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F.A.S.T. Series #2
Haywire
Imagine you were on your honeymoon.
Imagine you were honeymooning on the grandest, largest, most expensive cruise ship ever to sail the world’s oceans.
Everything is perfect.
Everything is always perfect on board the First Lady of the Sea, a super-liner designed to provide passengers with the ‘ultimate’ luxury cruising experience.
Highly-trained staff cater to your every need, every minute of every day. Cuisine from every part of the globe is available at the push of a button. Activities you never imagined possible are waiting right outside your cabin door. You can scuba dive in the world’s largest floating aquarium. You can join the action in the big tent circus or spend your days shopping duty-free in exclusive designer boutiques.
Everything is just waiting for you.
Imagine you are having the best time of your life.
And now imagine the next morning you wake up to discover half the ship’s passengers have turned into homicidal maniacs.
Quite literally, one half of the ship has declared war on the other half.
Husband against wife. Brother against sister.
The ship is a warzone.
An epidemic of violence has swept through the ship and transformed its opulent decks into the most disturbing type of battleground.
Mindless, zombie-like brutality has overtaken the ship during the night, and when you awaken, the only thing standing between you and them is your cabin door….
Imagine you were honeymooning on the grandest, largest, most expensive cruise ship ever to sail the world’s oceans.
Everything is perfect.
Everything is always perfect on board the First Lady of the Sea, a super-liner designed to provide passengers with the ‘ultimate’ luxury cruising experience.
Highly-trained staff cater to your every need, every minute of every day. Cuisine from every part of the globe is available at the push of a button. Activities you never imagined possible are waiting right outside your cabin door. You can scuba dive in the world’s largest floating aquarium. You can join the action in the big tent circus or spend your days shopping duty-free in exclusive designer boutiques.
Everything is just waiting for you.
Imagine you are having the best time of your life.
And now imagine the next morning you wake up to discover half the ship’s passengers have turned into homicidal maniacs.
Quite literally, one half of the ship has declared war on the other half.
Husband against wife. Brother against sister.
The ship is a warzone.
An epidemic of violence has swept through the ship and transformed its opulent decks into the most disturbing type of battleground.
Mindless, zombie-like brutality has overtaken the ship during the night, and when you awaken, the only thing standing between you and them is your cabin door….
325 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 12, 2014
14 people are currently reading
95 people want to read
About the author
Shane M. Brown
14 books28 followersSHANE M BROWN was born in 1974 and writes from Brisbane, Australia. He attended James Cook University, graduating with a First Class Honors Degree in Biological Science and a Masters Degree in Underwater Archaeology. Shane has published multiple short stories and recently signed a contract selling the rights for a feature film to be based on one of his stories. His other novels are titled FAST and PLAZA. His collection of short stories is titled AFTER.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 7, 2014
Darn, when I wrote this review, there were 9 other reviews and they were ALL 5-star reviews. If I wasn't ALREADY a Shane Brown fan (and have been since FAST: A Military Thriller (The F.A.S.T. Series Book 1)) I would think something was not right. All 9 (and now 10) reviews are 5-Stars?
Well, believe it. First off, this is an action book, an exciting thriller. It is not a YA novel, no romance, but it has tons of action. From that point of view, this is a much deserved 5-Star review. In my first review of a Shane Brown book (F.A.S.T.) I said that Shane would be compared very favorably to Matthew Reilly, author of THE Gold Bar Standard of action books: Ice Station (Shane Schofield Book 1). I have seen many other reviews where this author or that author was compared to Reilly. Most of the time, this is not a good comparison, as most new writers pale when compared to Matthew. However, in this case it is valid. But to be fair, Shane sets his own path. I do not consider Shane a Reilly imitator or a Reilly wanna-be. I'm just saying that IF you like the Reilly books then ODDs are you will enjoy the Shane Brown books (I also loved PLAZA: An Archaeological Thriller).
I have been looking forward to the 2nd book with our F.A.S.T. Marines ever since the first book came out. Kick butt and take names indeed! I have been on 3 cruises and thank goodness I didn't have to face a hoard of maniac induced killers or a team of utterly ruthless mercenaries. If I was in that situation, than I would want Captain Coleman and his F.A.S.T. troops to bail me out.
Well, believe it. First off, this is an action book, an exciting thriller. It is not a YA novel, no romance, but it has tons of action. From that point of view, this is a much deserved 5-Star review. In my first review of a Shane Brown book (F.A.S.T.) I said that Shane would be compared very favorably to Matthew Reilly, author of THE Gold Bar Standard of action books: Ice Station (Shane Schofield Book 1). I have seen many other reviews where this author or that author was compared to Reilly. Most of the time, this is not a good comparison, as most new writers pale when compared to Matthew. However, in this case it is valid. But to be fair, Shane sets his own path. I do not consider Shane a Reilly imitator or a Reilly wanna-be. I'm just saying that IF you like the Reilly books then ODDs are you will enjoy the Shane Brown books (I also loved PLAZA: An Archaeological Thriller).
I have been looking forward to the 2nd book with our F.A.S.T. Marines ever since the first book came out. Kick butt and take names indeed! I have been on 3 cruises and thank goodness I didn't have to face a hoard of maniac induced killers or a team of utterly ruthless mercenaries. If I was in that situation, than I would want Captain Coleman and his F.A.S.T. troops to bail me out.
August 19, 2014
I don't go and look for Zombie books. I think there's way too many of them. But I do like what some Authors do with the Zombie genre. People like Peter Clines and his Ex-Heroes series, Jeremy Bishop and the Jane Harper books and Andrew Mayne with his Public Enemy Zero. I will have to add Shane M. Brown and Haywire to the list. This is an all-out action novel on a huge cruise ship with a wide spread pandemic aboard. Capt. Alex Coleman and his Marines are called to contain a riot but they come across much more. I just tried to keep up with the action on the pages. You'll never open a book by Shane M. Brown waiting for the action to start, you are propelled right into it from the get-go. If you like books by Matthew Reilly or Jeremy Robinson and you happen to love Zombie fiction, This will keep you riveted to your e-reader.
March 26, 2019
Amazing book - can't wait to read the next installment. Shane is one of my new favorite authors. That said there are 2 minor things that bothered me about this book. There is a scene where the marine hits a crazy so hard his bat splinters...but I am almost positive that he had a metal bat ( am much too lazy to find the spot in the book where he initially picks up the bat so I may be wrong about this and if I am my apologies to Mr. Brown). The other issue is the memorial at the end of the book.. I had no problem believing all the twists and turns , the outrageous weapons and the plot itself but there is no way a memorial with a massive engraved wall of all the victims could be put together in 2 weeks after the incident. Petty, I know, but it struck me as impossible. 2 years...maybe 2 weeks? not a chance. Still a 5 star book and I will still read everything Mr. Brown writes ( although I have some catching up to do)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2020
FASTER: the sequel
Roughly one year has gone by since the events in the first book. Captain Coleman and his team find themselves once again fighting for their lives as they blindly stumble into an unbelievable situation gone haywire.
Just like the first book, the setting itself is a character, in this case the largest cruise ship in existence. This time the beasties are half the population of the ship turned into physically enhanced, single minded, murderous savages. The action is relentless with nonstop suspense that will leave you wondering how you finished the book so quickly. If you’re left wanting more, the ending gives a tease about who will show up in the next book.
Roughly one year has gone by since the events in the first book. Captain Coleman and his team find themselves once again fighting for their lives as they blindly stumble into an unbelievable situation gone haywire.
Just like the first book, the setting itself is a character, in this case the largest cruise ship in existence. This time the beasties are half the population of the ship turned into physically enhanced, single minded, murderous savages. The action is relentless with nonstop suspense that will leave you wondering how you finished the book so quickly. If you’re left wanting more, the ending gives a tease about who will show up in the next book.
June 28, 2017
I cannot wait to read other FAST books. I read this in two days because I could not stop reading. Fast and action packed. Excellent writing.
Three cheers for a job well done on behalf of the Marines, Bob, Justin, Have and all of the others. Especially when battling crazed psychotic people. Good job.
Three cheers for a job well done on behalf of the Marines, Bob, Justin, Have and all of the others. Especially when battling crazed psychotic people. Good job.
February 28, 2025
Buckle up!
One of the most intense and and exhilarating reads you're going to find. From the first page to the last, this is an insane rollercoaster ride. Buckle your seat belts, and remember to breathe. And whatever you do don't stop running.
One of the most intense and and exhilarating reads you're going to find. From the first page to the last, this is an insane rollercoaster ride. Buckle your seat belts, and remember to breathe. And whatever you do don't stop running.
January 23, 2015
After ravenously tearing through my first Brown book PLAZA and giving it the rare 5 star rating, I immediately added his two FAST books to my list and devoured them book back to back. So given my rapidity of these books why only three stars? Well I shall tell you dear reader.
My review of Haywire and FAST could be one and the same. Because the story, at its core, is exactly the same. And in many cases are also extremely close to PLAZA. They are great books, fun fast paced reads, full of action.... but if the whole "Angels and Demons" and "DaVinci Code" thing bothered you, you will understand why Mr. Brown has taken a nice comfortable position in the solid, fun, fantastic 3 stars rating of the action beach read genre.
So the premise of all of his books goes like this.
Step one: Introduce us to the main players who work in an isolated structure of some sort (ship, ruins, underground research lab) these are the "redshirts" and the civilian heroes/heroines.
Step Two: The shit hits the fan rapidly in the form of some "not human" catastrophic event that creates the "things that must be killed" and wipes out a large number of poor innocents who were just going about their day.
Step Three: Two groups are almost simultaneously introduced, the Baddies and Goodies, both armed to the teeth and going after the same thing but for different reasons.
Step Four: Goodies rescue as many innocents as they can isolate them in some location and go off to fight the "thing that must be killed" and "the baddies" with the help of our civilian heroes who know a thing or two about the lay of the land, what they are fighting, etc.
Step Five: Bulk of book as the Baddies and the Goodies square off against each other, the "things", and their goal acquisition. Think Capture the Flag... really fun, violent, innovative, and cleverly written Capture the Flag with Kevlar and ammunition.
Step Six: Baddies are almost defeated, their back is up against the wall and they will do anything to get what they came for, including going after the innocents who have been safely holed up.
Step Seven: Final "countdown style" epic battle as the Goodies try to rescue the whole up civilians and take out the Baddies even though our Goodies have taken some major hits and look to be defeated.
Step Seven: Duh.... of course the Goodies win... and live to see another day.... well -some- of them anyway. Brown is not George R.R. Martin.... but it isn't safe to assume that every main character is safe.
And that.... in a nutshell.... is EVERY flipping Shane Brown book. Totally fun. Engagingly written, but laughably similar in its set-up. Mr Brown... please please shake it up a little bit in your next novel!
Post-review note: Hmmm, I have to eat a little crow here. In creating a new bookshelf (Fun Reads) to highlight these not highly rated, but incredibly entertaining books, I realized that I have read another Brown book, Melt, that did not follow this format at all. So he is branching out and not every book follows this format. Which is a good thing. Cause dang, he is a fun author.
Happy Reading!
My review of Haywire and FAST could be one and the same. Because the story, at its core, is exactly the same. And in many cases are also extremely close to PLAZA. They are great books, fun fast paced reads, full of action.... but if the whole "Angels and Demons" and "DaVinci Code" thing bothered you, you will understand why Mr. Brown has taken a nice comfortable position in the solid, fun, fantastic 3 stars rating of the action beach read genre.
So the premise of all of his books goes like this.
Step one: Introduce us to the main players who work in an isolated structure of some sort (ship, ruins, underground research lab) these are the "redshirts" and the civilian heroes/heroines.
Step Two: The shit hits the fan rapidly in the form of some "not human" catastrophic event that creates the "things that must be killed" and wipes out a large number of poor innocents who were just going about their day.
Step Three: Two groups are almost simultaneously introduced, the Baddies and Goodies, both armed to the teeth and going after the same thing but for different reasons.
Step Four: Goodies rescue as many innocents as they can isolate them in some location and go off to fight the "thing that must be killed" and "the baddies" with the help of our civilian heroes who know a thing or two about the lay of the land, what they are fighting, etc.
Step Five: Bulk of book as the Baddies and the Goodies square off against each other, the "things", and their goal acquisition. Think Capture the Flag... really fun, violent, innovative, and cleverly written Capture the Flag with Kevlar and ammunition.
Step Six: Baddies are almost defeated, their back is up against the wall and they will do anything to get what they came for, including going after the innocents who have been safely holed up.
Step Seven: Final "countdown style" epic battle as the Goodies try to rescue the whole up civilians and take out the Baddies even though our Goodies have taken some major hits and look to be defeated.
Step Seven: Duh.... of course the Goodies win... and live to see another day.... well -some- of them anyway. Brown is not George R.R. Martin.... but it isn't safe to assume that every main character is safe.
And that.... in a nutshell.... is EVERY flipping Shane Brown book. Totally fun. Engagingly written, but laughably similar in its set-up. Mr Brown... please please shake it up a little bit in your next novel!
Post-review note: Hmmm, I have to eat a little crow here. In creating a new bookshelf (Fun Reads) to highlight these not highly rated, but incredibly entertaining books, I realized that I have read another Brown book, Melt, that did not follow this format at all. So he is branching out and not every book follows this format. Which is a good thing. Cause dang, he is a fun author.
Happy Reading!
March 26, 2016
Great action thriller!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews