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The Gunn Files #3
Quantum Flare: The Gunn Files, Book 3
An alien war looms over Earth....
And Anderson Gunn is helpless to stop it.
Messages from intergalactic allies paint a stark view of the War is inevitable. The future is set, but the timeframe unknown. All he can do is train, worry, and wait.
A knock on the door brings a much-needed distraction - a bounty hunting job. There’s only one problem. This client is of the offworlder variety.
Gunn’s an expert at tracking down missing humans. But missing aliens? That's a whole different ball game.
The case hurls Gunn and his friends to the brink of the impending conflict, where they stumble on an alien technology that will irrevocably alter the course of human history. War is bad enough on its own, but this? This will change everything.
The Gunn Files series continues with Quantum Flare , a first contact science fiction mystery set in the weird heart of Texas. If you've ever asked yourself what it would be like to have aliens living among us, or you're a fan of Men in Black, The X-Files, or Fringe , buy this book!
And Anderson Gunn is helpless to stop it.
Messages from intergalactic allies paint a stark view of the War is inevitable. The future is set, but the timeframe unknown. All he can do is train, worry, and wait.
A knock on the door brings a much-needed distraction - a bounty hunting job. There’s only one problem. This client is of the offworlder variety.
Gunn’s an expert at tracking down missing humans. But missing aliens? That's a whole different ball game.
The case hurls Gunn and his friends to the brink of the impending conflict, where they stumble on an alien technology that will irrevocably alter the course of human history. War is bad enough on its own, but this? This will change everything.
The Gunn Files series continues with Quantum Flare , a first contact science fiction mystery set in the weird heart of Texas. If you've ever asked yourself what it would be like to have aliens living among us, or you're a fan of Men in Black, The X-Files, or Fringe , buy this book!
- GenresScience Fiction
Audible Audio
First published May 26, 2020
18 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
M.G. Herron
42 books95 followersM.G. Herron is the author of The Gunn Files, The Translocator Trilogy, and other stories of science fiction and fantasy.
His work is published both independently and through publishing houses such as Audible Studios and Aethon Books. Altogether Herron’s novels have sold tens of thousands of copies.
Based in sunny Austin, Texas, MG’s alter ego, Matt, works for a product design agency as a content strategist. He enjoys traveling with his wife and their dog, hiking, rock climbing, and making up stories.
Learn more at mgherron.com.
His work is published both independently and through publishing houses such as Audible Studios and Aethon Books. Altogether Herron’s novels have sold tens of thousands of copies.
Based in sunny Austin, Texas, MG’s alter ego, Matt, works for a product design agency as a content strategist. He enjoys traveling with his wife and their dog, hiking, rock climbing, and making up stories.
Learn more at mgherron.com.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 26, 2020
“Sometimes, we only see what we want to see. We ignore the signals, preferring to live in the false comfort of our own reality.”
The cover art is fantastic, very accurate with the story, which is fabulous, getting better and better with each installment.
Incredible and fascinating technology, the virtual simulation is one of the best tech I’ve ever read of, Herron describes it so realistically..
Great near future plotlines, well developed characters, super pace and writing skills.... challenging perceptions, thoughtful as well as just a fun read, with a delightful range of alien species. It’s torturous, emotive, gritty, action packed. The author has quite an imagination. Sheila, Anna and Gunn make a formidable team, together with Vinny, one of the good aliens. Intriguing, full of scenes shrouded in mystery, this premise gets more interesting and exciting, with edge of seat, jaw clenching moments. I felt the same thrilling and satisfying feeling of accomplishment when the team discovered something new, so alive and realistic is the story. An imminent confrontation between a dissident and rebel faction of aliens, The Tetrad, against the Federation of Planets taking place on Earth, without the knowledge of humans has Gunn and his team on the edge of their toes, a sobering exploration of how a radical technology can be exploited by those in power for their own gain. There are many questions answered, secrets revealed, but more turn up at every point. A bumpy roller-coaster ride that delivers thrills and serious issues. A truly cloak and dagger detective work! I enjoyed reading this series enormously! I hope there’s a sequel. A series I highly recommend without a doubt.
The cover art is fantastic, very accurate with the story, which is fabulous, getting better and better with each installment.
Incredible and fascinating technology, the virtual simulation is one of the best tech I’ve ever read of, Herron describes it so realistically..
Great near future plotlines, well developed characters, super pace and writing skills.... challenging perceptions, thoughtful as well as just a fun read, with a delightful range of alien species. It’s torturous, emotive, gritty, action packed. The author has quite an imagination. Sheila, Anna and Gunn make a formidable team, together with Vinny, one of the good aliens. Intriguing, full of scenes shrouded in mystery, this premise gets more interesting and exciting, with edge of seat, jaw clenching moments. I felt the same thrilling and satisfying feeling of accomplishment when the team discovered something new, so alive and realistic is the story. An imminent confrontation between a dissident and rebel faction of aliens, The Tetrad, against the Federation of Planets taking place on Earth, without the knowledge of humans has Gunn and his team on the edge of their toes, a sobering exploration of how a radical technology can be exploited by those in power for their own gain. There are many questions answered, secrets revealed, but more turn up at every point. A bumpy roller-coaster ride that delivers thrills and serious issues. A truly cloak and dagger detective work! I enjoyed reading this series enormously! I hope there’s a sequel. A series I highly recommend without a doubt.
May 8, 2020
The Gunn series is very special. If you like your mystery with a mix of aliens that can change to look human than this is the series for you. This may be a mystery but it is also a humorous book. Just imagine the Mob boss, the Bounty hunter and his helper alongside the police and here you have a fun mystery read. The previous books allow you to know the characters better and that makes this book even better. It was a fun read all the way to the end.
May 22, 2020
This series just keeps getting BETTER!
This is the best book of the series by far and I thought the first 2 were AMAZING!
The Pinkers, I mean come on! The offworld characters just keep getting better. The fact that each one is so very different than the next is mind blowing.
Gunn, this dude is one badass with a heart of gold! You can tell he really likes, maybe even loves Anna and I think she feels the same. I love how M.G. wrote so many strong, smart, and confident women into this series so far. Each one, whether they are human or offworld are all such amazing female characters that you'll be rooting for every single one of them. Gunn maybe slow to the part sometimes, but his head usually catches up to his heart and he has unlimited guts and determination that he always gets to the bottom of things.
The fact that the character list has grown without forgetting anyone and adding in key players that may be good or bad, you choose, is what keeps you coming back for more.
I hope this series just going on for ever. I say this everytime and every time I mean it, another HOME RUN!
This is the best book of the series by far and I thought the first 2 were AMAZING!
The Pinkers, I mean come on! The offworld characters just keep getting better. The fact that each one is so very different than the next is mind blowing.
Gunn, this dude is one badass with a heart of gold! You can tell he really likes, maybe even loves Anna and I think she feels the same. I love how M.G. wrote so many strong, smart, and confident women into this series so far. Each one, whether they are human or offworld are all such amazing female characters that you'll be rooting for every single one of them. Gunn maybe slow to the part sometimes, but his head usually catches up to his heart and he has unlimited guts and determination that he always gets to the bottom of things.
The fact that the character list has grown without forgetting anyone and adding in key players that may be good or bad, you choose, is what keeps you coming back for more.
I hope this series just going on for ever. I say this everytime and every time I mean it, another HOME RUN!
June 15, 2020
Amazing futuristic scifi story. So realistic that I held my breath wondering if I’d survive. Loved it
January 3, 2021
It's kind of nice to have a book end where things don't all work out for the hero.
This was a nice ending for the trilogy but I hope there is more to come.
This was a nice ending for the trilogy but I hope there is more to come.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2020
In Part 3 of the Gunn Files, Anderson Gunn is still coming to terms with the events that took place in Overdose, the near loss of his hand, and the transformation of his hand from human, to half human to half robot. Further to this, he is coming to grips with the fact that he now owes the Gatekeeper more money, but that during his investigations, he learned that there is a dangerous alliance between the Gatekeeper and Ezembaster, a member of the Tetrad.
He knows that the Tetrad are coming to Earth, and that the War within the Galaxy is going to happen (if it hasn’t started already), and that the Peacekeepers are directly involved.
Gunn has also improved his relationship with Annabelle Summers, a.k.a. Marsha Marshall, after she helped him bring down the drug runners of ‘Ora’ in Overdose.
Whilst he has made some new friends, Rashiki is not quite so happy with him after all that happened on the Jel’Ka track.
In Quantum Flare Gunn is hired Lula (A Pinker – you have to love the names of the Alien Races) to find her missing husband who has disappeared without a trace. Her husband, Zavis, also a Pinker, is one of the foremost designers in Quantum Architecture, using the Opsilax style – that is a style that is totally different on the inside than it is on the outside, and not just in the design, but more in the size etc (think the Tardis from Dr Who).
And suddenly what was a simple missing person case, becomes far more interesting, as Anna (who is now working with Gunn), and Vinny, (who is still lending Gunn a hand at times with various things), start to uncover all sorts of nefarious things, linked to various underground figures like the Gatekeeper, but even worse, there is suspicion that the Tetrad could be involved.
This is sort of different to the first two books, it isn’t quite as clear cut as what is going on, there is a lot more mystery and intrigue, and this only makes the book that much more interesting.
There is still that real 50’s Noir, Humphrey Bogart feel to the series, with Gunn being just brilliant as the Private Eye who is as hard as nails, but has a real soft spot for the Damsel in Distress, and will also always look after his Mates, no matter the cost (He would give his life for Vinny, alien or not).
In this 3rd book, we also see a slightly different change in that Gunn finally lets Annabelle Summers team up with him and ‘Investigate’ cases, which sees some fun and interesting outcomes. It is this fun, this style of writing, and this evolution of his Characters, that makes Herron’s books just so much fun to read.
As with all the other books in this series, the world building has been spectacular, with so much depth and detail going into the Alien Races, their backgrounds, the different conflicts and interplay that is occurring between these races, and the overall impact that this is having on a completely clueless Earth. It is a brilliant part of the story, one that Herron has a lot of fun with, but also one that he uses with such incredible skill to create not just outstanding storylines, but to give his characters something that they can use and work against as they tell their stories.
Part 3 (without giving too much away), starts off as a simple missing persons case, but quickly evolves into so much more (because hey, a) it is a Gunn Story and b) it a M.G. Herron Story, so what did you expect?), but this time around, Gunn finds that he is out of his element, even with the beautiful Anna Summers at his side, Sheila Gonzalez has been is kind of helpful, but she has to be careful so she doesn’t end up benched again, and Vinny is still suffering after the events of book 2, and doesn’t want to be involved anymore.
It makes for a really great read, and if you enjoyed the first 2 books, you will love this one, as it is easily the best of the 3 so far, with plenty of action, great humour, fantastic world-building, and some Outstanding Character development, all leading to an extraordinary story that you are going to find it hard to put down.
He knows that the Tetrad are coming to Earth, and that the War within the Galaxy is going to happen (if it hasn’t started already), and that the Peacekeepers are directly involved.
Gunn has also improved his relationship with Annabelle Summers, a.k.a. Marsha Marshall, after she helped him bring down the drug runners of ‘Ora’ in Overdose.
Whilst he has made some new friends, Rashiki is not quite so happy with him after all that happened on the Jel’Ka track.
In Quantum Flare Gunn is hired Lula (A Pinker – you have to love the names of the Alien Races) to find her missing husband who has disappeared without a trace. Her husband, Zavis, also a Pinker, is one of the foremost designers in Quantum Architecture, using the Opsilax style – that is a style that is totally different on the inside than it is on the outside, and not just in the design, but more in the size etc (think the Tardis from Dr Who).
And suddenly what was a simple missing person case, becomes far more interesting, as Anna (who is now working with Gunn), and Vinny, (who is still lending Gunn a hand at times with various things), start to uncover all sorts of nefarious things, linked to various underground figures like the Gatekeeper, but even worse, there is suspicion that the Tetrad could be involved.
This is sort of different to the first two books, it isn’t quite as clear cut as what is going on, there is a lot more mystery and intrigue, and this only makes the book that much more interesting.
There is still that real 50’s Noir, Humphrey Bogart feel to the series, with Gunn being just brilliant as the Private Eye who is as hard as nails, but has a real soft spot for the Damsel in Distress, and will also always look after his Mates, no matter the cost (He would give his life for Vinny, alien or not).
In this 3rd book, we also see a slightly different change in that Gunn finally lets Annabelle Summers team up with him and ‘Investigate’ cases, which sees some fun and interesting outcomes. It is this fun, this style of writing, and this evolution of his Characters, that makes Herron’s books just so much fun to read.
As with all the other books in this series, the world building has been spectacular, with so much depth and detail going into the Alien Races, their backgrounds, the different conflicts and interplay that is occurring between these races, and the overall impact that this is having on a completely clueless Earth. It is a brilliant part of the story, one that Herron has a lot of fun with, but also one that he uses with such incredible skill to create not just outstanding storylines, but to give his characters something that they can use and work against as they tell their stories.
Part 3 (without giving too much away), starts off as a simple missing persons case, but quickly evolves into so much more (because hey, a) it is a Gunn Story and b) it a M.G. Herron Story, so what did you expect?), but this time around, Gunn finds that he is out of his element, even with the beautiful Anna Summers at his side, Sheila Gonzalez has been is kind of helpful, but she has to be careful so she doesn’t end up benched again, and Vinny is still suffering after the events of book 2, and doesn’t want to be involved anymore.
It makes for a really great read, and if you enjoyed the first 2 books, you will love this one, as it is easily the best of the 3 so far, with plenty of action, great humour, fantastic world-building, and some Outstanding Character development, all leading to an extraordinary story that you are going to find it hard to put down.
May 28, 2020
REVIEW IS VALID FOR THE TRILOGY!!
OK, here goes:
Part 1 - "Culture Shock"
Read this a few weeks back and REALLY enjoyed it. At the time it struck me as being pretty heavily "MIB"-like but with good action and characters. Well worth the read and made me really look forward to parts 2 and 3, which I was going to wait on until the last book came out so I could read them together.
Well, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum... for some reason, when I tried to return this Kindle Unlimited offer back to amazon, well, they left it on my device. No worries, right, it's not like Bezos can't afford to give me a free book. But with that in mind I read it again AND ENJOYED IT EVEN MORE! So I'll be going back to not update my review per se except to raise the ranking to a solid 4-stars, up from the 3 1/2 I previously gave it. Good fun!
Part 2 - "Overdose"
4+ stars rating. Easily the best book of the trilogy and I was glad that we got away from most of the more obvious popular culture references. Still, there was a good sprinkling of not only MIB again but also Star Wars and especially Jurassic Park. No worries there Chewy, it was all in good fun (and much less egregiously handled than the Yoda bits in part 3). The great thing about book 2, however, is that the characters - now sans Intergalatic Peacekeepers - really come into their own. Our main protagonist, "Andy" Gunn turns out to be a really decent detective and true heroic figure. The mystery element involved including the new settings go a long way to making this a damn fine read. Again, its well-written, fast paced, funny when it needs to be and stays on point. I mentioned in my last review that I've read more than a few fantasy-mystery-detective books in my days, but this one really nailed it in terms of balancing all those elements. Needless to say I was glad I waited for part 3 to be in hand because I started that immediately.
Part 3 - "Quantum Flare"
3+ stars. A good but not a great ending to the trilogy but lacked the clear WOW moment I was looking for (think the final scene in the 'Bobiverse' by Dennis E. Taylor in terms of how that war end). Yes, there were a lot of elements in play here, however, not all of them worked for me and not all of them were satisfactorily wrapped up either. Book 3 is a noticeably darker book in many ways, what with elements like PTSD and even fatal gun battles included. There were also some grammatical errors that made my eyes twitch as well as some editing oversights (there's one point where Herron mentions 5 people in a room but even with the AI being counted there's at max 4).
Still, the book is really really good! I'm just sorry we didn't make a commitment one way or another to either having the Peacekeeper (singular, no spoilers) involved or completely left out. As it was, that aspect in particular was lacking in substance, even if part of the exercise is obviously to leave the reader with the real feeling of ambiguity about the whole 'goodness' of the Federation. Also, the weird 'infinity' house was just borderline way too bizarre for comfort, as well as the kind of half-assed scheme the Tetrad launched towards the end. Both could have contributed a lot more than they did. Oh well. Like I said, I was looking for more of an 'Independence Day' big bang and not just a chaotic free-for-all with a bunch of conspiracy enthusiasts crowding around and a final 'gee golly aren't we swell' final fadeout.
Bottom line though is that THE SUM OF THE PARTS IS BETTER THAN yada yada yada. This is a trilogy well worth your time - which I'd rate a solid 4 overall - particularly if you love scifi with good, even subtle humor and don't mind single-sitting tales. This was very entertaining and I'm really and truly glad I read all 3 books together! And if Herron has more planned, well, sign me up because they'd be fun to read, too!
OK, here goes:
Part 1 - "Culture Shock"
Read this a few weeks back and REALLY enjoyed it. At the time it struck me as being pretty heavily "MIB"-like but with good action and characters. Well worth the read and made me really look forward to parts 2 and 3, which I was going to wait on until the last book came out so I could read them together.
Well, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum... for some reason, when I tried to return this Kindle Unlimited offer back to amazon, well, they left it on my device. No worries, right, it's not like Bezos can't afford to give me a free book. But with that in mind I read it again AND ENJOYED IT EVEN MORE! So I'll be going back to not update my review per se except to raise the ranking to a solid 4-stars, up from the 3 1/2 I previously gave it. Good fun!
Part 2 - "Overdose"
4+ stars rating. Easily the best book of the trilogy and I was glad that we got away from most of the more obvious popular culture references. Still, there was a good sprinkling of not only MIB again but also Star Wars and especially Jurassic Park. No worries there Chewy, it was all in good fun (and much less egregiously handled than the Yoda bits in part 3). The great thing about book 2, however, is that the characters - now sans Intergalatic Peacekeepers - really come into their own. Our main protagonist, "Andy" Gunn turns out to be a really decent detective and true heroic figure. The mystery element involved including the new settings go a long way to making this a damn fine read. Again, its well-written, fast paced, funny when it needs to be and stays on point. I mentioned in my last review that I've read more than a few fantasy-mystery-detective books in my days, but this one really nailed it in terms of balancing all those elements. Needless to say I was glad I waited for part 3 to be in hand because I started that immediately.
Part 3 - "Quantum Flare"
3+ stars. A good but not a great ending to the trilogy but lacked the clear WOW moment I was looking for (think the final scene in the 'Bobiverse' by Dennis E. Taylor in terms of how that war end). Yes, there were a lot of elements in play here, however, not all of them worked for me and not all of them were satisfactorily wrapped up either. Book 3 is a noticeably darker book in many ways, what with elements like PTSD and even fatal gun battles included. There were also some grammatical errors that made my eyes twitch as well as some editing oversights (there's one point where Herron mentions 5 people in a room but even with the AI being counted there's at max 4).
Still, the book is really really good! I'm just sorry we didn't make a commitment one way or another to either having the Peacekeeper (singular, no spoilers) involved or completely left out. As it was, that aspect in particular was lacking in substance, even if part of the exercise is obviously to leave the reader with the real feeling of ambiguity about the whole 'goodness' of the Federation. Also, the weird 'infinity' house was just borderline way too bizarre for comfort, as well as the kind of half-assed scheme the Tetrad launched towards the end. Both could have contributed a lot more than they did. Oh well. Like I said, I was looking for more of an 'Independence Day' big bang and not just a chaotic free-for-all with a bunch of conspiracy enthusiasts crowding around and a final 'gee golly aren't we swell' final fadeout.
Bottom line though is that THE SUM OF THE PARTS IS BETTER THAN yada yada yada. This is a trilogy well worth your time - which I'd rate a solid 4 overall - particularly if you love scifi with good, even subtle humor and don't mind single-sitting tales. This was very entertaining and I'm really and truly glad I read all 3 books together! And if Herron has more planned, well, sign me up because they'd be fun to read, too!
May 26, 2020
A Bounty hunter adventure with aliens, oh and an imminent offworld invasion. And super-tech that can alter the course of history. And ... too much to fit in here but it’s all superbly told, totally exciting and totally fun. Frankly I loved reading M.G. Herron’s Quantum Flare (Gunn Files, Book 3) and am happy to highly recommend it (though fir maximum enjoyment I’d recommend starting with Book 1).
May 31, 2020
Booklets, just say'n
These are entertaining and inventive short stories, but that's fine. Since people seem to have pretty short attention spans anyway. The humor is sweet and the action jumps around like a ping pong ball. It's like a short fun ride, so jump on, jump off and have fun.
These are entertaining and inventive short stories, but that's fine. Since people seem to have pretty short attention spans anyway. The humor is sweet and the action jumps around like a ping pong ball. It's like a short fun ride, so jump on, jump off and have fun.
July 19, 2020
This book took things in a little different direction from the first two with the fate of the world at stake and not just Gunn and co. Much like the other books, a good fun romp with lots of action and some humor.
More insights into the various characters keeps things interesting on many levels. The ending, while satisfying, leaves plenty of room for future stories.
More insights into the various characters keeps things interesting on many levels. The ending, while satisfying, leaves plenty of room for future stories.
June 6, 2020
I look at Austin a bit differently now
What a ride , from bounty hunter tracking bail slippers to finding alien criminals and saving a hidden community of offworlders to becoming a part of a plan to save the world
What a ride , from bounty hunter tracking bail slippers to finding alien criminals and saving a hidden community of offworlders to becoming a part of a plan to save the world
July 8, 2020
Wow!!!
Quantum Flare has taken the Gunn Files to a whole new level! Started reading this right after finishing Overdose and WOW!!! Could. Not. Put. It. Down! I REALLY hope this is not a trilogy! PLEASE! More Gunn Files!!!
Quantum Flare has taken the Gunn Files to a whole new level! Started reading this right after finishing Overdose and WOW!!! Could. Not. Put. It. Down! I REALLY hope this is not a trilogy! PLEASE! More Gunn Files!!!
February 23, 2021
Good Story
I like a good story and this one did not disappoint, I wish it was even longer
because it did not want it to end! Looking forward to the next book and there
better be another book 'cause that cliffhanger was just too much!
I like a good story and this one did not disappoint, I wish it was even longer
because it did not want it to end! Looking forward to the next book and there
better be another book 'cause that cliffhanger was just too much!
June 5, 2020
A fun novel with great alien characters. Will keep you interested until the final page.
July 20, 2020
A fun ride!
August 7, 2020
Horrible.
September 9, 2020
Bette r and beter
It seems the writer just keeps expanding his universe in a great way. I can't wait for more this is the xfiles but if Mulder had made friends with aliens
It seems the writer just keeps expanding his universe in a great way. I can't wait for more this is the xfiles but if Mulder had made friends with aliens
December 19, 2020
This series is just getting better and better! As well as the usual cast of characters, we have some wonderful new ones in this third book of the series. The Pinkers were the best - their appearance reminds me of a sort of scifi version of house elves, but way cooler and certainly not there to serve! But oh so cute, and fascinating.
Also, the best architecture ever, with Quantum Architecture. Surely the basis for the Tardis, and absolutely brilliant.
Mr Herron has the ability to describe something so vividly, that it becomes instantly imaginable. I loved reading this book and recommend it highly to anyone who loves traditional scifi, wonderful imagination and great stories.
Also, the best architecture ever, with Quantum Architecture. Surely the basis for the Tardis, and absolutely brilliant.
Mr Herron has the ability to describe something so vividly, that it becomes instantly imaginable. I loved reading this book and recommend it highly to anyone who loves traditional scifi, wonderful imagination and great stories.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews