Matt Kearns, linguist, archaeologist and reluctant explorer from Beneath the Dark Ice and Black Mountain returns in his first full-time adventure. And this time he doesn't have Alex Hunter to save him when the stuff hits the fan.
When a fame-hungry scientist brings an impossible, living specimen of a creature long thought extinct back from the wild jungles of South America he unwittingly brings along a passenger. Something with the potential to destroy every living thing on our planet.
The infestation begins, rapidly overtaking medical resources and resisting all treatment. One woman knows the danger, Carla Nero, chief scientist of the Centre for Disease Control. She makes Matt an offer he can't refuse and together they join a team heading to the deep jungle in a desperate race to locate the hidden place where the specimen was taken.
Only by finding the location of the specimen can the team – and the world – hope to uncover the secret of how to survive the ancient, horrifying parasite that has been released.
Hi GoodReaders, I’m an Australian author residing in Sydney with my wife, son and a mad Golden Retriever named Jessie. My novels are now available globally, also in Large Print and now in full AUDIO format.
I grew up spending my days surfing at Bondi Beach before entering a career in Information technology which took me around the world. After completing an MBA, i was appointed both an Australasian director of a multinational software company, and tasked with setting up the USA arm of the organisation.
Today, I spend most of my time writing... with plenty left over for surfing.
More information about me and my works can be found at either www.greigbeck.com, or join me on FaceBook (Greig Beck Author).
If you want the following: Action Deceit Frustration Intensity Gore ….then this is the book for you. It is an incredible start to an interesting series. Is it scary? Yep! They even threw in some gigantic spiders to give me nightmares. (I am arachnophobic) The theme is basically, a “plague”(using the term loosely) has come to the US from the jungle. A team is sent to the jungle to see if they can bring back a cure. The jungle will drag the reader into a primordial soup that dates back millions of years. Can they make it back to the US and if so what will they be facing when they get there? That is all I am going to say about this story. You will have to read it to get the full impact. This writing is not for the squeamish. My suggestion would be to pull up your big boy/girl trousers and prepare for sensory overload.
The first two thirds of the book are a really strong and fascinating lost world kind of story. The last third is a zombie apocalypse story and because it is so completely different from the first two thirds, it feels really disconnected to the rest of the story. For me, this completely killed off all the enjoyment that had already been built up, which is a bit of a shame.
The third installment/episode destroyed this book. It was an excellent action-adventure novel that turned in to a poor attempt at a zombie apocalypse type novel.
The third part of the omnibus ruined this one for me. The first two were a great story of adventure, exploration, discovery and lost treasures. And the third part? What amounted to a zombie apocalypse and extraordinarily stupid character decisions, particularly Carla the cdc person who nearly gets everyone killed by stopping their transport a mile from the cdc because she sees a random infected child. I wish the author limited the scope of the novel to the ancient jungle storyline.
A good story- but there were too many twists and turns that were "overdone" and over-the-top that made the final premise improbable. I could only suspend my disbelief so long... and then I couldn't. I know it was written to keep the action up and the reader on edge. But I began to tire of it and several times actually said to myself, "come on- no way that could happen" or "that's just not at all believable".
Another red flag for me was too many major characters got killed. A reader like me invests time and energy and actually starts liking them- to have them killed off was a little off-putting.
BTW I know people who work in the CDC and NO WAY they would act like Carla did once she got back to the states. Exposing herself to the infestation to save a little girl who was covered in pustules and bumps of the mite infection. The little girl was ill, going to die on her own and was killed by the mob to make matters worse. Carla was the ONLY one who could figure out the cure- yet she makes a bone-headed decision like that... probably the books biggest "no way that would happen" moment... and there were many. Sort of ruined an otherwise gripping tale. What the author assumed was a 'touching moment' to bring out the soft side of Carla was just in a word: irritating.
As I have discovered this was originally written as a trilogy of three books... well the author should have stopped at two because the whole last third of the story sucked.
Also the editor should have edited out many of the overwhelmingly number of "snorted" and grunted" modifiers added to the dialogue. Overusing these modifiers to such a great degree really insulted my intelligence.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
For anyone who has read the author's Alex Hunter/Arcadian series, they will be familiar with the character of Professor Matt Kearns. He appeared in 'Beneath The Dark Ice' and 'Black Mountain'. This is the first book where he is cast as the central character. It was originally released in 3 episodes, but I chose to read the Omnibus edition containing all 3. As I have come to expect from the author the characters are solid, the unusual location is well depicted, and the plot is well thought out. It begins with a professor returning from the Amazonian jungle with a startling discovery, something which will immortalise his name amongst his peers. Unfortunately he brings back something else, which triggers a nationwide epidemic. In turn this creates a global problem. Matt Kearns is roped into things by the CDC, who mount their own expedition to find a cure. The first 2 episodes were the usual riveting reads, but for me the 3rd episode spoilt things. It depicted the breakdown of society, in an almost zombie apocalypse fashion. With religious fanatics even quoting the goddess Angelina Jolie. However it did provide for an unusual climax, which I will not spoil for a potential reader.
Pros : great storyline with a nice take and mix on other storylines. Solid world building and a realistic turnout. Cons : Characters. I don't understand why the characters are so stupidly written here. Three of the main characters are absolute idiots who's actions are often mind boggling. One drops their only gun to 'save' his girlfriend(who is a casual fling but now he loves her ,the sex & romance are not needed whatsoever in the book and seek forced and totally out of place), the said girlfriend is written as a headstrong woman but is the worst character of all, I wished for her death from a few chapters in - she only has two worthwhile actions both of which was actually needed due to her own fault, she doesn't like being told what to do even when it is advice for her own good. Why would you take your girlfriend with you on a mission to one of the most dangerous places on earth???????? The last annoying person holds the key to salvation but nearly gets everyone killed not 10 minutes from safety to try to save someone she KNOWS CANNOT BE SAVED!!!! I don't know if the author was on drugs writing these characters but they ruin this book. Their actions are illogical to the Nth degree.
After reading Beck’s excellent Primordia 2, I NEEDED more lost, ancient worlds and creatures. I read a few book with prehistoric critters but none satisfied my craving until this one.
This book, all three First Bird episodes, entails a parasite being accidentally brought out of isolation in the jungle and unknowingly unleashed on the modern world. The CDC gathers a small team and retraces the steps all the of at back to an area that the natives fear. There’s very little in the the way of “expected” prehistoric creatures, instead, Mr. Beck unleashes his imagination and conjures up stuff from nightmares.
If the bloodthirsty jungle denizens weren’t enough, the team emerges to find the world has changed. Drastically. The parasite is highly contagious and nearly impossible to contain, leading to society breaking down in the coming apocalypse.
This is only the third book by Mr. Beck that I’ve had the pleasure of reading (Primordia and Primordia 2) but he’s quickly becoming a favorite author. He has quite the talent of being able to draw the reader into the story and keep them there.
If you’ve never read anything by him, do yourself a favor and check him out. You won’t be disappointed.
You usually know what you're going to get with a Greig Beck book. Exotic locations, horrific monsters, random sprinklings of macho trivia, and 3 out of 4 characters ending up as hamburger meat. And for the first two volumes of The First Bird, we get just that - ridiculous but fun jungle action/horror.
Then comes Volume Three. In just a few pages, the story shifts to a viral apocalypse back in the US. Serious plot whiplash, made worse by several new characters, fanatical religious cannibals, and a nightmarish view of Atlanta (home of the CDC) that feels like it's riding in on the Walking Dead's tattered coattails. I did not like this third installment at all...perhaps it could have been a self-contained book or sequel, but the significance of "the first bird" and terrifying mystique of the jungle got lost in the apocalyptic violence and prayers to the goddess Angelina Jolie (no fooling!).
As others have said before me: the last installment is the most ridiculous semi-zombie apocalypse story out there. Oh, and whatever decision-making abilities the characters had left? Yeah, those go POOF.
I came into this book after reading Warren Fahy's Fragment series, which despite its faults was pretty great about world building - and making up creatures that go bump in the night. This? Not so. Besides the spiders - consider me automatically afraid - there was nothing in this book remotely genetically interesting.
The three-line "archaeological-genetic discovery" at the end was pretty stupid, too.
This is a horror story. Set in the same world as the author's "Arcadian" series it radically changes everything, to such an extent that for me at least it really upsets trying to fit the earlier series into the same timeline as this book. I would have to say its my least favorite book by this author so far but it would be enjoyed by anyone who likes lost worlds or apocolypse stories.
I did not want to give this book the low rating I gave it without a chance to explain. The plot is very inventive and the writing is fast paced, clear and easy to follow. The characters are very fully formed and likeable. So why the lousy review? Well . . . About thirty years ago Stephen King wrote, "The Stand." It was also an apocalyptic novel. It was also well written. It was dark, but it had hope. By the end of it you came away feeling like the earth and humanity had a chance. This book is a total assault on hope. By the time the heroes get to the end, they and the reader have been so beaten up by the story that you know the whole world has bought the farm and will never recover regardless of whatever comes next with the remainder of the heroes. Also, as a reader, I was too emotionally beaten up at that point to even care. I just wanted it over. That is NOT what I read a book for. I want to enjoy my reading time, not feel like I've gone fifteen rounds with Mohammad Ali. As the great comedian, Peter Cook, once said, "I can get that at home." So, in summary, this is an extremely well written, extremely depressing story that really bummed me out. Maybe it was too well done?
Hmmmmm. Nope. Not reading the next. This is too yeacky for me
This is like a journey to the Lost World type story. An anthropology professor travels into the thickest part of the Amazonian boreal jungles and brings back the discovery of an unknown tribe, the specimen of an extinct bird and a parasitic contamination. Our hero, Matt and company are sent back to the Amazon to retrace the professor’s journey so he can decipher a complicated indigenous dialect hoping to find the cure before it’s too late. But they end up finding a lot more than they expected and not all members of the party are on the same page.
One thing that very unbelievable is how stupid Carla is as a CDC agent. Any doctor trained in that stuff would have known better.
Footnote: 1) Why are these called episodes instead of, say, sections or parts? We’re they on T.V. originally or something?
Fave scenes: the three totem poles, the pond bath, Matt’s nice hair and, uhh, that’s it.
It's always tough to have a favorite author 'cause even if you don't mean to, you can't help but to be excited for the next book or have a lot of expectations. In my case, Greig Beck set the bar so high with Beneath the Dark Ice that everything since then had a little trouble measuring up, quite frankly. Some came close, others faulted. But with Black Mountain I felt like he'd found his way back to what really made me fall in love with his writing and the Arcadian ensemble.
The First Bird is further proof of that. Although it stars Matt Kearns, who we last saw in Black Mountain and before that in Beneath the Dark Ice, it's still set in something resembling the Arcadian-universe. If it'll retcon the ending, handwave it away or if the Matt Kearns-books continue in their own continuity, I don't know. Maybe it'll even accept it but I find that hard to believe considering the ramifications of that ending. But who knows?
I read the collected edition, the omnibus if you will, which collected all three episodes that had been individually released previously as an experiment. It really is the way to read it and I can't believe the agony you must've felt if you read the first episode and then had to wait. It's an interesting concept, releasing a book like you would a tv-series but it really doesn't fit me all that well. I'm too impatient, haha.
With Matt Kearns in the lead, the book takes on a decidedly different feel to an Arcadian book, less soldiers shooting and dying and more scientists studying and dying. Unfortunately the cast isn't always as rounded and detailed as they could be, I had completely forgotten some of the characters during parts of the book and went "Huh? Where did they come from?" multiple times before I remembered when they were introduced. There's also something troubling about how Matt is portrayed, a teacher that sleeps with his student. I also would've really liked a deeper dive into his psyche after Beneath the Dark Ice but outside of a few references and comments, it's not really delved into which I think is a real shame. It must've shaped him in a pretty significant way but doesn't really seem all that phased by it. It'd be interesting to see how he dealt with it if he kept going up against insane situations.
Sadly, I also have to agree with other reviewers that the third episode just didn't belong. It was long enough as was and it felt completely tacked on and so different from what had gone on before. It felt so poorly paced and the only tension came from characters making dumber and dumber decisions as they went along. It really took me out of it and I just wished for it to end and give me some sort of happy ending.
Not really sure about that ending and how it will lead into the next book or if it'll effect Alex Hunter.
Still, two thirds of the book were absolutely gripping and after a really long windup the book just does not stop until the third episode where it all falls apart a little. Nothing in this book dissuaded me from keeping on with Beck and I'd even consider it a fairly good starting point.
This book started out promising but ended up failing to to hit its mark. The writing seemed juvenile in places, the character development was shallow to nonexistent, and the plot seemed disjointed. I would have loved for it to have some basis in science, especially with the prehistoric creatures, which BTW, were few and far between sadly. The appearance of ‘zombies’ seemed to come out of nowhere and it felt like I started reading another book…the characters became inconsistent, and dumb, which is unfortunate since they were renown scientists. And the ending! Intriguing, albeit very depressing, but not nearly informative enough. Did the vines causes genetic mutations to create evolutionary throwbacks that existed millions of years ago? Or did it cause changes in the DNA of all fauna to de-evolve? Or did it cause primordial sports that never became prehistorically viable? Or what? What was the vine’s endgame, to invade our world? Now that would have been super interesting to explore, as opposed to political zombies, a tangent that wasn’t appealing. I don’t think I’ll be reading another Matt Kearns adventure.
Ordered as a playaway. Suspense, action and fantasy. Loved it
Matt Kearns, linguist, archaeologist and reluctant explorer from Beneath the Dark Ice and Black Mountain returns to help save the world. And this time he doesn't have Alex Hunter to save him when the stuff hits the fan. When a fame-hungry scientist brings an impossible, living specimen of a creature long thought extinct back from the wild jungles of South America he unwittingly brings along a passenger. Something with the potential to destroy every living thing on our planet.
The infestation begins, rapidly overtaking medical resources and resisting all treatment. One woman knows the danger, Carla Nero, chief scientist of the Center for Disease Control. She makes Matt an offer he can't refuse and together they join a team heading to the deep jungle in a desperate race to locate the hidden place where the specimen was taken.
Only by finding the location of the specimen can the team – and the world – hope to uncover the secret of how to survive the ancient, horrifying parasite that has been released.
As with a lot of the other reviews I thought the first 2 sections of the book were excellent with imaginative scary prehistoric creatures but section 3 pretty much let the whole book down. This is the Alex Hunter universe, hell he even mentions the HAWCS a number of times but I can’t say the Zombie apocalypse has ever been a storyline in that series, it really dropped quality of the book. I love a good zombie apocalypse but this wasn’t the book for it.
I also agree with a previous reviewer, when did Carla get so stupid as to stop the vehicle, run out and take her hazmat face mask off to comfort a random “bloomer” child. Her character was strong and all about stopping the plague before it got out of control. Also the part about the woman forcing the soldiers to stop so they could pee in a field……really!!!!!
I really enjoy Grieg Becks books and this looked to be another excellent read but he lost the plot on this one and dropped it’s standing in my opinion, and by the previous reviews quite a few other peoples as well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
'm a sucker for any book that has an expedition into the Amazon basin. "The Last Bird," has an intriguing lead up and journey to that locale. Then an exciting survival in a place that's well...off the map. The last portion of the book is a rather abrupt left turn in the tale, but still quite a ride. I agree with many who though the last part was like a complete change of pace, and they're right. But it's not a bad change of pace. To me it's like they combined, Conan Doyle's, "Lost World" with "World War Z". My initial enjoyment for this story actually survived the last 100 pages.
This is a book with a terrific scope, but like most science fiction the reader has to be able to suspend disbelief a bit. That part's not usually a problem for me. My biggest complaint is the title, it seems a bit weak and not very descriptive of the book. Still this is a book full of adventure and suspense.
The First Bird was another outstanding icky bug by Grieg Beck. It was a sort of sequel to Beneath The Dark ice with the hero Matt Kearns delving into a world-changing infestation.
While the majority of the book takes place in the jungle in South America, it’s the last few chapters with the apocalyptic repercussions and the twist at the end that set this one apart. That significantly alters future novels in this series.
The writing was outstanding. Written in solid third-person limited and past-tense, the narrative was brisk and never bogged down in exposition or endless characterization. In other words, the writing never got in the way of the story.
This book is not for the faint of heart. It’s classic icky bug, but like I alluded to above, with a huge twist at the end. It was still a payoff, but one that if this series continues, leads on far out paths with who knows what more icky bugs to come.
I love Grieg Becks writing and can’t wait to read the next one. Highly recommended.
I’ve been on a tear reading Beck’s books after randomly being recommended his Cate Granger series. Working my way through his Alex Hunter series, decided to take a break from the “super soldier” after Gorgon, (book 5) to see what the Kearns series offered.
Enjoyed the book, especially the first two “episodes.” Found the third episode a little too much for me (even as page turning as it was). In an effort to show the impact of past trauma on a character’s psyche, in a jarring and unsatisfactory way, Beck had the CDC scientist who had spent two-thirds of the book focused on finding a cure, put all of humanity at risk.
Reading now my ninth Beck book in a row, the trope of smart people doing really stupid things is starting to wear a little thin. Even with that in mind, still recommend the book. Beck certainly is able to blend the horror or fantastical with the unexplored or unknown in a page-turning manner.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
The First Bird: Episode 1 tells how a strange, flesh-eating disease has reached American soil. The scientific world is making a major discovery, while the CDC is battling what could easily become an epidemic- pandemic even!
The government sends out a special, secret crew to the jungle to find if there's a possible cure to what's eating people alive without their knowing it. When they cross deeper into the South American jungle, they discover they're lower than they'd imagined on the food chain. Soon the crew realize they're in danger of both the flora and the fauna.
The First Bird is five hours of scientific intrigue and ecological terror! If found myself impressed by the adventure but also by the description of it all. I easily saw what Beck wanted me to see and I became one of the crew. Thankfully not in real life!
The First Bird is book number one in the Matt Kearns Series, it comes either in three mini stories or one bigger one depending on the edition you buy and it's fantastic. From reading the Alex Hunter series, I do miss that huge character as he wasn't in it.... but.... Matt Kearns' series is no less gripping and is his own breed of hero . I couldn't put this story down and I love the imagination and untamed power that came from this story from start to finish. There is a lot of both realism and pure fiction in this and it was brilliant, the perfect mix. I can't wait to pick up the next book and if you like this genre I highly recommend this series.
ok, i enjoyed the 2 chapters - concerning the jungles and the compelling theory of the primordial world happily existing next door to the modern world.
However, the last part was entirely over the top.
This is supposed to be 1st book about Matt Kearns adventures as his own - how though???
If the Beneath the Dark ice or Dark Mountains didn't send him into the embrace of severe PTSD when the experience like this surely will.
From the horror point of view, Greig Beck will give Steven King a good run for his money.
But this is not why I choose to read his books - military, science adventure....NO HORROR, please.
It's been a while since I've read a book that's so hard to put down! This book had everything I wanted, from engaging characters to a riveting story. I love a book that takes place in the jungle. Throw in the involvement of an unknown tribe, a hidden place that allows fantastic creatures to thrive, and a parasite and I'm sold! I will be reading a lot more from Greig Beck.
You gotta read this book, soon as may be living it!
This is one of my favorite authors so of course I would read his book. This specimen has been in my to read pile for quite some time and I finally got around to reading it. Its a great adventure, medical puzzle a little love story thrown in for good measure. The characters were completely believable. The plotting is terrific and I can't wait for the next installment.
I have actually read this book before, when it was broken into three books (glad they condensed!). This is one of only two books I have ever reread because I enjoyed it so much. Grieg Beck’s books never disappoint and he has become one of my favorite authors. If you like a good adventure, pick this one up and let it carry you away and back...
The first two parts were marvelous. The adventure through the Amazon and beyond was amazing and the world building was fantastic. The way things turn from fascination quickly into fear is great. Attempts to make you sympathize with characters actually made you frustrated as they just didn’t seem like something that character would do. The last episode did not provide enough highs to balance the very low chaotic moments. Lots of questions left unanswered.