Area 62

by Michael R. Martin

When Colin Thurcroft decided to expand his hiking gear business with a retail outlet, the derelict shop close to the centre of his home town seemed ideal. But something truly bizarre happened there nearly forty years ago, and it has left behind some tantalizing clues. As Colin digs deeper, he comes face to face with an international conspiracy beyond his wildest imaginings and the darkest of government secrets. Brought to the very edge of reason, he must challenge his understanding of reality and accept a future within which the human race has little influence.

252 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2014

About the author

Mike has a degree in mechanical engineering and a HND in multimedia.

He has worked as a design engineer, a volunteer IT tutor, a medical records officer and is currently a freelance computer animator.

The aim of his writing is to create imaginative, supernatural thrillers populated by believable characters and realistic settings.

His influences are many, but he draws particular inspiration from the works of Nigel Kneale, H P Lovecraft, R Chetwynd-Hayes, Stephen King, Alan Garner and M R James.

He lives in the UK.

Reviews

[Sam (Clues and Reviews) · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Colin purchases an abandoned building near his home to expand his business, he is excited at his new venture. However, after speaking to those around him, he begins to hear stories of strange occurrences that happened there years before. As he digs deeper and deeper into the past, he begins to uncover and awaken the darkest of government secrets. Area 62 by Michael R. Martin is dark, intricate and forces the reader to throw out anything they have been told.

The general plot of the book I loved. A man entering an abandoned space, creepy things begin to happen, and he uncovers a conspiracy. As soon as the storyline became clear, I was intrigued. UFOs creep me out. I am not sure if I believe in them but I’m not taking any chances ya know? However, as much as I loved the UFO aspect, there was a lot that was right over my head. There were several parts that were saturated with physics and technical sci-fi elements that I found myself skimming over until I could back to the actual plot.

About halfway through, the pace picked up, the technical language stopped and I found myself snuggling into this read. I loved how the relationship between the characters developed and the twists (which I will not say, to remain spoiler free!) intertwined with the government.

Overall, I loved the general direction the author took, was absorbed the characters but found the execution to be problematic for me (probably since I don’t read a lot of science fiction). I feel like fans of H.G Wells and Michael Crichton would relish in this read!

Thanks to the author for a copy of this book; it was my pleasure to provide an honest review.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went in to this book not knowing what to expect, but found that after hanging in for some of the exposition, it was difficult to put down. The reader, like Thurcroft, is suddenly smack in the middle of a supernatural mystery. Martin tantalizes us with just enough details to keep us on the hook, without spoiling anything or making it too easy to guess how all the pieces fit together. I was absolutely hypnotized by the way some of the characters managed to time travel and communicate with each other from different planes. But that isn’t the end of the spills and chills that Martin cooks up for us. Add some dead bodies piling up along the way and the threat of aliens arriving any minute, and I absolutely had to find out how it all unfolded.

The end definitely hits the mark. Without giving it away, my taste would have been to go a bit darker in the conclusion, but that’s just a personal thing. And, don’t get me wrong, this story is not rainbows and butterflies at the end. It’s a perfect mix of reality and a dash of hope. So, not only will you have taken an adrenaline inducing ride, you won’t feel depressed for days. Now that I think about it, I’m grateful that’s not this reading experience. Bravo, Martin. Oh, and the added bonus? This book is on Kindle Unlimited.

My Rating… A-

Review by Theresa Braun

[Jan Komrska · Rating 3 out of 5]

It all starts with a purchase of a derelict house which Colin intends to convert into a hiking gear store. However as the refurbishment starts, he discovers how to travel in time. This will lead him to a story of UFOs and Lyrans visiting the Earth. It's a nice story... A criticism of other readers about "too much quantum physics" is not justified.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book, but a lot of the "quantum physics stuff" was a bit over my head.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Area 62 is the second book I’ve had the pleasure of reading from Michael R. Martin. With the first book, Screams in the Woods I was treated to a horror mystery which I thoroughly enjoyed. Area 62, as the name suggests, is a fantastically-well written sci-fi.

Colin Thurcroft’s quest for answers as the the strange goings on in his new retail outlet over the last four decades take him on a journey that tests his concept of reality along with his marriage. The things he sees, experiences and learns along the way would be difficult for many to process, but they only strengthen his resolve to dig deeper.

Chance encounters with shady government organisations, the daughter of a whistleblower, a retired Ibiza DJ living on a distant Scottish island and beings from another world take Colin deeper down the rabbit hole. Just as you think things could not possibly get any stranger than they already are, a new revelation adds to the mind-bending situation. As things come to their conclusion the author leaves us hanging on to the seed of events that will change the course of humankind forever.

This was the ideal book for me at the moment. Something that falls into the bracket of easy reading, a sci-fi novel with a slight feel of the classics without being cheesy or overboard. I found it an entertaining, fun read that did not disappoint.

[Susan Hampson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well this novel is quite a gem that has kept me thoroughly entertained for the last couple of nights. When Colin Thurcroft decides to expand his business he looks at buying an old derelict house through a compulsory purchase order but he gets far more than he bargained for when the estate agent takes him to look around. This really does give the idea of a sitting tenant a whole new meaning. There is a very dark mystery to uncover and Colin is determined to get to the bottom it. The deeper the mystery sinks and the more Colin becomes entangled in this web that has been hidden for many years. What has Colin woken up?

I couldn't even start to second guess where this novel was going to go. What I can say is there is never a dull moment, Mike Martin keeps the momentum going right through the book. There are a lot of shocking revelations that just wowed me and made this story jump to a 5 star read for me. It ticked all the boxes that make it into a cracking super natural thriller and even had a little romance in it too. I loved the end. Superb! If you like super natural thrillers then I am sure you would like this book too.

I wish to thank Mike Martin for an ARC of this book that I have chosen to review