe and more thrilling excitement. Taking all my willpower to take a break from starting book 3 to write this review, cannot wait to see where King goes next and what he ends up going against.
August 29, 2014
I don't wanna go 3 months between reading Jeremy Robinson books again. He is my favorite author and his books never disappoint. I really enjoyed this book and has me pumped to read the rest of the chess team novellas before taking on the later novels. If you like fast paced military action mixed with science fiction read the chess team series!
March 21, 2015
A fun second addition to the King series. Filled with monsters, friendship, the underworld and the odds stacked against him, King is once again proving that the odds don't apply to him. Robinson & Ellis always delivers fast-paced, enjoyable fun
January 10, 2014
Same comments as the first book though I did find the history of the Mogollon Monster myth fascinating (as I do with BigFoot, the Jersey Devil, etc). The ebook formatting errors irritated me much more with this second book and negated any higher score the story would have garnered.
February 23, 2014
The Chess Team books are a blast to read and I loved each of the Callsign books. Get to know each character a little better with a great story. You can't go wrong with Jeremy Robinson's books, check them out!
July 31, 2016
Love LOVE love
I always enjoy reading Jeremy Robinson series. That being said I am rereading this for a second time. Also thinking of looking into Sean Ellis's work thanks to this collaboration.
I always enjoy reading Jeremy Robinson series. That being said I am rereading this for a second time. Also thinking of looking into Sean Ellis's work thanks to this collaboration.
April 8, 2016
My review is very simple ... Where's the sixth star? Chess Team novella are expanding the universe of Jack Sigler, aka King, to a more complex agenda. New player is emerging. Thus ... looking forward to what comes next :)
January 9, 2012
great story though I definitely would liked to have learned more on the underworld people. lots of action and an entertaining plot. also liked the nod to Jeff Long and his book The Descent.
February 9, 2014
Awesome read. Action packed adventure. Jack Sigler (King) saved the world again in pursuit of brainstorm.
I am looking forward to the next book in this series.
I am looking forward to the next book in this series.
March 30, 2012
Good story. These are good short stories the compliment the Chess Team novels.
January 23, 2013
Interesting is all I can say. Really makes you think about the myths that are out there.
December 8, 2012
Great read. kept me involved and interested at the edge of my chair. Jeremy Robinson is in my top two authors list.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews