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Haan #1
The Burn Zone
Plagued by overpopulation, disease, and starvation, humanity was headed for extinction—until an alien race called the haan arrived. And then the real trouble began.
It’s been a rough day for Sam Shao. As part of a program that requires humans to act as surrogates to haan infants, Sam has been genetically enhanced to bond with them. So when three soldiers invade her apartment and arrest her guardian for smuggling a dangerous weapon into the country, Sam can sense that something isn’t right. One of his abductors is a haan masquerading as a human, and the supposedly fragile haan seems to be anything but.
Racing through the city slums, trying to stay one step ahead of the mysterious haan soldier, Sam tries to find the man who, in her twenty years, has been the only father she’s ever known. Could he truly have done what he is accused of? Or did he witness something both human and haan would kill to keep hidden? The only thing certain is that the weapon is real—and lost now somewhere in a city of millions.
Fighting the clock, Sam finds an ally in Nix, a haan envoy devoted to coexisting with humans, or so it seems. But what she really needs are answers. Fast. Or else everything she knows—and everyone she loves—will burn.
It’s been a rough day for Sam Shao. As part of a program that requires humans to act as surrogates to haan infants, Sam has been genetically enhanced to bond with them. So when three soldiers invade her apartment and arrest her guardian for smuggling a dangerous weapon into the country, Sam can sense that something isn’t right. One of his abductors is a haan masquerading as a human, and the supposedly fragile haan seems to be anything but.
Racing through the city slums, trying to stay one step ahead of the mysterious haan soldier, Sam tries to find the man who, in her twenty years, has been the only father she’s ever known. Could he truly have done what he is accused of? Or did he witness something both human and haan would kill to keep hidden? The only thing certain is that the weapon is real—and lost now somewhere in a city of millions.
Fighting the clock, Sam finds an ally in Nix, a haan envoy devoted to coexisting with humans, or so it seems. But what she really needs are answers. Fast. Or else everything she knows—and everyone she loves—will burn.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 5, 2013
11 people are currently reading
1775 people want to read
About the author
James K. Decker
4 books31 followersJames K. Decker was born in New Hampshire in 1970, and has lived in the New England area since that time. He developed a love of reading and writing early on, participating in young author competitions as early as grade school, but the later discovery of works by Frank Herbert and Isaac Asimov turned that love to an obsession.
He wrote continuously through high school, college and beyond, eventually breaking into the field under the name James Knapp, with the publication of the Revivors trilogy (State of Decay, The Silent Army, and Element Zero). State of Decay was a Philip K. Dick award nominee, and won the 2010 Compton Crook Award. The Burn Zone is his debut novel under the name James K. Decker.
He now lives in MA with his wife Kim.
He wrote continuously through high school, college and beyond, eventually breaking into the field under the name James Knapp, with the publication of the Revivors trilogy (State of Decay, The Silent Army, and Element Zero). State of Decay was a Philip K. Dick award nominee, and won the 2010 Compton Crook Award. The Burn Zone is his debut novel under the name James K. Decker.
He now lives in MA with his wife Kim.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
February 5, 2013
The Burn Zone is a fast-paced, action-packed sci-fi debut full of twists and turns that will constantly leave you guessing.
Decker has created a gritty and complex world where the cities are overpopulated and the people are poor and starving. Most blame the declining conditions on the alien race now inhabiting their world, while some cling to the hope that they may be the answer to their salvation.
Sam, the story's protagonist, is a surrogate mother to the haan infants and one of their supporters. She chooses to focus on the ways that they have benefited from the haans' presence as opposed to others who see only what they have taken away. She feeds and cares for each infant in exchange for a stipend and is able to communicate with them through brain-band mites that each surrogate is enhanced with.
From the very beginning, the story delivers intense action scenes that leave you on the edge of your seat. Sam quickly discovers that her guardian, Dragan, has been labeled a traitor. He arrives home and is chased by soldiers who have been ordered to take him into custody.
Sam's attempts to aid Dragan have the soldiers pursuing her as well and she learns that they are searching for a twistkey and a child named Alexei Drugov. She eventually discovers that Dragan has placed him in a secret location and it becomes imperative that Sam take possession of the twistkey and find Alexei or millions of lives will be lost. She receives help from her friend Vamp and finds an unlikely ally in a haan named Nix.
Lies unravel, secrets and conspiracies are revealed, and Sam is no longer sure of who she can trust. It all leads to an ending that can only be described as an adrenaline rush and the twist presented in the last chapter leaves you wanting more.
I would highly recommend The Burn Zone to any fans of action-packed sci-fi thrillers with page-turning mysteries.
Decker has created a gritty and complex world where the cities are overpopulated and the people are poor and starving. Most blame the declining conditions on the alien race now inhabiting their world, while some cling to the hope that they may be the answer to their salvation.
Sam, the story's protagonist, is a surrogate mother to the haan infants and one of their supporters. She chooses to focus on the ways that they have benefited from the haans' presence as opposed to others who see only what they have taken away. She feeds and cares for each infant in exchange for a stipend and is able to communicate with them through brain-band mites that each surrogate is enhanced with.
From the very beginning, the story delivers intense action scenes that leave you on the edge of your seat. Sam quickly discovers that her guardian, Dragan, has been labeled a traitor. He arrives home and is chased by soldiers who have been ordered to take him into custody.
Sam's attempts to aid Dragan have the soldiers pursuing her as well and she learns that they are searching for a twistkey and a child named Alexei Drugov. She eventually discovers that Dragan has placed him in a secret location and it becomes imperative that Sam take possession of the twistkey and find Alexei or millions of lives will be lost. She receives help from her friend Vamp and finds an unlikely ally in a haan named Nix.
Lies unravel, secrets and conspiracies are revealed, and Sam is no longer sure of who she can trust. It all leads to an ending that can only be described as an adrenaline rush and the twist presented in the last chapter leaves you wanting more.
I would highly recommend The Burn Zone to any fans of action-packed sci-fi thrillers with page-turning mysteries.
February 14, 2013
Full review originally at Fantasy Book Critic
Overall Rating = 3 & 1/2 Stars
ANALYSIS: The Burn Zone is a book that managed to register itself on my radar due to its intriguing blurb details. I earlier didn’t know that this book was by the same person who had previously written the Revivors trilogy. I had read the first book and while I wasn’t able to review it, I was impressed by the author’s imagination and story settings.
The Burn Zone begins on an alternate Earth, which is remarkably similar to ours and is set in the near future wherein an alien race has crashed into a facsimile of the nation of China. These aliens called the Haan have take refuge among the local population and the government has helped them with it. The addendum being that the Haan help them with their nation’s security and weapons technology. The Earth’s population has grown beyond what can be sustained and so now massive amounts of the population face hunger pangs and have to make do with food being used as currency. The Haan add to this issue by demanding massive amounts of food for themselves and they justify their food needs by providing this alternate Chinese nation with futuristic technology that has propelled them ahead of the other worldly nations. This action has a dual effect of making this nation the most strongest in terms of technology and military might and the most detested by the rest of the world as well.
With this background, we are introduced to the main character of Sam Shao who is a surrogate mother to a Haan infant she has named Tanchi. She is leading a content life (of sorts) waiting for her godfather Dragan to return to Hangfei from his current assignment on the border towards the Pan-Slav Emirates. She is shocked when Dragan returns unexpectedly and with dire news. The state police who have quite a few charges of grave magnitude against him follow him and the end result is a scuffle that causes even more hassles for Sam, Dragan and the future of Hangfei. Thus begins the first volume in the Burn Zone series by James Decker.
Here’s what impressed me about this book, at its heart this book is a thriller through and through. It comes in the wrappings of SF and Alternate history however the storyline follows the tenets of a thriller. The author has carefully developed his premise of Aliens who have crash-landed and are in a situation similar to the one showcased in District 9. Albeit their situation and the world settings are very much different than those of the extra-terrestrial creatures in the film. This world is carefully peeled over the course of the story and for some this might be a make-or-break factor in their enjoyment of the storyline. I thought the author has done some excellent world-building in presenting a world that is beset by hunger issues and then nicely showcased the possible scenarios in which the human society might have adapted to such harsh conditions. I enjoyed reading about the various criminal or seedy activities that were shown in this book in relation to the demands of the society and this evolution felt very realistic.
There are some negative factors to this new series as well, beginning with the pace of the storyline, it is very tepid in the first 80—100 pages as the author introduces the world, the main character and her surroundings. While I understand the author was laying the setup for the book and this series, as a reader I had to really plow through these pages to get to the real meat of the story and so I would like to warn new readers of the same. Secondly with this being a first person narrated story, it is very important that the main protagonist be an intriguing one and in this regards, the story suffers as Sam Shao isn’t that attention grabbing. Of course we do learn about her back-story and are towards the later third of the novel, she does come into her own. However as main characters go, she wasn’t the strongest one I have read about. Thirdly and lastly this is a per peeve of mine, but in SF and Alternate-historical stories, I always like to have a map to see how the story in developed in terms of geography and with the story moving around and with all the places and nations mentioned. I thought the presence of a map and glossary would have helped deepen our understanding of the world presented within.
CONCLUSION: James K. Decker is definitely an author with some cool tricks up to his sleeve, he obviously couldn’t show all of them in this book but the potential is seen and I for one will definitely be reading the sequel to see how he further develops the story and the world. Give The Burn Zone a try if you want to see a hybrid SF-Thriller, with a well-developed world and massive conflicts looming. The Burn Zone is a surprisingly interesting read and will definitely find its fans.
March 21, 2013
You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2013/02/...
Sam Shao had an unspeakably awful childhood, and when she was rescued by a soldier named Dragan, she thinks that there may be chance for happiness after all. Now 20, she enjoys her arrangement as a surrogate for haan infants. Her DNA has been altered to allow the surrogate bond, and taking care of these little creatures gives her a feeling of fulfillment and accomplishment that she may never have had if it hadn’t been for Dragan and his commitment as her adoptive father. One day, as she returns home her day job, Dragan, who had supposedly been out on a mission, bursts into their apartment insisting that Sam must pack, that they needed to get out quickly. Before they can leave, a group of soldiers burst in and take Dragan, nearly killing Sam in the process. One of these soldiers, the leader, in fact, is haan, and Sam immediately goes on the run, determined to find Dragan, who has been labeled as a thief and a traitor.
Sam knows the charges are false and vows to find Dragan, even if it kills her. She soon finds out that there may be a weapon of mass destruction on the way to Hangfei, and she’s only got a bit of time to thwart the terrorists’ plan, and find her guardian. Luckily, she teams up with a haan named Nix who seems to be protective of the human race, and her friend Vamp, who proves to be a more than capable ally. However, things aren’t always as they seem in this torn and tattered place, and the truth may be even more terrifying than Sam thought, and time is most certainly not on her side.
The Burn Zone is set in a future world, ravaged by overpopulation, starvation, and disease. When an alien race, called the haan, crash lands on Earth, they offer humans a chance at a better future, if they will only accommodate them. In the seething mass of humanity that’s left, people are no longer convinced that the haan are their saving grace. Eighty percent of the food supply goes to the haan, so obviously starvation is rampant, and so is cannibalism. In fact, there are groups of people whose sole source of income is rounding up the unwanteds and harvesting them for meat. However, the haan have promised the government new technology and defense from surrounding regions, so Governor Hwong feels it necessary to keep the haan happy, even to the detriment of his people. After all, the end justifies the means, right?
When I finished the Sirantha Jax series by Ann Aguirre, I hoped to find another book or series to fill the void, and The Burn Zone definitely fits the bill. When the novel starts, the clock is set to 30 hours and counts down from there, setting up a sense of driving urgency from page one. Sam (or SAM for surface to air missile, nicknamed by Dragan) is not your usual SF heroine. She’s tough, yes, but violence doesn’t come naturally to her and in her search for Dragan, she’ll have to use plenty of force to keep herself, and her friends, alive. Double crosses and constant danger are the name of the game, and the haan, although they’ve worked with humans, definitely have their own agenda, as does Governor Hwong, who may have more to do with this than Sam initially thought. This makes things quite a bit more complicated and Sam never really knows who to trust. In addition to the cinematic action that peppers this story, the author deals with some big themes, such as genocide and bigotry, making The Burn Zone a rich, complex, and fascinating read. Hangfei is a gritty, bustling, terrifying place, and the many little details about the city will make you feel like you’re right there with Sam. This one’s not for the faint of heart ,though. Sam’s flashbacks to the events leading up to her rescue are gruesome and chilling, and the violence, although never gratuitous, is frequent and blood soaked. I’ve found my favorite new SF heroine in Sam Shao, and hope to see more of her in future novels!
Sam Shao had an unspeakably awful childhood, and when she was rescued by a soldier named Dragan, she thinks that there may be chance for happiness after all. Now 20, she enjoys her arrangement as a surrogate for haan infants. Her DNA has been altered to allow the surrogate bond, and taking care of these little creatures gives her a feeling of fulfillment and accomplishment that she may never have had if it hadn’t been for Dragan and his commitment as her adoptive father. One day, as she returns home her day job, Dragan, who had supposedly been out on a mission, bursts into their apartment insisting that Sam must pack, that they needed to get out quickly. Before they can leave, a group of soldiers burst in and take Dragan, nearly killing Sam in the process. One of these soldiers, the leader, in fact, is haan, and Sam immediately goes on the run, determined to find Dragan, who has been labeled as a thief and a traitor.
Sam knows the charges are false and vows to find Dragan, even if it kills her. She soon finds out that there may be a weapon of mass destruction on the way to Hangfei, and she’s only got a bit of time to thwart the terrorists’ plan, and find her guardian. Luckily, she teams up with a haan named Nix who seems to be protective of the human race, and her friend Vamp, who proves to be a more than capable ally. However, things aren’t always as they seem in this torn and tattered place, and the truth may be even more terrifying than Sam thought, and time is most certainly not on her side.
The Burn Zone is set in a future world, ravaged by overpopulation, starvation, and disease. When an alien race, called the haan, crash lands on Earth, they offer humans a chance at a better future, if they will only accommodate them. In the seething mass of humanity that’s left, people are no longer convinced that the haan are their saving grace. Eighty percent of the food supply goes to the haan, so obviously starvation is rampant, and so is cannibalism. In fact, there are groups of people whose sole source of income is rounding up the unwanteds and harvesting them for meat. However, the haan have promised the government new technology and defense from surrounding regions, so Governor Hwong feels it necessary to keep the haan happy, even to the detriment of his people. After all, the end justifies the means, right?
When I finished the Sirantha Jax series by Ann Aguirre, I hoped to find another book or series to fill the void, and The Burn Zone definitely fits the bill. When the novel starts, the clock is set to 30 hours and counts down from there, setting up a sense of driving urgency from page one. Sam (or SAM for surface to air missile, nicknamed by Dragan) is not your usual SF heroine. She’s tough, yes, but violence doesn’t come naturally to her and in her search for Dragan, she’ll have to use plenty of force to keep herself, and her friends, alive. Double crosses and constant danger are the name of the game, and the haan, although they’ve worked with humans, definitely have their own agenda, as does Governor Hwong, who may have more to do with this than Sam initially thought. This makes things quite a bit more complicated and Sam never really knows who to trust. In addition to the cinematic action that peppers this story, the author deals with some big themes, such as genocide and bigotry, making The Burn Zone a rich, complex, and fascinating read. Hangfei is a gritty, bustling, terrifying place, and the many little details about the city will make you feel like you’re right there with Sam. This one’s not for the faint of heart ,though. Sam’s flashbacks to the events leading up to her rescue are gruesome and chilling, and the violence, although never gratuitous, is frequent and blood soaked. I’ve found my favorite new SF heroine in Sam Shao, and hope to see more of her in future novels!
February 13, 2013
The Burn Zone plops you down in an Asiatic coastal city and keeps you running from the first chapter to the last.
Xiao-Xing 'Sam' Shao is a high-rise window washer and a surrogate for haan infants, she's waiting for her guardian to come home on military leave when he shows up early and soon other military are banging down the door to arrest him. Dragan would never turn traitor, Sam is sure of it, so after he's taken Sam takes to the city streets to find him.
The world building is done exceptionally well, no huge info dumps, all information is woven into the story and it's done well, we're given as much info as Sam has. The Burn Zone takes place in city where an alien spacecraft accidentally crashed 50 years ago. The aliens brought with them amazing technology and share it with humans. In return they ask for 80% of the food produced, protection from other world leading countries, and humans to join the surrogacy program to allow haan children and humans to learn to live together. This, as you can imagine, causes a problem. Fifty years after the alien haans crashed the country is isolated and fears military actions from the EU, UAE, and USA, and their own citizens are starving where black markets thrive on sex, drugs, and meat of all kinds.
In her quest to find Dragan Sam gets help from Vamp, a man that is both an IT genius and her friend, and a haan named Nix. The haan are supposed to be fragile and gentle creatures but Sam is finding out that everything she thinks she knows may not be true.
All in all an excellent novel that gives the reader a sense of urgency through not only the writing but also the chapters that list an hour countdown to when the supposed bomb Sam's guardian brought back with him is to go off.
Xiao-Xing 'Sam' Shao is a high-rise window washer and a surrogate for haan infants, she's waiting for her guardian to come home on military leave when he shows up early and soon other military are banging down the door to arrest him. Dragan would never turn traitor, Sam is sure of it, so after he's taken Sam takes to the city streets to find him.
The world building is done exceptionally well, no huge info dumps, all information is woven into the story and it's done well, we're given as much info as Sam has. The Burn Zone takes place in city where an alien spacecraft accidentally crashed 50 years ago. The aliens brought with them amazing technology and share it with humans. In return they ask for 80% of the food produced, protection from other world leading countries, and humans to join the surrogacy program to allow haan children and humans to learn to live together. This, as you can imagine, causes a problem. Fifty years after the alien haans crashed the country is isolated and fears military actions from the EU, UAE, and USA, and their own citizens are starving where black markets thrive on sex, drugs, and meat of all kinds.
In her quest to find Dragan Sam gets help from Vamp, a man that is both an IT genius and her friend, and a haan named Nix. The haan are supposed to be fragile and gentle creatures but Sam is finding out that everything she thinks she knows may not be true.
All in all an excellent novel that gives the reader a sense of urgency through not only the writing but also the chapters that list an hour countdown to when the supposed bomb Sam's guardian brought back with him is to go off.
April 8, 2013
The Burn Zone is an intense science-fiction thriller set in the futuristic city of Hangfei. Sam, her friend Vamp, and the haan called Nix take you on a roller coaster ride that suddenly drops out from under you in the last few chapters. The twist at the end is shocking as well as intriguing; it will leave you pondering for days. The technology is cool and the writing is fearless. I loved this book.
I read the prequel novella, Ember, before starting The Burn Zone (TBZ) and though it’s not necessary to read Ember in order to understand and follow the plot of TBZ, it does provide insight into a critical piece of the history between Sam and her adoptive father Dragan. After reading Ember, I started page one of TBZ rooting for Sam and empathizing with her wholeheartedly as she raced to save the only father she’d ever known.
In The Burn Zone, the relationship between the humans of Hangfei and the alien race called the haan is fascinating and complex as they struggle for space, food, and survival. I loved the idea of humans as surrogate parents to haan infants, as well as the technology which allows Sam (as one of the surrogates) to sense the haan’s emotions. The small details, such as the wet drives implanted in the human skull, instantly accessible internal chat windows, and the frequent A.I. pop-up advertisements help put the reader in the high-stimulus setting. Learning about the haan and their unexpected abilities as the plot unfolded had me captivated. There’s even a dash of romantic tension for those who need a little love in their stories.
The Burn Zone is phenomenal! I highly recommend this novel to all fans of science fiction and to anyone who is thinking about giving sci-fi a chance. I am already looking forward to book two.
I read the prequel novella, Ember, before starting The Burn Zone (TBZ) and though it’s not necessary to read Ember in order to understand and follow the plot of TBZ, it does provide insight into a critical piece of the history between Sam and her adoptive father Dragan. After reading Ember, I started page one of TBZ rooting for Sam and empathizing with her wholeheartedly as she raced to save the only father she’d ever known.
In The Burn Zone, the relationship between the humans of Hangfei and the alien race called the haan is fascinating and complex as they struggle for space, food, and survival. I loved the idea of humans as surrogate parents to haan infants, as well as the technology which allows Sam (as one of the surrogates) to sense the haan’s emotions. The small details, such as the wet drives implanted in the human skull, instantly accessible internal chat windows, and the frequent A.I. pop-up advertisements help put the reader in the high-stimulus setting. Learning about the haan and their unexpected abilities as the plot unfolded had me captivated. There’s even a dash of romantic tension for those who need a little love in their stories.
The Burn Zone is phenomenal! I highly recommend this novel to all fans of science fiction and to anyone who is thinking about giving sci-fi a chance. I am already looking forward to book two.
November 25, 2013
Earth now has 15 billions people, and an alien race called the haan to support. Everything is rationed, some areas are under military governance, and something - to Sam, at least, who just saw her guardian being arrested for a false charge - is not quite right. As she tries to find him, the balance between human and haan needs seems to become unbalanced. The haan already take the majority of the food, leaving humans starving, in exchange for the technology and promised defense they wanted.
There's a lot of new tech to comprehend, as well as everything around the haan, but I found myself drawn in within minutes of starting. I don't normally go for this intense, suspenseful, Blade Runner-esque style of SF, but it became compelling. Aliens, high tech, implants, black markets for everything from food to weapons, gate travel, and so much more give this a lot of appeal, but also make the beginning rather complicated. It's worth sticking with it though - after the initial flood of information and terms, they all settle down.
There's a lot of new tech to comprehend, as well as everything around the haan, but I found myself drawn in within minutes of starting. I don't normally go for this intense, suspenseful, Blade Runner-esque style of SF, but it became compelling. Aliens, high tech, implants, black markets for everything from food to weapons, gate travel, and so much more give this a lot of appeal, but also make the beginning rather complicated. It's worth sticking with it though - after the initial flood of information and terms, they all settle down.
January 22, 2013
*** I received this book through Goodreads First Read Giveaway Program ****
Wow. That about sums up this book. I am not the target audience for this book, but I found that I could not put it down. It was a thrill ride that had you moving around, dodging bullets and rooting for the good guys to win. I don't typically read many straight sci-fi novels. Normally if there is anything sic-fi about the novel I am reading there will also be a love story or romance at the center. And although there was a slight romance in this novel, it definitely was not the main point. This book was all action. And it did it well.
Wow. That about sums up this book. I am not the target audience for this book, but I found that I could not put it down. It was a thrill ride that had you moving around, dodging bullets and rooting for the good guys to win. I don't typically read many straight sci-fi novels. Normally if there is anything sic-fi about the novel I am reading there will also be a love story or romance at the center. And although there was a slight romance in this novel, it definitely was not the main point. This book was all action. And it did it well.
February 26, 2025
It got a little muddy towards the ending with the reveals coming fast and furious but overall I enjoyed this scifi thriller. It struck a good balance between character and setting and plot with a riveting and gritty dystopian vibe.
February 11, 2013
Sam is a surrogate to a Haan infant, taking care and bonding with the child till he/she reaches a certain age. Sam is bonded to each surrogate through a mite connection which enables Sam to feel what the Haan child feels and vice versa. Sam’s main source of income is the surrogate program providing for her and her guardian/adopted father Dragan. The book starts instantly with a bang, with Dragan returning home from one of his military trips, telling Sam they must get out of Hangfei. Three military officials are after him, suspecting he brought a weapon from outside the city into Hangfei. Just when Dragan and Sam are about to flee, three soldiers breaks into their home and takes away Dragan. One of the solider was a woman, but not just any woman…she is the Haan female masquerading as a human. What Sam doesn’t understand is why a Haan female would pretend to be a human official and what are they really accusing Dragan of…looking for his wet-drive/a blue twistkey?
The Burn Zone is an intense-action thrill ride, as we follow Sam throughout the city in search of Dragan and the two children he apparently brought into the city. According to Dragan wet-drive (a video recording) the young boy, Alexei holds the answers and the key to what the Haan female was looking for the night they arrested Dragan in the apartments. Sam begins searching all over the city, dodging bullets, airbikes, and other citizens as a bounty is put on her head…but she isn’t alone. To aide Sam in her quest for Dragan is her closest friend Vamp, a techie/hacker and Nix, a Haan sent to look into the ‘Haan pretending to be human’ situation.
Sam is a likeable heroine, but not perfect. Sam had a horrible past long before Dragan rescued her from the meat market, forcing her to use med/zen oils to keep her fuzzy; dulling the bad memories. I like that she is flawed, it makes her character seem more real. She isn’t a fighter, just a normal twenty-year-old but she willing to do anything for the people she cares about, and never runs away from a fight. I also found her compassion for the Haan race refreshing, especially when the majority of the people of Hangfei despise them. The citizens blame the Haans for overpopulation and starvation, but Sam is one of the fews people that believe that Haan technology can help the people/city in the long run. Then there is Vamp and Nix. Sam met Vamp through his online contest date years ago, and though their date was a disaster they been friends ever since. He isn’t a typical male leads like most books I’ve read but is none-the-less a tough guy you don’t want to mess with. Vamp totally has a thing for Sam, just the way he talks and interacts with her, you can tell how much he cares for her. Lastly Nix, I didn’t really know what to make of him at the beginning, always hiding something and battling within himself to either really help Sam or not. Readers discover the reasons why he kept certain information from Sam about halfway through the book, and it was a big shocker…and I’m still kicking myself for not realizing it sooner lol.
The Burn Zone is a fantastic sci-fi novel with nonstop action from start to finish. Decker created an amazing realistic cast of characters, neither bad nor good but all fall within the gray zone. The world-building was impeccable, and although the city of Hangfei is fictitious...the description was so well-written that you can picture yourself there, with airbike flying over head and transportation gates lining the city. I don’t read many science fiction novels (I usually just watch sci-fi shows/movies) but this is the best sci-fi novel I’ve read to date, and I highly recommend it to everyone. Even if you don’t like sci-fi novels you should still read it because it’s that good! The last two pages of The Burn Zone had me going WTFreak, and I’m still not sure what it really means BUT I can’t wait to read the second book in the series; Move the Stars which I’m happy to report is also narrated by Sam! Please let there be more Vamp and Nix!!
Disclaimer: The author provide me with a copy for an honest review.
The Burn Zone is an intense-action thrill ride, as we follow Sam throughout the city in search of Dragan and the two children he apparently brought into the city. According to Dragan wet-drive (a video recording) the young boy, Alexei holds the answers and the key to what the Haan female was looking for the night they arrested Dragan in the apartments. Sam begins searching all over the city, dodging bullets, airbikes, and other citizens as a bounty is put on her head…but she isn’t alone. To aide Sam in her quest for Dragan is her closest friend Vamp, a techie/hacker and Nix, a Haan sent to look into the ‘Haan pretending to be human’ situation.
Sam is a likeable heroine, but not perfect. Sam had a horrible past long before Dragan rescued her from the meat market, forcing her to use med/zen oils to keep her fuzzy; dulling the bad memories. I like that she is flawed, it makes her character seem more real. She isn’t a fighter, just a normal twenty-year-old but she willing to do anything for the people she cares about, and never runs away from a fight. I also found her compassion for the Haan race refreshing, especially when the majority of the people of Hangfei despise them. The citizens blame the Haans for overpopulation and starvation, but Sam is one of the fews people that believe that Haan technology can help the people/city in the long run. Then there is Vamp and Nix. Sam met Vamp through his online contest date years ago, and though their date was a disaster they been friends ever since. He isn’t a typical male leads like most books I’ve read but is none-the-less a tough guy you don’t want to mess with. Vamp totally has a thing for Sam, just the way he talks and interacts with her, you can tell how much he cares for her. Lastly Nix, I didn’t really know what to make of him at the beginning, always hiding something and battling within himself to either really help Sam or not. Readers discover the reasons why he kept certain information from Sam about halfway through the book, and it was a big shocker…and I’m still kicking myself for not realizing it sooner lol.
The Burn Zone is a fantastic sci-fi novel with nonstop action from start to finish. Decker created an amazing realistic cast of characters, neither bad nor good but all fall within the gray zone. The world-building was impeccable, and although the city of Hangfei is fictitious...the description was so well-written that you can picture yourself there, with airbike flying over head and transportation gates lining the city. I don’t read many science fiction novels (I usually just watch sci-fi shows/movies) but this is the best sci-fi novel I’ve read to date, and I highly recommend it to everyone. Even if you don’t like sci-fi novels you should still read it because it’s that good! The last two pages of The Burn Zone had me going WTFreak, and I’m still not sure what it really means BUT I can’t wait to read the second book in the series; Move the Stars which I’m happy to report is also narrated by Sam! Please let there be more Vamp and Nix!!
Disclaimer: The author provide me with a copy for an honest review.
February 8, 2017
Review originally published at http://www.lomeraniel.com/audiobookre...
I was offered a copy of this book in audio format at no cost from the author in exchange for an honest review.
The story is set in a near future, in Hangfei, an Asian coastal city. The Haan, an alien race has crashed by accident 50 years before at an old station, killing many. As the Haan are stranded on Earth, and to apologize for the harm they did, the offer humanity great advantages in technology like special gravitational fields or gates to travel from one part of the city to another instantaneously. Earth is overly populated, with many people living in poverty and disease. There is not enough food for everybody, and 80% of it must be given to the Haan, causing a black market of human flesh and hunger. The Haan need to be imprinted from a very young age, so some people participate in the called surrogate program, raising young Haans. Sam Shao is one of this surrogate mothers. Rescued by the soldier Dragan from a horrible childhood, spayed, she enjoys motherhood caring for the baby Haans. But one day her guardian Dragan returns home early from an assignment, and several soldiers break in at their home, taking him with them and trying to kill Sam. She will look for him but will discover a dark conspiracy that will threaten her and everyone's lives.
I loved LOVED this book. If feels a crossover between Blade Runner and an Anime movie. The world building is absolutely amazing, and the background story is cleverly introduced progressively along the book. Sam is kind of an anti-hero, she smokes, does drugs, and does not hesitate in eating human flesh if necessary. But she loves Dragan, and will do everything she can to get him back. I think everyone could, in a way, se themselves in Sam. Nobody is perfect but we will do everything for our loved ones. The main characters are very well developed, and the atmosphere feels so real that I could imagine myself walking on the streets of Hangfei. There are several twists to the story that had me mulling over for quite some time, and the great reveal left me shocked.
I just have one small complain, and it is that the action scenes felt a bit confusing. Things felt a bit hectic and all over the place, but apart from that it was a five star book.
There is nothing better than great books paired with great narrators, and this is one of those occasions. Jeannie Lin did a incredible job, not only narrating the story and giving different voices for all the characters, but also using sound effects. It was all done very neatly and it all combined guaranteed an incredible experience. Some female narrators' capabilities to interpret male characters are limited, but it is not the case of Lin. She has become one of my favorite narrators.
James K. Decker has written two other books belonging to the Haan series. I do hope they get release as audiobooks too, because I need to know more about the world visited by the Haan.
I was offered a copy of this book in audio format at no cost from the author in exchange for an honest review.
The story is set in a near future, in Hangfei, an Asian coastal city. The Haan, an alien race has crashed by accident 50 years before at an old station, killing many. As the Haan are stranded on Earth, and to apologize for the harm they did, the offer humanity great advantages in technology like special gravitational fields or gates to travel from one part of the city to another instantaneously. Earth is overly populated, with many people living in poverty and disease. There is not enough food for everybody, and 80% of it must be given to the Haan, causing a black market of human flesh and hunger. The Haan need to be imprinted from a very young age, so some people participate in the called surrogate program, raising young Haans. Sam Shao is one of this surrogate mothers. Rescued by the soldier Dragan from a horrible childhood, spayed, she enjoys motherhood caring for the baby Haans. But one day her guardian Dragan returns home early from an assignment, and several soldiers break in at their home, taking him with them and trying to kill Sam. She will look for him but will discover a dark conspiracy that will threaten her and everyone's lives.
I loved LOVED this book. If feels a crossover between Blade Runner and an Anime movie. The world building is absolutely amazing, and the background story is cleverly introduced progressively along the book. Sam is kind of an anti-hero, she smokes, does drugs, and does not hesitate in eating human flesh if necessary. But she loves Dragan, and will do everything she can to get him back. I think everyone could, in a way, se themselves in Sam. Nobody is perfect but we will do everything for our loved ones. The main characters are very well developed, and the atmosphere feels so real that I could imagine myself walking on the streets of Hangfei. There are several twists to the story that had me mulling over for quite some time, and the great reveal left me shocked.
I just have one small complain, and it is that the action scenes felt a bit confusing. Things felt a bit hectic and all over the place, but apart from that it was a five star book.
There is nothing better than great books paired with great narrators, and this is one of those occasions. Jeannie Lin did a incredible job, not only narrating the story and giving different voices for all the characters, but also using sound effects. It was all done very neatly and it all combined guaranteed an incredible experience. Some female narrators' capabilities to interpret male characters are limited, but it is not the case of Lin. She has become one of my favorite narrators.
James K. Decker has written two other books belonging to the Haan series. I do hope they get release as audiobooks too, because I need to know more about the world visited by the Haan.
October 11, 2016
( Format : Audiobook )
""None of us are ever lost.""
Marvellous.
This book has it all - good writing, vivid images of strange settings, action aplenty which speeds up as the book progresses, well constructed 3-dimensional characters to care about, all told by an excellent narrator.
Some 50 years ago the Haan arrived. An alien race stranded here on a world of fifteen billion people: there is poverty, sickness, and - always - hunger. Plus the constant threat of terrorists and war.The Haan promised to help and they did but still it was a struggle to survive. To earn extra credits (and food), 20 years old Sam works as a surrogate mother to Haan babies, fragile, glass-like children who need constant care. She loves these tiny babies. But when her father is viciously arrested, she is forced to return her latest charge to try to find him and try to get him back. Together with two friends, she finds herself caught up in a nightmare of adventures in which a lot of violence ensues.
The story is told from Sam's perspective throughout, with all of her fears and the sights she sees vividly portrayed. Sam is no goody goody heroine. She smokes, drinks excessively and takes drugs. But she cares ... Jeannie Lin is the voice of Sam, conveying her emotions naturally with a pleasant cadence and perfect timing (even the gap between chapters is just right). Female narrators often have difficulty giving convincing renderings of male protagonists in conversation, but not Ms.Lin. Her renderings convey the male voices lightly but convincingly throughout and all of the different characters are easily distinguishable. Her portrayal adds the extra dimension of reality to an already thrilling story where tension increases with every passing hour.
The combination of book and narrator makes this a must read audio book for anyone who enjoys both action thrillers, mysteries and science fiction and isn't adversely affected by the spilling of (on page) blood. My deepest thanks to the rights holder of The Burn Zone for the complementary review copy i received, via Audiobook Boom. I will certainly be looking out for more works by the author, James K. Dekker, and his narrator, Jeannie Lin.
""None of us are ever lost.""
Marvellous.
This book has it all - good writing, vivid images of strange settings, action aplenty which speeds up as the book progresses, well constructed 3-dimensional characters to care about, all told by an excellent narrator.
Some 50 years ago the Haan arrived. An alien race stranded here on a world of fifteen billion people: there is poverty, sickness, and - always - hunger. Plus the constant threat of terrorists and war.The Haan promised to help and they did but still it was a struggle to survive. To earn extra credits (and food), 20 years old Sam works as a surrogate mother to Haan babies, fragile, glass-like children who need constant care. She loves these tiny babies. But when her father is viciously arrested, she is forced to return her latest charge to try to find him and try to get him back. Together with two friends, she finds herself caught up in a nightmare of adventures in which a lot of violence ensues.
The story is told from Sam's perspective throughout, with all of her fears and the sights she sees vividly portrayed. Sam is no goody goody heroine. She smokes, drinks excessively and takes drugs. But she cares ... Jeannie Lin is the voice of Sam, conveying her emotions naturally with a pleasant cadence and perfect timing (even the gap between chapters is just right). Female narrators often have difficulty giving convincing renderings of male protagonists in conversation, but not Ms.Lin. Her renderings convey the male voices lightly but convincingly throughout and all of the different characters are easily distinguishable. Her portrayal adds the extra dimension of reality to an already thrilling story where tension increases with every passing hour.
The combination of book and narrator makes this a must read audio book for anyone who enjoys both action thrillers, mysteries and science fiction and isn't adversely affected by the spilling of (on page) blood. My deepest thanks to the rights holder of The Burn Zone for the complementary review copy i received, via Audiobook Boom. I will certainly be looking out for more works by the author, James K. Dekker, and his narrator, Jeannie Lin.
February 11, 2014
In a future dominated by overpopulation, starvation and ecological disaster, the devastating impact of an alien ship crash landing on Earth could have tolled the death knell of the human race. Instead the haan brought with them the advanced technology needed to bring humanity back from the brink of extinction. Since that time the haan and humans have shared an uneasy coexistence. The haan ship remains behind a protective barrier, dolling out tech to the people of Earth in exchange for the bulk of humanity’s food production, necessary to keep the haan race alive. Meanwhile, various nations of Earth continue to fight starvation, and animosity towards the haan is growing.
Sam Shao is part of the haan surrogate program, bonding with and caring for a haan infant during their early development. Returning home after a routine day of work, Sam feeds the infant and is just settling in to rest when her guardian, Dragan Shao, bursts through the door demanding that she grab her things and get prepared to leave Hangfei immediately. Her confusion soon turns to terror as armed soldiers enter their home to take custody of Dragan Shao, branding him a traitor. In the process Sam finds herself being tossed through the plate glass window of their apartment.
As she plummets towards certain death, Sam Shao is unaware that things are about to go from bad, to worse.
The Burn Zone is a Fugitive-style thriller on speed. With breakneck pacing, James K. Decker takes readers through nearly 400 pages of adrenaline-fueled chase scenes, breathless action, and mounting tension. Soon after the novel begins, Sam discovers that a weapon has been smuggled into the Chinese city of Hangfei and her guardian stands accused of terrorism. Time is counting down towards the weapon’s activation, and as the clock ticks Sam must discover the weapon’s location, find and save her guardian, and somehow manage to stay alive as more and more people want her dead.
For the rest of my non-spoiler review, please visit here:
http://www.stainlesssteeldroppings.co...
Sam Shao is part of the haan surrogate program, bonding with and caring for a haan infant during their early development. Returning home after a routine day of work, Sam feeds the infant and is just settling in to rest when her guardian, Dragan Shao, bursts through the door demanding that she grab her things and get prepared to leave Hangfei immediately. Her confusion soon turns to terror as armed soldiers enter their home to take custody of Dragan Shao, branding him a traitor. In the process Sam finds herself being tossed through the plate glass window of their apartment.
As she plummets towards certain death, Sam Shao is unaware that things are about to go from bad, to worse.
The Burn Zone is a Fugitive-style thriller on speed. With breakneck pacing, James K. Decker takes readers through nearly 400 pages of adrenaline-fueled chase scenes, breathless action, and mounting tension. Soon after the novel begins, Sam discovers that a weapon has been smuggled into the Chinese city of Hangfei and her guardian stands accused of terrorism. Time is counting down towards the weapon’s activation, and as the clock ticks Sam must discover the weapon’s location, find and save her guardian, and somehow manage to stay alive as more and more people want her dead.
For the rest of my non-spoiler review, please visit here:
http://www.stainlesssteeldroppings.co...
April 18, 2013
Pros: interesting story, fast pacing, unique aliens, complex plot
Cons: too many big revelations at the end made it hard to comprehend them all
Sam Shao's apartment is attacked and her adopted military father accused of treason and taken away by four military personel. Aside from the fact that Sam knows her dad's innocent, she's also stunned that one of their attackers is a disguised haan. As a surrogate for haan young, Sam is able to pick up on the aliens' emotions through her brain-band and can't understand how one of the fragile beings could survive the violence of the attack and its aftermath. Running from the authorities, Sam tries to figure out what her father discovered that's worth killing for.
This is a fast paced SF thriller, jumping from place to place as Sam tries to find a twistkey her father acquired and hid. Along the way she gets help from a hacker friend, a rogue haan and friends from her, and her father's, pasts.
The story takes place in an overcrowded future, where street meat and scrapcake (made from human flesh) are illegal substitutes for feeding humans when over 80% of the food produced goes to feed the alien haan in return for haan technology. Some of the descriptions in the book are brutal, as humans are pushed to the brink of reason.
The plot is complex and it's interesting watching Sam try to avoid the various groups hunting her. Information about what's really going on is doled out in bits and pieces, making it hard to put the book down. I did find the ending a bit rushed in that you learn a LOT, too much to process so quickly. I'm sure I missed a lot of the nuances of Sam's discoveries because there were so many all at once.
The aliens were really cool. The more you learn about them the stranger they become.
In the end I really liked the book, though I'm hoping if there's a sequel some of the end of book revelations will get more discussion.
Cons: too many big revelations at the end made it hard to comprehend them all
Sam Shao's apartment is attacked and her adopted military father accused of treason and taken away by four military personel. Aside from the fact that Sam knows her dad's innocent, she's also stunned that one of their attackers is a disguised haan. As a surrogate for haan young, Sam is able to pick up on the aliens' emotions through her brain-band and can't understand how one of the fragile beings could survive the violence of the attack and its aftermath. Running from the authorities, Sam tries to figure out what her father discovered that's worth killing for.
This is a fast paced SF thriller, jumping from place to place as Sam tries to find a twistkey her father acquired and hid. Along the way she gets help from a hacker friend, a rogue haan and friends from her, and her father's, pasts.
The story takes place in an overcrowded future, where street meat and scrapcake (made from human flesh) are illegal substitutes for feeding humans when over 80% of the food produced goes to feed the alien haan in return for haan technology. Some of the descriptions in the book are brutal, as humans are pushed to the brink of reason.
The plot is complex and it's interesting watching Sam try to avoid the various groups hunting her. Information about what's really going on is doled out in bits and pieces, making it hard to put the book down. I did find the ending a bit rushed in that you learn a LOT, too much to process so quickly. I'm sure I missed a lot of the nuances of Sam's discoveries because there were so many all at once.
The aliens were really cool. The more you learn about them the stranger they become.
In the end I really liked the book, though I'm hoping if there's a sequel some of the end of book revelations will get more discussion.
September 5, 2016
An Odd Apocalypse
The Burn Zone is a rather unique, full tale of an alien... invasion? I'm not sure how to exactly classify the scenario. It isn't a typical hostile alien invasion scenario, or V type false friend invasion. The book starts years after a rather cataclysmic accidental appearance of an alien species on earth, where a war didn't erupt with an overpopulated, tired, hungry humanity, but instead humanity more or less accepted the apologies and help the aliens were offering. In the ensuing years, resentments fester of various levels, from the person on the street to leaders, on both sides of the 'invasion', and at the extreme end of these resentments (once again on both sides of the invasion) devastating plots are put into play by people of authority on both sides of the invasion.
The story is pretty rich, and in some places complicated, but it primarily is told from the perspective of a young female, Sam, who is suddenly thrust into the middle of the whole mess. The overall length of the novel is also just right. It isn't too short, or too drawn out, and reaches a satisfying end.
Both the author and narrator are new to me. The author has another audiobook (under the name James Knapp) which I now have on my wishlist. Jeannie Lin did a wonderful performance with the book, adding a lot of life and distinction to the characters and story.
I did receive this audiobook as a review copy, and I am glad to have the opportunity for a unique tale like this.
The Burn Zone is a rather unique, full tale of an alien... invasion? I'm not sure how to exactly classify the scenario. It isn't a typical hostile alien invasion scenario, or V type false friend invasion. The book starts years after a rather cataclysmic accidental appearance of an alien species on earth, where a war didn't erupt with an overpopulated, tired, hungry humanity, but instead humanity more or less accepted the apologies and help the aliens were offering. In the ensuing years, resentments fester of various levels, from the person on the street to leaders, on both sides of the 'invasion', and at the extreme end of these resentments (once again on both sides of the invasion) devastating plots are put into play by people of authority on both sides of the invasion.
The story is pretty rich, and in some places complicated, but it primarily is told from the perspective of a young female, Sam, who is suddenly thrust into the middle of the whole mess. The overall length of the novel is also just right. It isn't too short, or too drawn out, and reaches a satisfying end.
Both the author and narrator are new to me. The author has another audiobook (under the name James Knapp) which I now have on my wishlist. Jeannie Lin did a wonderful performance with the book, adding a lot of life and distinction to the characters and story.
I did receive this audiobook as a review copy, and I am glad to have the opportunity for a unique tale like this.
January 30, 2016
2.5 stars
I like the characters. The setting / context is innovative. The writing style is decent.
But... I have to ask: how many naps, druggings, kidnappings, escapes, thwarted kidnappings, and assorted losses of consciousness can one person fit into 27 hours?
I don't normally do summaries, but I'll make an exception.
Sam's just a normal girl who happens to foster an alien baby. Oh no! Her dad's been kidnapped and possibly killed. Sam narrowly escapes, and goes on the run. She gets captured by some bad people. Then she escapes, and goes on the run. Then she nearly gets captured, but she escapes. She hides out and takes a nap. Then she nearly gets killed by some bad people. They drug her. When she comes to she escapes, and goes on the run. Then she gets knocked on the head and loses consciousness. When she comes to she escapes. She goes on the run. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
Most of the book takes place over the course of 27 hours. Seriously. This book should be a drinking game.
I like the characters. The setting / context is innovative. The writing style is decent.
But... I have to ask: how many naps, druggings, kidnappings, escapes, thwarted kidnappings, and assorted losses of consciousness can one person fit into 27 hours?
I don't normally do summaries, but I'll make an exception.
Sam's just a normal girl who happens to foster an alien baby. Oh no! Her dad's been kidnapped and possibly killed. Sam narrowly escapes, and goes on the run. She gets captured by some bad people. Then she escapes, and goes on the run. Then she nearly gets captured, but she escapes. She hides out and takes a nap. Then she nearly gets killed by some bad people. They drug her. When she comes to she escapes, and goes on the run. Then she gets knocked on the head and loses consciousness. When she comes to she escapes. She goes on the run. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
Most of the book takes place over the course of 27 hours. Seriously. This book should be a drinking game.
March 31, 2013
3.5 Stars
Started out a little slow, then fast, then slow and... Yeah, it had some pacing issues, but I'm glad I stuck with it. I could easily see this as a move. Aliens supposedly crash land on a human planet at a time that the planet is not doing so well. However, the Haan's, that's their name, are willing to make things better for them, but at the same time, they are eating them out of house and home. One Haan doesn't want to share the planet and has other plans that are set into motion. It had a great twist at the end and other than the main character, Sam, and her potential love interest being awkward, and a few other niggles. I found this book quite enjoyable.
Started out a little slow, then fast, then slow and... Yeah, it had some pacing issues, but I'm glad I stuck with it. I could easily see this as a move. Aliens supposedly crash land on a human planet at a time that the planet is not doing so well. However, the Haan's, that's their name, are willing to make things better for them, but at the same time, they are eating them out of house and home. One Haan doesn't want to share the planet and has other plans that are set into motion. It had a great twist at the end and other than the main character, Sam, and her potential love interest being awkward, and a few other niggles. I found this book quite enjoyable.
April 4, 2013
This is dark, gritty science fiction - set in a not too pretty future where the planet is overpopulated and people are starving due to there not being enough food. And as if that were not bad enough, humans have to share the very limited resources with a race of alien beings in exchange for newer, better technology. The truth, however is far more complicated. This was like a cross between Bladerunner and The Matrix. I'm not sure how well the answers all came together at the end and I feel like some of the chase scenes went on a bit too long, but overall I'm curious about the aliens and what their full agenda might be so I'll be checking out the second book when it comes out next year.
January 20, 2013
First I would like to state that I have received this book through the goodreads giveaway. I received this book and began reading it and could not put it down. This book was a wonderful, top notch read and a great story line. The charters that are very well portrayed and thought out. This is a most wonderful read . I highly recommend that anyone read this book. The author pulls you into the book from the beginning and you don't want to put the book down. When you are finished you wish you weren't. This is a book that will be read over and over. A must for any ones library.
January 20, 2013
I won this from Goodreads in a give away. Thank you!!
I wasn't to sure about this one going into it. I surprisingly enjoyed it. I tend to like sci-fi, especially if its original and well written. I think this book was a nice mixture of both. It read to me as a movie and I could picture it playing out in my head. I enjoyed the characters and I would pick up a sequel if the author continues the story.
I wasn't to sure about this one going into it. I surprisingly enjoyed it. I tend to like sci-fi, especially if its original and well written. I think this book was a nice mixture of both. It read to me as a movie and I could picture it playing out in my head. I enjoyed the characters and I would pick up a sequel if the author continues the story.
February 26, 2013
I honestly would have liked to have given this book 4 stars but the flow had me lost at times, especially the action scenes. I was lost in the translation when it came to describing the fight scenes, for instance - someone got hit and were floored... in a daze and then they were across the room doing something else. What just happened? Anyway, to sum it up - good book not 4 star worthy. I will try the next one only because I enjoy trilogies.
March 2, 2014
Good action, fairly well-developed girl-woman as the hero (shero?) It helps to read the prequel novelette to set the stage for her motivations. There are, however, lots of unanswered questions about the reality of the world, and it feels like we just have to take it on faith. Still, it was compelling enough to jump right into book #2.
February 20, 2013
Read my full review on www.scifiodd.com.
April 16, 2018
I have this weird habit when I read a mass-market. I sniff the pages. Yes, yes, it's true. I'm a dork. I love the smell. It takes me back in ways very little else can. I always look around guiltily after I do it, wondering who just caught me being weird. Not every other book suffices but mass markets do. That smell brings me back to an age when almost every paperback I picked up was one that captured my imagination and immersed me in a world, in characters, in a time and place and person that wasn't me, but that I often longed to be, or to know, or to see.
The Burn Zone did that for me.
It's not high art and it won't necessarily wow you with its plot twists and it's not the sort of book you can unabashedly recommend to anyone at all, but it's pulp sci fi at its most archetypal and visceral. That alone recommends it. It's loaded with attentive world-building and any info-dumping it did was done well enough I didn't notice it. It trusts you to figure things out and it gives you what you need to do it. It believably grounds the action in its characters (with one glaring exception that's rather crucial to the plot, and anyway it's fun so I didn't really care that it was so telegraphed) and embraces the frequent marriage of science fiction and horror. And there is horror here. It was such a wonderful surprise to find it, brutal and ugly.
I am not generally a fan of first-person narratives, but when they are done well, the issues I have fade into the background. Maybe too strong a voice will do that, and Sam doesn't have an overly powerful voice I suppose, but I had no problems with that.
Sam was believably wrought, understandably broken, feasibly confused by her own world. She had a latent nationalism that I did not expect and that really helped solidify her character to me. Too many characters now are thin. They're just projections, idealized images with little of the contradictory behavior and conviction we all manifest presented in a way that makes me believe the author is aware of what they've shown us, giving me the author's pathos and not the character's. But Decker seemed fully aware of it and painted it onto Sam deftly and even as she annoyed me with her occasional bigotry, she pulled me in and asked me to believe in her. And I did.
The only real problem I had with the book is that at under 400 pages, losing consciousness at least 5 times seems a bit much. It started to feel like a crutch. But if that's my #1 complaint...
This author doesn't let me down, and has become one of those who will sell me anything they write, just on their name alone, regardless of the pseudonym used.
The Burn Zone did that for me.
It's not high art and it won't necessarily wow you with its plot twists and it's not the sort of book you can unabashedly recommend to anyone at all, but it's pulp sci fi at its most archetypal and visceral. That alone recommends it. It's loaded with attentive world-building and any info-dumping it did was done well enough I didn't notice it. It trusts you to figure things out and it gives you what you need to do it. It believably grounds the action in its characters (with one glaring exception that's rather crucial to the plot, and anyway it's fun so I didn't really care that it was so telegraphed) and embraces the frequent marriage of science fiction and horror. And there is horror here. It was such a wonderful surprise to find it, brutal and ugly.
I am not generally a fan of first-person narratives, but when they are done well, the issues I have fade into the background. Maybe too strong a voice will do that, and Sam doesn't have an overly powerful voice I suppose, but I had no problems with that.
Sam was believably wrought, understandably broken, feasibly confused by her own world. She had a latent nationalism that I did not expect and that really helped solidify her character to me. Too many characters now are thin. They're just projections, idealized images with little of the contradictory behavior and conviction we all manifest presented in a way that makes me believe the author is aware of what they've shown us, giving me the author's pathos and not the character's. But Decker seemed fully aware of it and painted it onto Sam deftly and even as she annoyed me with her occasional bigotry, she pulled me in and asked me to believe in her. And I did.
The only real problem I had with the book is that at under 400 pages, losing consciousness at least 5 times seems a bit much. It started to feel like a crutch. But if that's my #1 complaint...
This author doesn't let me down, and has become one of those who will sell me anything they write, just on their name alone, regardless of the pseudonym used.
September 2, 2019
I read it after its sequel, Fallout. While I really enjoyed Fallout, I thought this book was good but not great. Interesting read, but some plot disconnects were frustrating. Great main characters that I grew quite fond of, but some others are not well developed. Not sure if it was necessary but it left an empty feeling. Fascinating world. A bit too violent for my liking.
3.5 stars and overall I would recommend it.
3.5 stars and overall I would recommend it.
February 16, 2018
So I read this book in basically one and a half sittings. In a day, I have a book hangover right now. I was silly and didn’t Library order the second book because I DIDN’T KNOW HOW DAMN GOOD IT WAS GOING TO BE! The action does not stop from chapter one, and it sucked me in like a worm hole.
So many twists and turns and it left me with a “I don’t even know how to process this and feel.”
So many twists and turns and it left me with a “I don’t even know how to process this and feel.”
August 6, 2018
This was a fun book about aliens inhabiting a part of Earth and the woman caught in the diplomatic war between aliens and humans. Makes you wonder whether the aliens or the humans are worse.
A lot of fun action and awe-inspiring settings. Kept me turning the pages at warp speed.
A lot of fun action and awe-inspiring settings. Kept me turning the pages at warp speed.
July 5, 2019
entertaining
December 28, 2022
Something new in Sci-Fi.
June 13, 2013
Sam Shao is a surrogate mother to an alien child; as part of a program with the haan, humans have been helping to raise haan babies ever since their space ship crash landed approximately 50 years ago. The haan are physically similar to humans, though the clear skin and fragile bones do set them apart, as does their eyes and appetite. Sam’s life is upended when her adoptive father Dragan is seized by authorities for conspiring against the government. Sam is, of course, unwilling to believe this of her guardian and even less willing to believe, as the news vids report, that he is a cannibal and worse. Sam relinquishes the infant haan to which she bonded, struggling with the decision and making an impression with the makeshift adoption agency. Sam connects with one of her friends, Vamp, tries to touch base with people she thought were allies of her father and eventually a haan soldier by the name of Nix finds her and the trio pursues her adoptive father and to find out the truth behind his abduction. Along the way, she learns a great deal more about the truth of the haan than she expected.
Though The Burn Zone is the first novel to be published under the James K. Decker byline, the author published the Revivors trilogy under the name James Knapp, a zombie-noir series which began with the novel State of Decay. I read and enjoyed that novel and see some of the same sensibilities here in The Burn Zone. A non-stop narrative pace kept the plot moving, the pages turning, and this reader guessing which fork in the road the story would take. The noir-ish and gritty feel of The Burn Zone evokes a similar used, grimy, and dirty future as did State of Decay; there’s a clear inspiration from Blade Runner in Decker’s writing.
As strong as the plotting and narrative pull are in The Burn Zone, I think Decker’s greatest strength is the character of Sam. She is a fully empathetic character throughout most of the novel, the choices she made informed by the knowledge she possessed were completely believable. At times her determination and strength don’t waiver, and in the small instances they do waiver, it helps to round out her character as a fully realized human being.
The other characters, primarily her allies Nix the haan soldier and Vamp, are more than just set dressing and tools to get Sam what she desires in this thrill-ride of a quest. Vamp has feelings as does Nix, perhaps one of the stronger scenes featuring both characters is a scene Sam only overhears – a discussion between Nix and Vamp about Sam. I often don’t care for scenes of first person protagonist’s ‘overhearing’ other conversations because it can feel a contrived way to relay information but here it was effective and used just in the right way.
The novel takes place in the fictional city of Hangfei, which Decker set in a future analogue of China, based on some of the locations and character names. Smartly, he doesn’t specify the nation is China. As the novel progresses and Sam learns more about the haan and their relationship to our world since their ship crashed nearly fifty years ago, the full scope of the aliens effect on Earth becomes much more far ranging than either Sam or this reader could have expected.
James K. Decker’s The Burn Zone is a thought-provoking thrill ride that evokes themes touched upon by the novels Octavia Butler and films like District 9 and Minority Report, and Dark City. The Burn Zone surprised me with its depth and Decker’s ability to tell an intimate story of a girl searching for her father with a more grand backdrop and potential to take a larger series to many different places.
This is a science fiction novel all readers of the genre should read and one that has the strengths to bridge the gap to non-SF readers.
An early contender for one of the top SF novels of 2013, Highly Recommended.
© 2013 Rob H. Bedford
Full review appears at SFFWorld
Though The Burn Zone is the first novel to be published under the James K. Decker byline, the author published the Revivors trilogy under the name James Knapp, a zombie-noir series which began with the novel State of Decay. I read and enjoyed that novel and see some of the same sensibilities here in The Burn Zone. A non-stop narrative pace kept the plot moving, the pages turning, and this reader guessing which fork in the road the story would take. The noir-ish and gritty feel of The Burn Zone evokes a similar used, grimy, and dirty future as did State of Decay; there’s a clear inspiration from Blade Runner in Decker’s writing.
As strong as the plotting and narrative pull are in The Burn Zone, I think Decker’s greatest strength is the character of Sam. She is a fully empathetic character throughout most of the novel, the choices she made informed by the knowledge she possessed were completely believable. At times her determination and strength don’t waiver, and in the small instances they do waiver, it helps to round out her character as a fully realized human being.
The other characters, primarily her allies Nix the haan soldier and Vamp, are more than just set dressing and tools to get Sam what she desires in this thrill-ride of a quest. Vamp has feelings as does Nix, perhaps one of the stronger scenes featuring both characters is a scene Sam only overhears – a discussion between Nix and Vamp about Sam. I often don’t care for scenes of first person protagonist’s ‘overhearing’ other conversations because it can feel a contrived way to relay information but here it was effective and used just in the right way.
The novel takes place in the fictional city of Hangfei, which Decker set in a future analogue of China, based on some of the locations and character names. Smartly, he doesn’t specify the nation is China. As the novel progresses and Sam learns more about the haan and their relationship to our world since their ship crashed nearly fifty years ago, the full scope of the aliens effect on Earth becomes much more far ranging than either Sam or this reader could have expected.
James K. Decker’s The Burn Zone is a thought-provoking thrill ride that evokes themes touched upon by the novels Octavia Butler and films like District 9 and Minority Report, and Dark City. The Burn Zone surprised me with its depth and Decker’s ability to tell an intimate story of a girl searching for her father with a more grand backdrop and potential to take a larger series to many different places.
This is a science fiction novel all readers of the genre should read and one that has the strengths to bridge the gap to non-SF readers.
An early contender for one of the top SF novels of 2013, Highly Recommended.
© 2013 Rob H. Bedford
Full review appears at SFFWorld
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