Existential Threat: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller

The 6th Extinction #2

by Tara Ellis

An ancient killer has returned. This time, it will take us all.

Prometheus was more than an asteroid. It was a cosmological time capsule eons in the making, revealing that space is an even bigger mystery than could be fathomed.

As a paleo archeologist, Dallas was no stranger to ancient mysteries. But after witnessing the destruction of millions of lives, she’ll need more than determination to stop it from becoming billions. Broken, alone, and with nowhere else to turn, she teams up with an unlikely group destined to save mankind.

Kyle would never call himself a hero. As an astronomer working to keep the planet safe, he’ll forever question whether he could have somehow prevented the number of people lost. But he can still fight for his daughter and, in doing so, find a way to stop what’s been unleashed before nothing is left.

Except that in a world where power is the ultimate goal and the masses are considered expendable, human nature will prove to be the most significant obstacle they have to overcome.

Book 2 in a 3 Part Post-Apocalyptic series from Tara Ellis! This series explores every facet of global disasters and how far people will go to survive. It's perfect for fans of Kyla Stone, Bobby Akart, Jack Hunt, and Ryan Schow.

Get it now!

Genres: Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic

310 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 15, 2025

About the author

With over 50 published books across ten genres, author Tara Ellis is best known for her heart-pounding post-apocalyptic and thriller series. A heavy dose of mystery often underscores her character-driven plots, heralding back to what fueled her desire to tell stories from an early age.

A certified firefighter in the state of Washington, Tara volunteered as a FF/EMT for over eight years. She also responded as a support officer, worked as an emergency room technician, was a 911 dispatcher, and taught life-saving techniques to the public and first responders. As an author of thriller and survival stories, she draws upon her personal experience throughout her storytelling.

Tara lives in the gorgeous Cascade Mountains of Washington State. When not writing or spending time with family, she can be found hiking the woods while plotting her next adventure.

*Join Tara's newsletter on her author website: Tara Ellis Books

*Check out her women's literature and mysteries under the pen name of Tara Meyers

*Find her on FB under Tara Ellis Author

Check back for upcoming dates for public appearances and book signings!

Coming this year, in 2025:

*A new post-apocalyptic series with Aethon Books, The 6th Extinction, releases in April

*A new thriller series co-authored with L.T. Ryan was announced to release later this year!

*The third and final book in The Fallen series, The Redeemed, is coming this summer

*Several new audiobooks will go live throughout the year

Check back for upcoming dates for public appearances and book signings!

Reviews

[Liv · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Journal Details
Book: Existential Threat by Tara Ellis
Format Read: Audiobook (8 hours, 32 minutes)
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

Quick Take
A bingeable, science-infused sequel that balances resilience with mystery and character depth with galactic clues.

Full Review
Some sequels keep the lights on. This one opens the shutters and lets the storm in.

Existential Threat is exactly the kind of middle book I want from a trilogy. It deepens the characters, raises the stakes, and pushes the story further into its sci-fi bones rather than coasting on the spectacle of the first book. Ellis isn't just imagining the end of the world here; she's reimagining it through science, mystery, and human tenacity.

Dallas and Kyle were easy favorites for me, each carrying their scars and hopes in a way that gave the narrative heart. The audiobook only enhanced this further. With layered performances across multiple narrators, the story often felt like being inside the chaos rather than merely observing it. It's rare to find a production where the performance matches the weight of the material so aptly.

It felt less like watching a disaster movie and more like decoding a message left by the universe itself.

That being said, you can feel the trilogy bones here. This installment answers enough to satisfy while still keeping its sharpest twists tucked away for the closing book, carrying the unmistakable energy of a two-part cliffhanger. Even so, the blend of intelligent plotting, emotional stakes, and immersive audio carried me from start to finish.

Tara Ellis has been on my radar for awhile, and I'm glad this series was my first experience with her writing. She's every bit as talented as I'd heard, and now I'm eagerly waiting to see how she brings this series to its close.

The only thing more dangerous than Ellis's virus is the wait for the next book.

Features & Vibes
🎧 Multi-voice audio immersion
📺 Two-part TV arc energy
🔭 Science wrapped in suspense
🕰️ Patience tested, anticipation sharpened
🧠 Intelligent tension threaded through every chapter
💥 When the world cracks, people show their truest edges

Advance Copy Provided By
Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the advance listening copy of Existential Threat. The immersive audio cast highlighted Ellis's ability to deliver not just an apocalyptic tale, but a science-charged mystery that echoes long after the final chapter.

[Matt Egan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Standout apocalyptic fiction!

Existential Threat, book 2 in the exceptional 6th Extinction series continues the story of survival following the meteor strikes and release of the Prometheus Virus. Not everyone is who they seem and every thing that can go wrong seems to, but the ragtag team fighting to save the world rise to the challenge time and again. The writing is just excellent, the characters diverse and likeable, if some are a bit gruff. This is a standout piece of apocalyptic fiction and anyone who reads it is likely to enjoy it, even if they're not already fans of the genre! 5/5 stars! Recommended for anyone who enjoys a quality thriller!

[Yari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Existential Threat by Tara Ellis (book cover is in image) picks up exactly where the first book left off and provides deeper understand and development of the characters in this story. This is apparently the next book of what is turning out to be a compelling series about how a meteor has reeked havoc on earth and introduced a deadly virus wiping out the population.

This second installment progresses the story along in a satisfying way and leaves the reader anticipating the next installment to see how this story will close. I highly recommend it for those who like a medium paced dystopian story that explores human behavior in the face of extinction.

In addition, with the same cast of narrators as the initial installment of this series, First Impact, Sara Young, Nick Mondelli. Curtis Michael Holland, and Jennifer Jill Araya once again did a spectacular job. Using the same narrators provided the familiarity that allowed me to easily fall seamlessly right back into this story.

Thank you @dreamscape_lore, @dreamscape_media and @netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this ALC. All opinions are my own.

Pub Date: Oct 14 2025
Rating: 4 Stars

#DreamscapeMedia
#DreamscapeLore
#ExistentialTreat
#The6thExtinction
#TaraEllis
@yarisbooknook
#NetGalley

[Pam Shelton-Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for the recap of book one as it is always helpful. This continues what is a good story. There is a lot of danger both from the panicked survivors, the pathogen and a nefarious plotter. I do question leaving three young people alone, even if it is deemed a "safe" place. I love the usage of this quote "Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception. – Carl Sagan." Looking forward to book 3

[Scott S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tara ramps up the intensity in this one, while throwing twists and powerful moments at the reader. The suspense can be felt as the pages turn, this story doing a fantastic job of building tension at every moment. It is easy to recommend this series and all of Tara’s works.

[Kirk Baumann · Rating 5 out of 5]

So. Freaking . Good.

I'm skeptical of series because rarely do the following installments live up to the first. Not this one! The story continues with more twists and turns, keeping you on the edge of your seat. Can't wait to read the next one!!

[Lindsay Nixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a treat to be able to read this second book so shortly after the first!

As with the first book, I had trouble keeping all of the characters straight and their backstories and appreciated all the little reminders or context the author provided to help me recall. This did have a lot of “middle book” vibes but I am still very interested in seeing how things shake out in book3.

For dystopian fans, this is a great new series by an author who knows how to write real characters. Many of the new characters are my favorite. I was so relieved to hear gizmo was ok.

Thanks netgalley!

Superb narration.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great thriller!

I couldn't put this second book in the series down! What makes it scary is that there is a potential to possibly come true! I can't wait for the next book!

[Dawn Raymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Now have to wait for the next one. Oh yeah!!! Happy to read your series. Thanjs.

[john donahue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really was kept up with this great book. A serious plot and was a great sequel to previous book. I await the next book in this series with anticipation.

[Benny Mullinax · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continues the tale with great plot and characters. Kept me interested from the beginning to the end.

[Paul Madsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent continuing saga in world gone crazy

Following a few souls. Fighting to survive in a world with plenty of problems they discover that it is up to each other to help one another to strive to get from day to day. Each challenge comes for over and over.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read the description for Existential Threat I was so excited, it looked exactly like my cup of tea. Then I saw it was book 2 in a series. So, I went ahead and purchased book one and binged it in a day, then went on to the audiobook for this one!

Existential Threat, the second book in Tara Ellis’s 6th Extinction series, takes everything that made the first installment captivating & raises the bar to a whole new level.
The story is equal parts science fiction, dystopian, thriller, and post-apocalyptic survival all mixed into one. What more could someone want?!

The book picks up right where the first book left off, after the devastating asteroid event and the deadly Prometheus Virus that followed.
Paleo Archaeologist Dallas is haunted by loss and the weight of what humanity has unleashed. She joins forces with Kyle, an astronomer driven by guilt & love for his daughter, as they alongside a small cast of survivors race to unravel the secrets behind the virus...before it wipes out what’s left of civilization.

Ellis does a fantastic job of blending large scale catastrophe with intimate well likeable and detailed characters. The science is not too far fetched, it's believable without being over the top.
One of my favorite things about this series is it explores not just survival, but what we choose to protect when everything is falling apart. Beneath the chaos of collapsing governments, viral mutations, and desperate human acts, Ellis asks important questions about ethics and sacrifice.

By the time the story ends, the tension has built to a heart pounding crescendo, setting up the third and final book perfectly. The sequel expanded the world, deepened the characters, and left me wanting for more.

Tara Ellis delivered a thrilling and thought provoking continuation that reminds us why survival stories are so intriguing.

I listened to the audiobook version of Existential Threat, narrated by Sara Young, Nick Mondelli, Jennifer Jill Araya, and Curtis Michael Holland. It truly has been one of my favorite audiobooks of the year. I loved all the narrators, there was a nice array of voices and styles that made every character feel unique and the situations feel more real. They all had nice pacing and added to the story. The pacing felt great and everyone was easy to understand. I can't wait for the third audiobook to come out!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ALC Audiobook.

[Inga Hein Andree · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️

Thank you to DreamScape Publishing, Tara Ellis, and NetGalley for a chance to preview this title.

This is book 2 in a series about a group of people (scientists, archeologist, astronomer, and some teenagers) who are trying to save the world after 3 astroids slammed into earth and then released a deadly, extinct pathogen. The first book was non-stop adventure that did not take itself too seriously. It was a "shut your brain off" good time. I was excited when the second book came up for preview.

This second book tried too hard. There were too many characters going in different directions. There were cliches. There were, frankly, annoying characters. I am guessing that the author was trying to drum up a sense of compassion for some of the characters who had to make difficult decisions but they seemed to lack depth. It is difficult to come from a book that is totally plot focused to one trying to focus on characters (A LOT of characters) where we weren't invested before.

I also listened to this on audiobook and the onslaught of characters made many of the voices downright difficult to listen to.

[Kenneth J · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is compelling as well as a little different from most books of this type. I have to say though, I found the format was somewhat disorienting. There are a lot of characters and it is not always easy to follow who is doing what and where they are doing it. This becomes critical as the primary characters are seemingly in constant motion among the various locations.
Not a book you can put down for a while and pick up easily again. It's annoying in my opinion but given the circumstances of the story, understandable. it is a big story.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my introduction to writer Tara Ellis. I am pleasantly surprised by the writing and will definitely read book one and continue the series.

A group of people is trying to save the remaining population from the Prometheus Virus, which came from a meteor shower wrecking havoc on Earth. Secrets are revealed, tensions rise, and friendships are tested in this story.

Recommend this one for people who like apocalyptic stories, realistic scenes of the end of the world, and drama.

[Cody · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mask commercial

I'm not sure how many times the word mask was used, but it was a lot. Like masks are going to do anything about this pathogen. About as well as they did against Covid. Which was nothing!
Other than that, it's a pretty good story. Not as good as book 1 though. Hopefully book 3 will be better and also the end of this series.