Us Before Them (A Zach Croft Novel)

by J.B. Ryder

Zach Croft expects a fresh start on Alpha Cen.

After leading a suicide mission to Mars, surviving a barrage of world-ending solar flares, and watching his best friend's dropship explode before his eyes, Zach wants nothing more than to leave the past behind and build a better society from the ground up.

But upon landing, he discovers that Alpha Cen already has a society.

It has settlements. Food. Technology that Zach didn't know existed.

And a merciless tribalism that drives scientists to put heads on spikes and colleagues to starve each other into submission.

As the days get colder and the beautiful landscape of Alpha Cen contorts into an unsurvivable black desert where the laws of physics do not apply, Zach quickly discovers that humans have a habit of destroying planets and people alike.

If they can't find a way to settle their differences and save Alpha Cen, humanity's new beginning will be over before it starts.

Because this time, there's nowhere else to go.

Genres: Science Fiction

779 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2025

Reviews

[Caitlin O’Loan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brb going to force everyone I know to read this

[Mili · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it (me starting this in July and ending it in November had no correlation to the book being bad, I simply had a book slump lol) but overall, great story. It was easy to follow. There were points where the characters REALLY ticked me off but they are human after all, right?! Which really ties in to the setting since they're in an alien planet. Is it a metaphor to show that humans destroy everything thats beautiful? Either way, I loved this and can't wait for the final book.
Some of these deaths really destroyed my heart. Others were justified *cough* Agnes you deserved it idc. Dyomir, you didn't 😭
Ryker surviving and suddenly being all good threw my off a little bc wasn't he kind of going crazy after everything that was happening to him? Or maybe I just interpreted it that way lol.
I feel like Zach is ALWAYS trying to be the hero but without really thinking things through.
Don't know how I feel about Carver suddenly being..a neutral character I guess?? I feel like he'll still be selfish in the next book lol.
And Cora still being controlled, bro what the hell is happening 😀 who are these Enlightened freaks. Ugh can't wait for the next book

[Zuzanna Najda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Explosive, unforgettable. Ryder throws you into a savage alien world where survival means everything. Sci-fi fans – this is your next obsession. I was done with the book in one day and tbh, I didn't mind staying at home that day with that book. Unputdownable! The plot was crazy

[Mads · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I finished this I was on my best friend's couch at midnight. I had neither the energy nor the mindset to write a review but I've processed and now here we are.

It was good. It was so good. Left me wanting to scream with the cliffhanger (which rude *side eye*) but it was so good. The world building and lore honestly is so fascinating from a writer perspective but so enjoyable to read from a reader perspective. I had a lot of fun reading it.
HOWEVER. As my friend very well knows (cause she was right beside me every time something made me gasp out loud) there were SO MANY shootouts that I couldn't keep up with every situation. They were well written and justified but there were a LOT of shots fired. (See what I did there? Hah. Never mind.)

Good book, and SUCH a good sequel! I'm looking forward to book 3!

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

don’t get me wrong this was an amazing book but if I had to compare it to the first in the series then it’s definitely kind of a 4 ⭐️ instead of 5, which is still FIRE because WHATTTT was that ending with Cora. My girl was pulling a 180 every other minute

[Shivaani VT · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much, I read TFC a few months ago and I was really excited for this one to come out and I can't wait for the next book!!! I love how there's lots of detail into all the side stories like yes I need the explanations for the story to make sense to me, and one of my favourite things about the book is the few pages at the end of him talking about how he developed the book.

[Xkritseli · Rating 4 out of 5]

(DNFed at 10%?)
Now,don't get me wrong,it was convincing (considering how I haven't read the first book)
It was a page turner,something that I was in the mood for,but I paused it because of a busy schedule,homework,and new books in the way.

Will come back for it though

[Inês Ávila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was amazing. It was funny, sad, surprising and very interesting. It keeps you glued to every chapter because you can’t stop trying to find out what’s going to happen next. The characters are really good as well, all of them have these different personalities and traits, which makes them complement each other creating a good balance and results in interesting dynamics. I just want to say that I always believed Ryker was alive and I’m really glad I was right. I enjoyed a lot the various Povs because I feel like it connects the reader more with the story letting us know each character better, understanding their reasoning and their feelings. The way the book went forwards and backwards in time was also a positive characteristic to me, because it makes you feel like you’re almost reading two different stories at once but at the same time one of them allows you to fully comprehend the other. The idea of the hive mind in the Corruption and the Enlightened Ones kinda reminds me of Stranger Things, nonetheless it also adds to the plot. I really want to learn more about the Enlightened Ones and I know I will in the next book. After this ending I can’t wait for the next book, so I hope J.B. can write it quickly. Speaking of the author it amazes me how much he’s accomplished by his age. He’s just starting college and has already released two great books, so I believe he has a brilliant future ahead of him. He’s an inspiration, really.

[Calliope More · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an insane ride. What I enjoy most about this series is how it grounds itself in real science and real theories: it makes the story all the more realistic and suspenseful. I was a little worried when I saw the page count, but I shouldn’t have been—the pacing is fast and I was never bored. I enjoyed the character arcs as well.

I only have two areas of critique for this book.
I do not feel it was necessary to withhold information about the Enlightened Ones. Both the Alpha Cen tribes refused to talk about them. As a result, some of the plot twists and the twist ending were devalued, because we can’t be held in suspense about something that we know next to nothing about. It is quite obvious that the author was leaving openings for a sequel. The second critique isn’t necessarily a fault with the book, but it is something I would have liked to see. Maybe it’s just my anthropological tendencies coming through, but I expected to see more of how cultures and languages from Earth have survived or still exist on Alpha Centauri. Do people participate in organized religion? (There are references to God and Jesus.) Do people speak any languages besides English, or have those languages gone extinct? Do people celebrate any cultural or regional holidays? I understand that the book isn’t focused on these things. Still, I would have enjoyed reading about even a mention of them, and it would have made the world building even more realistic.

[Lara Copinschi-Cunliffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

i… what???? i just finished this book now and it’s nearly 2am and i need to write a messy review of this incredible book (i never write reviews so this really means something).
SO. how can i even start? it was so beautifully complex; it’s such an improvement from the previous book (WHICH STILL GOT 5 STARS BTW) and i LOVE the way the characters have evolved, even if it wasn’t for the best (shoutout to ryker u deserve so much better). when erik died i was so close to tears AND I WAS SO SURE THAT CORA WAS GONNA DIE AS WELL (if she had i would be sobbing right now). everything is just so developed and though-out.
i read a lot, so 800 pages is not an insane length, but usually, i still notice it. but for this book? it felt like 300 pages instead. everything went by so so fast in the best way possible.
theres probably a lot more that i could say about this book and the characters but i wont because i think that this review has turned into an incomprehensible rant. please please please publish the next book SOON because i’m not sure if i’ll be able to live peacefully without knowing what happens next

[Adria Mach · Rating 5 out of 5]

J.B RYDER YOU SICK TWISTED MAN... WHY MUST YOU TEAR MY HEART OUT WITH EVERY LINE YOU WRITE??

Oh boy, this was a hard one. J.B Ryder never fails to plot twist me into a pretzel. When I read the first book, I was in awe. When I read this one, I was so FLABBERGASTED I threw my Kindle when a plot twist absolutely sidelined me, and now the screen is cracked. Maybe I need to learn how to act normally about fictional characters. Oh well. ANYWAY, this book was INCREDIBLE. Just like in the last book, his characters are so human, so deep, and so relatable that I felt like I was one of them. The storyline is beautiful, with the sprinkle of current world issues woven in perfectly, and the message is clear. I loved this book so damn much, and despite its length (I have the attention span of a goldfish) I wasn't able to put it down. Cannot wait for the sequel, and for my writers out there, PLEASE READ. IT IS SO INSPIRING.

[Kaitlyn]

This was a great read. it was a bit tiring at times. it's hard to read something when one bad thing happens after another and another with not much of a break. the mystery was great and interesting and so were all the twists but I had to step back from it a few times before continuing. I'm also a bit disappointed that this book ended on a cliffhanger, meaning there will be a third book. I felt like things were settled and that we were finally getting a happy-ish ending but I was relieved too fast. so much has happened in this series so far. I feel like the story and the characters have been through enough to the point where I feel like it should've ended. I don't know if I'll read the third book when it comes out honestly. I enjoyed the first two but I think that should've been it. If it continues it kind of feels like it's dragging on. It feels like these characters and this universe is being rung totally dry when honestly it could've ended and I would've been satisfied.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best sifi books I've read in a long long time! I'm not going to say to much because I'd like to keep this spoiler free, but the world building was superb! And the characters! I really can't get over how much I love all of them and I mean all of them. I seriously can't hate any of them which is not normal for me. There's usually one character whose guts I absolutely hate but in this book there aren't any I hate! I mean J.B. Ryder (Author) even got me to like Carver by the end of the book and I absolutely hated Carver in The Forgotten Colony (Book 1 in the series). That is a feat because if I hate a book character I usually never get over it but with Carver I did get over it! J.B. Ryder should be proud of himself for that. Oh and the cliff hanger!!!!!!!! I can't wait for the next book!

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so amazing! I’m so impressed by JB Ryder’s authorship and was hooked the whole time I read this. I personally think that this sequel is better than The Forgotten Colony, but I think I enjoyed it more because of the new setting and new battles happening. It is very reminiscent of the TV series “The 100” (in a fantastic way), but doesn’t feel like it’s copying the show’s ideas or plot lines at all. Most of the characters are very dynamic and interesting and the story is well thought out with interesting twists and turns. I do think, personally, that I would prefer this series with a little bit more romance, but only because I think I’m seeing romantic tension in between characters that it probably wasn’t intended to feel that way. All in all, 10/10 story and I’m so glad I came back for the second book.

[Rocco A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read about 30 books a year and have read “The Forgotten Colony” by JB Ryder. I just finished “Us Before Them” also by JB Ryder. I found the “Us Before Them” story line to flow smoothly from one exciting adventure and resolution to the next while the main story line evolved and the characters original opinions of each other gradually changed. I also found that JB Ryder’s flash-back writing style to be an effective way of storytelling and holding my interest . JB Ryder’s story telling ability and the quality of his writing equal to, and in some ways superior to, many of today’s “best -selling” authors. Looking forward to JB Ryder’s next book!

[Doc · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading US BEFORE THEM for a SECOND time. I can not think of another novel that I ever read twice just to make sure that I didn't miss anything. The plot is exciting and captivating. JB Ryder's first book, The Forgotten Colony, was a great read and this one is no exception. I was particularly surprised with the evolving characters from the first book. This novel is fast moving, compelling and thoughtful. If you want to enjoy a book that will challenge your imagination and pique your curiosity, US BEFORE THEM is a Must Read!

[Heidi Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is brilliant! I read the first one when it randomly came up on my sci-fi internet search for books, and I fell in love with it!
The way it is written to constantly keep the reader engaged, and have a jaw drop pretty much at every chapter is AWESOME!
This is my first book series I have ever been engaged with so muchhh I shed a tear at the end of the acknowledgments!

Please don’t make me wait 3 years for book 3!! I am a life long reader for your books and I cannot wait for what you will publish in the upcoming decades!!

[Leah Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

OBSESSED IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT!!!!!! Ryker is savage and mean and his trauma is shown in an accurate way and we finally get to see Zach reconcile with the true consequences of his choices. There is danger for all at every turn and the constant twists had me anxious for all my favorite characters. The fact that there is no moral “good guy” made it all the more enjoyable. I waited a long time for this book to come out and i’m glad to say that it was SO worth the wait.

[Ari (Head in a Book) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Damn, what a book.
Ryder is truly an amazing writer for an 18 year old! The characters have grown so much more complex, and I love it
My issue lies with the lack of knowledge readers have surrounding The Enlightened Ones. I get this is to allow for further world building next book, but it diminishes the twists for me.

[Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book and series. But sometimes it just feels packed with too much action. And again I kinda feel more for the characters but still I don’t know not quite aus much as in other books. Still it’s sad when someone dies (sometimes) but it doesn’t hurt like I want it to.

[Skye Theobald · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was pretty good! I'm new to sci-fi, but I was able to follow along. I read the book in one sitting on a long road trip, and there weren't very many moments that I was bored or confused. Coupled with the fact that the author is so young, I expect great things from J.B. Ryder in the future!

[Nique | The Book Goblin |]

I’m buying this weekend and I’m so excited!!!! The first book was so good😫

[Matilda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Us before them is one of the best books I read this year. When I started reading it a few days ago I was a little scared of how many pages it has, but it was worth every minute of reading!

[Lorena Enns · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book, it's one of my all time favorites.

-1 point for killing the dog though

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my God!!!!! Finished in just a few days, I just couldn’t stop! This new world introduced to us is deadly and dangerous but so easy to fall in love with. I absolutely loved every moment of it. “Unputdownable!”