[Terminus] [By: Baker, Adam] [December, 2013]

Outpost #2

by Adam Baker

The world has been overrun by a lethal infection, ravaged by a pathogen that leaves its victims locked half-way between life and death. New York, bombed to prevent the spread of the disease, has been reduced to radioactive rubble. A rescue squad enters the subway tunnels beneath Manhattan, searching for the one man who can create an antidote. The squad battle floodwaters, lethal radiation and infected, irradiated survivors as they race against the disease that threatens to extinguish the human race.

Genres: Horror, Zombies, Fiction, Science Fiction, Apocalyptic, Post Apocalyptic, Thriller

Paperback

First published March 14, 2013

Reviews

[karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

fulfilling my 2019 goal to read (at least) one book each month that has been digitally moldering, unread, on my NOOK for years and years and years.

BOOKTOBER IS STILL SO SPOOOOOKY!



i read these books all outta order, starting with Outpost(#1), then Juggernaut(#0.5), then Impact(#3), and finally, terminus(#2). part of this was not my fault, as Juggernaut was published after Outpost, but the mixing up of #2 and #3 is 100% on me. however, my flawed mathskills did me no real harm, as the books don’t really build on each other; rather, they all take place more-or-less concurrently as people in different parts of the world (the arctic circle, iraq, las vegas, new york) experience the joys of living on a planet overtaken by an alien/zombie type o’ phenomenon that involves a sentient...entity wending its way into the human body and setting up shop, turning all your pals into freakish undead metal spiky things whose only purpose is to find fresh meat and turn it as well, nomming relentlessly all the way.

Terminus, despite taking place in new york (woot WOOT!), was probably my least favorite in the series, meaning either 1) i read these in the correct order (for me) after all, or 2) i’m over the premise, as cool as it is, and would have been by its fourth reboot regardless of my reading-order.

this one just seemed a bit flat. the sentences are wicked short, there’s only minimal character development, and despite some wonderfully grotesque body-horror sequences, the action was less gripping than the others (particularly Outpost and Juggernaut, which—if you’re going to read two books about quasi-zombies that are really alien possession/colonization novels, let it be those). of note: the scene in the partially-submerged bus is PHOAR, and the molotov cocktails are tremendous. however, as a wise man once said:



baker’s spin on the zombie novel is an excellent variation, and he knows many things about artillery and ordnance and such, which adds a layer of authoritative realism to his situations; his characters are capable and experienced in their fields, tending towards scientists, military personnel, firefighters, and in this one—prisoners, so there’s very little of the ‘bewildered characters running away from monsters and screaming.’ instead, his focus is on people who are used to facing danger, adapting their survival skills and know-how towards an unprecedented threat, getting some licks in—more than the average person would, certainly, but no less doomed for that. i mean—seriously, these are basically Terminator-zombies roaming a recently-nuked NYFC, while a handful of meaty-mortals try to survive in one of new york’s long-abandoned subway tunnels, suffering from radiation-sickness and trust issues, on a desperate last-chance rescue mission/race for the cure ain’t no one confident will succeed.

they are: three prisoners; one gone blind from radiation, one off his anti-psychotic meds, one (understandably) unwilling to cooperate after nearly being executed by the people she’s now meant to be assisting, a sadistic corrections officer who resents all prisoners, an FDNY rescue squad called "The Tunnel Rats," a lieutenant with the Institute of Infections Diseases, and some assorted military folk, sent underground to retrieve the poster child for mad scientistry, whose last subterranean transmission indicated he’d found a cure. it would be an excellent reality show if there were any humans left alive to watch it.

even though i expected to love this one the MOST, for all of its NEW YORK IS ROONED details, it didn’t match the intensity or basic storytelling heights of either Outpost or Juggernaut, but there were enough high points for me to three-star it, SO THAT’S WHAT I DID.

come to my blog!

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Terminus, book two in the Outpost series by Adam Baker is an underground post apocalyptic continuation of the series. I have really enjoyed how Baker has made each of these three books in the series very different from one another. They all share the same story line, the same time period, and the same world, yet each are crafted in very different ways making them feel quite fresh.

Baker has added to the bloated zombie genre by creating a unique twist on the typical undead and by adding another layer on as well. His stories are made memorable through his unique prose and literary style. He also creates very likable almost comic book like.


“A subterranean realm ruled by rats.
Rodents navigated the tunnels in packs. They sought out survivors, the handful of New Yorkers that fled into subterranean darkness to escape ground-level horror. Bewildered refugees stumbling through unlit passageways slowly succumbing to dehydration. Weak. Injured. Maimed by the concussive detonation: the crushing shockwave which burst eardrums, ruptured capillaries, made blood fizz with liberated nitrogen. Victims convulsed, dripped frothing blood from ears and nose as they were subject to massive decompression trauma, like a diver dragged from the depths.
One by one the helpless survivors were overwhelmed by a swarming, seething tide of vermin. Screams echoed through the tunnels as countless yellow incisors sank into flesh.
Rats burrowed into eye sockets, gnawed soft extremities, chewed deep into muscle and viscera.
Bodies quickly reduced to scattered, skeletonised remains.”


This story is the third by Baker but only the second in sequence of events as Juggernaut was actually a prequel. In Terminus we get a story that takes place deep underneath a nuclear destroyed New York City. There is a great deal of action, tension, and danger to the radioactive collapsing tunnels that are cast must make their way through. The location added such a fun layer to a world already made insane by the walking undead. Lupe is clearly the standout protagonist. Her past and her experience made her into a natural survivor that might stand a chance in this world.


Baker utilizes a choppy three word prose that really sets up each chapter with a bit of flair.


“The nurse shocked awake. Jet black eyes stared into darkness. The air was tainted with the ferric scent of blood. New flesh, somewhere within the building.
She crawled into the hallway. The linoleum floor was wet with rain blown through vacant windows.
No moonlight. Transformed vision cut through shadow and picked out detail bright as day.
She sniffed the air, tried to locate the blood-taint, track it to source.
She crawled across the hall. She reached the elevator doors. She sniffed the inch gap. Blood. Rich and strong.”




I have thoroughly enjoyed all three of these books by Baker and easily give them high recommendations for fans of the genre. These are fabulous summer reads….

[Campbell Mcaulay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terminus is Adam Baker's third novel and it is a continuation of the zombie ravaged world that he introduced in Outpost and Juggernaut. However, while it is a continuation, it is NOT a rehash, not a warming over of old characters and scenarios. Instead, Baker continues his ongoing exploration of the effects of the alien revenant virus as it spreads through a gradually disintegrating world.

The story follows Lupe, a New York gang-girl who has been co-opted by a team of scientists, rescue personnel and soldiers to re-enter New York (first taken over by the zombies and subsequently nuked by the government - shades of the classic North American survivalist paranoia going on here?) and extract the one scientist (a rather cornily named Doctor Ekks) who might have found a cure. Their search takes them deep into the Manhattan sewers and subway system, but what will they find there...?

Now there's good, bad (well, sort of) and indifferent here, for me. The story itself is well-paced and it skips along nicely, striking a perfect balance between the excitement of the classic zombie melee, tense claustrophobic searches through collapsed (nay, collapsing), flooded tunnel systems and long periods of boredom waiting for... rescue? for the zombies to break in? to die? And it IS a good story, calling on the well-known, tried and tested Resident Evil gameplay scenario, with characters galore, puzzles, traps, expositional documents and landslides - it really DOES feel like the classic computer game. The atmosphere is well-crafted too - murky, claustrophobic, cold and smelly; nowhere that you'd like to spend your summer holidays, that's for sure.

Another plus point is that it becomes clear from the beginning that the characters are pretty much doomed, having received a healthy, bone-marrow-warming dose of radiation poisoning, they are gradually succumbing to its effects. This adds bucketloads of tension to the story and turns the determined optimism of the more typical "we're going to get out of this if we alll pull together" schtick onto its fatalistic head. A very nice touch and one that Private Hudson would have loved; "Great! Game over man! Game over!".

The characters are, as I have mentioned, varied and fairly interesting and again there's a nice balance struck between the comfortably recognizable (perhaps straying a little towards the cliched?) and the anti-typical. I guess I have to say that I found the characters a little flat, wooden, samey in places. They all talk much like one another (in a stylized, hyper-macho mil-speak) and behave much like one another and a little more development and behavioural diversity would have been nice.

I have moaned about Baker's style in previous reviews. His clipped, staccato delivery. Sentences of no more. Than three words. At a time*. Tends to grate. After a while. I admit that I find it a little easier to read, with practise, and it does add tension and pace, but I would prefer to see him break out of it and use the method a little more sparingly. I'll also admit that it does force him into some rather cool, tastily descriptive (even lyrical) compound word groups...

"Smashed teller-glass crackled underfoot."
"Skin-crawl blackness."
"Bloated bruise-flesh marbled with livid veins."
"Meat-smack as the bullet punctured inert flesh."

So, this is a fine, distinctive addition to the zombie apocalypse genre from Baker; it's good points far outweigh the occasional bad and it rattles along the tram-tracks at a decent pace, spraying blood, bone fragments and brain tissue about with gay abandon. Good holiday reading, but don't forget to bring a length of lead-pipe or a baseball bat... you'll need it.

* Yeah yeah. So I'm exaggerating. Sue me.

[Dave Farmer · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading Outpost I had high hopes of finding out more about the disturbing virus that had wreaked havoc on the planet. Since both books were set in the same world I expected a continuation of sorts, but it became apparent Terminus was a prequel. Slight let down I admit, but I looked forward to a possibility of finding out why and how the virus struck in the first place. To some degree that was hinted at in Outpost. I haven’t read Juggernaut yet, and not sure if I want to now.

It’s hard not to compare Terminus to Outpost. I’m sure there’s a saying that goes something like: “You’re only as good as your last movie/song/book etc.” Whereas Outpost had characters I either hated or loved, Terminus had a cast of one dimensional characters I didn’t care about, to the point where the names could have been swapped around and it wouldn’t have mattered to the plot.

I wanted to find a character like Jane or Ghost from Outpost, that I could get behind and root for. Nariko, Donnahue, Tombes and Cloke were less than exciting. Not dull exactly, just not worth investing my time in. I wanted to like Lupe, the gangster with a bad history who may just turn out to be the hero and become the saviour of mankind. Clichéd I know, but if any of the characters showed a hint of taking on the mantle of hero it was Lupe.

However, I found myself rooting for Sicknote toward the end. Of all the characters he came across as the more fleshed out. That’s only because by the time Sicknote is given some decent page time, the majority of the other characters are dead. I cared about Sicknote, even wanted him to be the one who figured things out, but he simply fizzled away to nothing.

My gut feeling is there was a strange mixture of too much and too little going on at the same time. Things like radiation on the surface, radioactive water in the subway, Geiger counters being used a lot, infected prowlers that don’t offer much of a threat, old grudges rearing up but never coming to much of a conclusion and way too much detail for a reader to care about.

I’m all for giving a story a realistic grounding in order to make the fantastical elements astonishing, scary, amazing, and wondrous etc. At times the narrative was bogged down with details about re-breathers, dry suits, medical jargon and other junk only the author seemed to care about.

The too little issue revolves around the characters sitting around and waiting for rescue. They’re on Manhattan island and have to wait for a helicopter instead of using any bridge to escape. There’s no mention of the bridges being blown up, which would have been a feasible explanation why they didn’t at least try to flee.

Instead the plot hinges on keeping them in the subway due to high levels of radiation and the subways filling with water. Given this is a work of fiction there could have been any number of methods to enable them to try and escape instead of sitting there getting sicker.

The other day I read a blog post that explained how an author may spend hundreds of hours crafting their story, so it shouldn’t be such a big deal to take time and give them feedback. I like writing reviews yet when there are more bad things to say than good I cringe when I write them.

I’m not saying Terminus is bad, it just lacked so much compared to Outpost. At times it felt like it was written by a different author. There were four elements that jarred pretty much throughout the book which brought me out of the story.

Firstly – Good dialogue mimics that of real life. People talk over each other, they cut in, disagreed, answer questions with questions and so on. In the first half I noticed how one character would launch into a long-winded speech, then wait so another character can reply with another overly long speech. Back and forth in a very unrealistic manner. And though dialogue in that respect improved later on, my opinion was still mired by those epic and often pointless speeches.

Secondly – There seems to have been a dramatic change in Baker’s ability to describe a character’s actions compared to Outpost. The narrative is stunted and awkward, and many times I had to reread a section to convince myself I hadn’t read it right.

It didn’t flow well at all when things like this happen: “She picked up the thing. She looked at it. She put it down. She walked over there. She sat down. She looked at something else. She did things.” That happened a lot with almost every character.

Thirdly – There’s no problem with including a map at the start of a book to give the reader something to look at and maybe refer back to. Terminus had too many maps of subways, top views, side elevations and area maps. There were also too many sign-posts, some in image format, others in plain text with no consistency. One sign even popped up several times as if the reader needed to be reminded there were letters missing on it.

Lastly – Short sentences and paragraphs are used to show pace. A tense or action filled scene might have shorter sentences to keep the readers eyes moving along quickly. Longer ones are used when the pace is slower, letting the reader digest things and enjoy longer chunks of description.

As with the: “She picked up thing. She looked at it...” problem, Baker uses the same method to describe places with a nasty stop/start feel to the writing. “Dark steps. Rubble on the floor. A sign on the wall. Rats scurrying. Footsteps. Garbage in the water.”

After reading this same style of description for a second time I questioned if Baker had either written this as a screen play or was imagining a movie set. Was he picturing actors on a sound stage with green screens all around, a director giving the actors some direction before the next shot? “Okay, you’re in a subway, right? Dark steps. Rubble on the floor. A sign on the wall...aaaand action!” It just felt wrong.

The problem is that I want to find something I like about Terminus because based on how much I enjoyed Outpost, I firmly believe Baker can tell a decent story. But it isn’t this one. I’m surprised at how different this story feels, and more surprised at how an editor at Hodder & Stoughton Publishers didn’t pick up on what are very basic errors and suggest either a rewrite or considerable editing prior to being published.

To some degree I can forgive what some may call nitpicking in favour of an author trying out a different style, maybe. And if I disregard what I’ve said above there are still two major problems with Terminus.
First, the characters are flat. They offer very few likeable or relatable qualities and for the most part seem to be going through the motions like they don’t give a shit. It felt like watching the 100th rehearsal of a play where the actors are bored after reading the same lines over and over.

Second, there’s hardly any conflict or character progression. Sure there’s conflict between the subway crew and the infected dudes, but those scenes are few and far between, and even then there never seems to be much of a threat. It doesn’t come across as a threat. Even when conflict is hinted at between characters, there’s never much of a resolution. Things just fizzle out.

As for character progression, I can’t think of any character who was changed because of their experience. Their attitudes, behaviours, needs and desires were pretty much the same at the end as when they were first introduced. And why would a reader want to slog it out to the end and find the characters they’ve spent time with haven’t changed due to their struggle?

The funny thing that despite all these problems I still want to read the next Adam Baker novel because I want it to be a good one. I want his writing ability to match his imagination because when it does he’ll put together an amazing story.

Maybe I’ll give Juggernaut a try.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the whole, this proved to be a gripping jaunt into the bowels of New York's ruined subway system, keeping company with the crew of criminals, firefighters and military types, searching for a lost scientist who may have found a cure to an alien plague that has pushed humanity to the brink of extinction.

To add to the tension, New York -- along with many other major US cities -- has been hit with a nuclear device in a desperate attempt to stem the spread of the infection, which has turned much of humanity into cadaverous revenants riddled with metallic growths. A high-yield device, even the tunnels are no protection from radioactive contamination, so it's a race against time to find the man who may be able to save mankind.

Terminus is a follow up to Baker's novels Outpost and Juggernaut; both action-packed yarns that are filled with tension, gripping characters, and a suitably doom-laden air. This third installment maintains all those elements, but I have to say there is a sense that it has lost some of the momentum found in those earlier novels.

Perhaps it's the metallic plague losing some of its lustre (an infection, incidentally, that all-but reminds me of the melding plague in the Revelation Space series), perhaps it was the constraints of its setting in the tunnels beneath Manhattan island, but the story and the atmosphere felt a little stale by comparison with those earlier works.

So why the four stars? Despite what I've just said, I think it deserves them. Terminus remains an edge of the seat thriller, packed with action, suitably chilling, populated with characters whose fate you'll care to share, but the theme appears to be showing signs of wear and tear.

[David McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 2011, I happened to stumble across Outpost, the debut novel from Adam Baker and was so thoroughly impressed, I got my hands on the follow up title Juggernaut as soon as I possibly could. Now in 2013, Baker revisits the Outpost universe he has created with Terminus.

So, considering the synopsis provided, Baker has taken proceedings from the lonely oil rig set in the bleak Arctic landscape seen in Outpost; left behind the imposing ancient fortress lost in the deserts of Iraq in Juggernaut and drops his current cast of characters into a long forgotten subway station under the city of New York which has been over-run with the infected and subsequently found itself to be the target of a tactical nuclear strike. If nothing else, Baker can't be accused of lacking in imagination!

In common with the previous entries in the Outpost series, Terminus features some strong female leads and the set-up for Terminus, to my mind at least, is unique within the genre. However, at times the plot was reminiscent of elements from Aliens, Escape from New York, Assault on Precinct 13, Mimic and Virus; all of which I had absolutely no problem with. Additionally, Baker peppers his story with knowing yet unobtrusive film references, which amused me no end.

Baker's descriptive prose is exemplary. He leaves little to the reader's imagination, conjuring up a nightmarish vision of New York populated by walking cadavers and throws a ragtag rescue team of firefighters, military scientists and convicts into the 200 miles of subway tunnels beneath the city and has them contend with the threat of collapsing buildings, flooded passageways and radiation sickness before even thinking about the dangers posed by the infected.

Critically, those looking for a quick horror fix will be left disappointed. Although the threat of the infected is ever present throughout Terminus, the author chooses to keep them at bay, building the tension before unleashing his own particular brand of undead horror on the main players here in bloody, visceral style.
Although Terminus is set in the same Outpost universe, it is perhaps most appropriately regarded as the third in the series rather than a sequel since the reader does not discover the fate of the characters last seen in either of the previous entries but Terminus does take place after the events seen therein and advances the general theme set by Outpost and Juggernaut.

At 400+ pages, Terminus is an action-filled horror novel with believable characters facing a seemingly impossible situation; and unlike many sequels or further entries to a series, succeeds as a standalone title. However, it is worthy of note that the real strength of Terminus lies with the characters Baker has created here. After all, I found myself in the unforeseeable situation of rooting for a gangbanger, white supremacist and a convicted serial killer...

[Jennifer Wheeler · Rating 3 out of 5]

What, exactly, is creepier than a zombie comprised of 2 human bodies fused together by metal filaments? Not much, that’s for sure. Lupe was an imminently likeable character, and I wish the next book followed her on the rest of her journey (even though she is most likely going to die of radiation poisoning). And I’d love to know exactly what information was contained in Ekks’ notebook once it was decoded. I’m always joking with my family that I’m not a good person...and this statement is probably proved by the fact that I was cackling with glee as the Galloway/Cloke monster zombie descended from the ceiling vent onto the Chief and his crew towards the end. Anyway, I’ve read reviews on the next book that say it’s quite loaded with military jargon, which was a complaint I made of Juggernaut. So I think I’ll take a break from the series to read something else before continuing on to the last book.

[Martin Belcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book by brilliant British author Adam Baker. It is a kind of sequel to his first book "Outpost" but it is not necessary to have read that one to enjoy Terminus as it is a standalone story. The world has been ravaged by a lethal virus that rapidly infects the living and turns them into violent, blood thirsty entities. The once great city of New York has been destroyed by a nuclear warhead along with a long list of other US cities, all sanctioned by the President and NORAD in a desperate attempt to kill off the hordes of infected. Genius Doctor Ekks and his team of scientists had been near to finding a vaccine when they had to rapidly seek shelter in the New York subway tunnels to avoid being killed instantly by the nuclear strike. Hope is that Ekks has survived along with his priceless scientific breakthroughs.

A crack team made up of scientists, medics, army, ex NY Fire dept officers and a couple of prisoners are helicoptered into lower Manhattan to battle their way into the subway system to establish contact with Ekks and his team and evacuate them. What they encounter is a hellish nightmare of dark tunnels flooded with radiated water, rats, garbage and a lot, lot worse....

Terminus is a brilliant five star claustrophobic horror novel, tense, nerve wracking and filled with spine tingling moments. I loved every minute of it and the ending really begs for a sequel! Highly recommended and please try Adam Baker's other two books, Outpost and Juggernaut. Incredible horror.

[Ted Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cracking good read, does not replace Juggernaut as my favourite in the series so far but great fun.
Eerie, claustrophobic, and action packed, someone give this man a movie deal soon.

[Peter Andersson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Adam Baker hasn't already been picked up by Hollywood for doctoring horror movie scripts someone over there should draft him immediatelly! This book is ninetynine per cent on par with his previous ”Juggernaut”, my favorite zombie book so far.

The second half is actually even better than ”Juggernaut”, the author's squeezing every possible labyrinth jumpscare and crawlspace twist out of an already claustrophic scenario set up with so many Chekhov's guns (both in the physical worldbuilding, and the early flashing out of the charachters, and the ticking clock) that most authors (even good ones) would have a hard time fitting half the number together in a coherent way. And the tempo towards the end is just frantic, in the best possible way.

There's even one false Chekhov's gun in form of a (vehicle withheld) within sight across the street that Baker is teasing us with so many times that I was pleasantly surprised towards the end when that one was the only one not used - because thinking "soon someone's gonna run for it" added even more complexity to the second half. Heck, two of the cure hunters even placed bug-out-bags discussing that as a fallback option.

And for the record - normally I'm against authors not using their obvious Chekhov's guns, more often than not that looks like sloppy wrap-up writing.

My one complaint is that the one attempt at zombie evolution didn't really add much in terms of interresting darwinism on their side, in the end it was used just as a faster and gorier looking hard-to-kill undead enemy that came back in the middle of a standoff for a final bossfight so that (names withheld) could get a break and get away.

I was rather hoping that the psycho inmate who claimed he could hear the viruses talk to each other through his medical metal implants in his head would turn out actually being able to verifiably do so and then overhear them fearing a specific cure, making him the priority pick-up target rather than the luggaged doctor they had come for initially that was just being dragged to and fro at that point.

[Cliff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't normally read books about zombies. The current fixation with them in some quarters strikes me as rather weird. However, I picked this up and thought I would give it a try. An unstoppable virus is making everyone ill and eventually turning them to the aforesaid zombies. Not quite the undead being raised from thier graves, but pretty nasty all the same. One doctor is thought to have the antidote, but he and his team are lost in a derelict NYC subway station., and the city has been destroyed by a nuclear device in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus. A group is sent into to recover him, including members of the Fire Department. experts on extractation of victims from tragedies. They are accompanied by three convicts who had been in the derelicts tunnels and were to guide the others. The story concerns the time spent in the station, fighting the revenants and dealing with radiation poisoning while they search for the doctor. All good gung ho stuff, but not really my cup of tea. Sci fi is great but this branch of fantasy/horror isn't. 3* because it seems good of its kind

[The Geeky Viking · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terminus, the third in author Adam Baker's unique sci-fi/survival horror series that started with Outpost, takes a bit of time to get going but once it does you're in for a wild ride. Fans of John Carpenter's The Thing and Resident Evil will eat this up, and Baker's screenplay styled prose gives the gruesome, action-packed proceedings a cinematic sheen unlike others of its kind. This is fun stuff and a real shame it hasn't lead to a film or, preferably, a series on one of the streaming giants. Recommended for fans of post-apocalyptic action-horror fiction.

[James Geary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Terminus like the other novels in the series. Very fast paced and intense, a lot of action and constant threat. My only criticism is that there were points where pronouns got mixed up, which kind of confused me as to who was talking or acting. Overall, though, it's still an exciting read and an intriguing story.

[Darren Dilnott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adam Baker continues his ultra original, hard hitting Outpost series, with the superb Terminus. I don't think ive ever read such a more difficult to put down series. The furious pace is relentless, but the characters are absolutely superb. Tremendous detail, and wonderful dialogue. Just brilliant.

[Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

If outpost makes you feel isolated, Terminus makes you feel claustrophobic. Personally i think its the weaker book. I still found it enjoyable and the characters were interesting enough to keep me hooked despite the tense atmosphere.

[Sarah Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as great as the previous two but still a very enjoyable read. Much more brutal than the first as well with a more somber ending.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as Juggernaut but on a par with Outpost. Good without being outstanding but far from terrible. If you enjoyed Outpost then I have no doubt you will enjoy this.

Ray Smillie

[Dave Timney · Rating 5 out of 5]

highly recommended series of books

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Virdomarus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than outpost, does a good job of confining the action to the station and surrounds. Quite claustrophobic at times.

[Stu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this. I got used to the choppy style. Liked the first book in the series and will get the third.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Terminus By Adam Baker
Average at best

[Ron Jorper · Rating 4 out of 5]

They're in those tunnels.

[Frlobe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so awesome.

[Osman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d not read any of Adam Baker's books before and became unsure as to whether this was a sequel. I think it’s his third novel, the two preceding are also Zombie apocalypses and I read in the reviews below that they are set in the same universe but use different characters. So is this the same Zombie plague? Do the earlier books show its genesis? I don’t know. There is certainly no indication anywhere on the cover or inside that it considers itself third in a series.

However I’ll be keen to search out those earlier books because this is one fire-cracker of a good read. He is a sort of Hemmingwayesque writer- short clipped sentences; no word redundancy; no excess flab. In fact sometimes it reads almost like a screen play with ultra slight stage direction. This makes for a fast reader.

Another reason it reads fast is that all takes place (apart from one early scene) in the same set of rooms - a disused New York subway station - and as a map of the layout is provided one becomes very familiar.

This could make the novel claustrophobic(in a bad way) but it doesn’t. Plot direction always pushes us on to the next goal and the tension is maintained throughout. It is relentlessly dark, entirely pessimistic and extremely violent- everything one could possibly want in a zombie apocalypse; but it is also inventive, exciting and will leave you guessing the possibilities for the cast until the end.

The characterisation is adequate, although I would say that only the lead is filled out with anything approaching roundedness, but that suits me for this genre; to my mind many authors get this wrong in such genre fiction trying to play the great novelist and end up boring the reader with unnecessary exegesis concerning their beloved characters early existence- spare us the boring filler! In this book you are never more than a sentence away from the present action which will keep you on the edge of your seat up to the end.

There are noticeable loose ends and one might well wish for a direct sequel to this one not least for a return to the compelling main character.

[Jennifer Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far, the Outpost series has been so much fun to read. From start to finish it has you gripped in a roller coaster ride of guns, explosions, metal zombies and even weirder critters. The fact that Outpost, Juggernaut, and Terminus all take place in completely different environments has been the winning point for me. Terminus definitely delivers everything I've come to expect in this series and more.

From what I've read of reviews, a lot of people prefer Juggernaut, but for me Juggernaut was my least liked (not meaning I didn't like it, but as I said in my review, I don't particularly like army themes) so I was so glad this one was such an improvement for me.

In Terminus, we have a group of survivors that are sent into the city of New York after an a-bomb has been dropped on it, to find a neurologist that hopefully survived the radiation fallout and may also have a cure for this strange virus. The team consists of firefighters and ex-convicts. They have a very hard time under the subway station, and so ensues chaos and fighting to survive.

The coolest part about Terminus was the Galloway monster! I had genuine fear while reading about him, the way he's described and made is just horrid. It reminded me of something from the Resident Evil video games. I don't honest get scared from horror novels, but this one had me looking over my shoulder searching for the Galloway monster.

There was some very horrendous moments in the book that were cringe worthy, but at the same time it gave you a very edge of your seat, adrenaline ride. I thoroughly enjoyed this and I'm looking forward to reading Impact!

[Tai Wai · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could only say it was quite an experience reading “Terminus” by Adam Baker. For a week as soon as I wasn’t working on a physics textbook or solving a quadratic equation I would pick up the book and start off where I left. At first glance this book would be considered a “walking dead” novelization, but as you read on you would notice that is had an even bigger threat then zombies: radiation. The US government issued the use of nuclear weapons on bigger cities to mitigate the infection, and so instead of trying to put together a fighting force and retaking New York, it was bombed and the whole of Manhattan was vaporized. This story introduces an interesting bond between criminal and officer, because when disaster strikes, who you were when society stood is no more. It is all about the skills you have for survival. You were valuable if you had some information or weapons, and if not, you would be considered dead weight. Many a time I found myself frowning to some details because of its attention of the metallic infection characteristics of the zombies. Hopefully you will find the detail of this book very captivating, as these details made my paranoid into doing hours of research into neurotoxins and diseases with similar infection characteristics (in short, research into whether zombies could exist). If you are interested, please do so, because this book will make you believe, whether you like it or not, that if there was such thing it would be the worst thing you would have ever experienced.

[David Proffitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Terminus” is the third in his series of books surrounding a mystery plague that turns humans into something half robot half zombies.

I will admit that when put like that it does sound a little pathetic. Just another trash zombie book! Well actually no, these books are far from that. Adam Baker is a great writer with the ability to draw the reader in and keep you hooked right to the very end.

There are no characters that link the three books (and the fourth?), only the mystery infection. But with each book we get a little more of an insight into the “virus” and its purpose.

In Terminus, a team are sent into the subway tunnels below Manhattan to recover a team of scientists and their notes. But things start to go wrong right from the start with members of the team falling victim to the plague carriers, cold and nuclear fallout.

A pattern is beginning to emerge. We know that the characters will probably not going to make it as far as the next book, but that doesn’t stop me wishing for their survival.

Like its predecessors, Terminus has pace, believable characters and a plot that keeps you guessing right to the end. Baker is very descriptive of the rescue and military hardware, and it’s obvious he has done his research.

Once again, Adam Baker has produced a book that is difficult to put down.

[Nick Brett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Number three in Adam Baker’s somewhat grim series. Number four has also recently been released.
The series is based on a kind of end of world scenario where people are infected by alien spores that have a bit of a hive mind. Humans are being hunted now and there is not much sign of hope. As the books progress mankind is more and more on the back-foot and we are given different perspectives on the out-break, the link to the books is the outbreak, not the characters that change from book to book. In Terminus an over-run New York has been nuked in a desperate attempt to slow or destroy the infection but it is discovered that a key bunch of scientists may be surviving in the subway system. A disparate team is sent in to try and find them and or recover any key research. And, of course, things do not go well.
There is an undercurrent in these books that mankind is doomed so you feel that there will not be a miracle cure or a resolution, you are watching the death of humanity. And that becomes the series weakness, as a reader you have no hope or expectation that anything you are reading will make a difference, so your view becomes “when” and not “if”.
Having said that, this is full of action and tension and delivers well.

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terminus was another gripping read from Adam Baker, its the conclusion to his brilliant Outpost trilogy and I feel like I've been waiting forever to get my hands on it, in truth it was just a few months but I was THAT excited.
Terminus has a similar theme to the other books, its a small group of people stuck in an impossible situation, trying to survive and not all are completely sane characters, making the task that much harder. In ways, it reminded me of the other books, I found the mix of characters to be similar and of course, its the same kind of situation. However, Mr Baker writes an incredible, heart pumping story, full of brutal action with no characters being 'safe.' So you really don't know what will happen next, and some of the things he came up with in this were beyond anything you'll have found in the previous books and will have you cringing back in your seat and your eyes glued to the page.
In all, Terminus is a great conclusion to the story and the author managed to scare the pants off me yet again, I really can't wait to see what he comes up with next.