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Non-Human Origin

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What if the greatest threat to humanity isn’t coming from above… but from below?

"Armageddon meets The Thing... I couldn't put it down!"


On his 49th birthday, Rex Lassiter decides he's done with danger.

After surviving the battlefields of Afghanistan as a Navy SEAL, then fighting blowouts, hurricanes, and armed revolutionaries, on deepwater drilling rigs across the globe, he’s ready to settle into the quiet life on his late grandfather’s Colorado ranch—a place of hard-earned peace and cherished memories.

But fate likes irony, and peace is a luxury Rex can’t afford. Ruthless developers circle like vultures, ready to bulldoze his heritage into a billionaire’s playground. With lawsuits bleeding him dry, Rex is one court date away from losing it all.

Enter Joss Malloy—a cocky young tech mogul with a proposition too insane to lead a black-ops crew aboard the Theseus, the world’s most advanced drillship, to retrieve a classified artifact locked 11,000 feet beneath the Antarctic Ocean. The payout? Enough to bury the developers and secure Rex’s future forever.

There’s just one the ship’s advanced AI, ADONIS, is unraveling—hallucinating, rewriting code, and whispering in languages no human should understand. And the closer they get, the more the object responds… like it’s waiting.

As Rex gathers a ragtag team of battle-hardened veterans, brilliant engineers, and fearless misfits, he must confront the treacherous conditions of the Antarctic while navigating the potential threat of the object below.

As ADONIS’s psychosis spirals and the artifact begins to awaken, Rex realizes that what started as a recovery mission is quickly turning into a fight for survival.

"Some things were never meant to be found. Some doors, once opened, can’t be closed.”

In a heart-stopping race against corporate greed, a rogue AI, and a discovery that predates mankind, Rex Lassiter’s final mission becomes humanity’s last stand.

Join Rex and his team on a pulse-pounding adventure, where secrets are unearthed that may have been better off left in the Antarctic's icy depths, and one man’s fight for his legacy becomes a battle for the future of Earth.

312 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 23, 2025

445 people are currently reading
91 people want to read

About the author

Vern Buzarde

10 books16 followers

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5 stars
365 (43%)
4 stars
290 (34%)
3 stars
132 (15%)
2 stars
31 (3%)
1 star
13 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
1 review
November 9, 2025
A supurbly and eloquently written sci-fi thriller! The story unfolds beautifully and I was pulled in right away and loved every chapter! The characters became real to me early on due to the crisp, clear descriptions, and I fretted for them as the suspense mounted! Buzarde has once again demonstrated his giftedness as a writer through his quick, rich, witty and smart command of the English language and his ability to tell a story with a mixture of serious charm and charming seriousness! Non-Human Origin: A Science-Fiction Thriller Is, to date, I believe, his masterpiece and is well worth the reader’s time!
10 reviews
February 4, 2026
Cool

This was a very good read.I finished it in no time.And it was fast paced.No boring interval.

However,I feel as if Rex and his team's stories have not been completed.

And so I will like a continuation....if you don't mind.The characters and stories are wonderful and have to be developed further.Adonis the AI,for example,is now part of the Void Sentinel.Lets explore other universes or space.

There is a lot of unfinished business.

Either way,I really enjoyed this.

Welldone

Profile Image for Desiree.
257 reviews4 followers
January 21, 2026
Oh I loved this one. Between the deep ocean exploration, AI, and the sci-fi aspect, I wasn’t sure which would turn first and I was on edge the whole time.

Very well written and I genuinely loved most of our cast of characters, it’s worth checking out. Think Armageddon, but the ocean version.
24 reviews
January 9, 2026
very enjoyable book

I really enjoyed reading this story. Great characters with a fast paced storyline. I’d definitely recommend this book. Now onto seeing what.else he’s written.
6 reviews
December 14, 2025
Refreshing Sifi

The most refreshing book I have read in a long time. Its premise was fresh, and the characters were memorable.
Profile Image for Matt Egan.
718 reviews14 followers
December 9, 2025
Not bad, not bad at all!

Non-Human Origin is a well written sci-fi thriller set on a massive ship in the Antarctic with the mission of retrieving a mysterious object located 11,000' below the surface. There is plenty of action and a bit of philosophical discussion to keep things interesting. I was recommended this book by a friend and its a very good recommendation for fans of science fiction thrillers! 4/5 stars! I'm looking forward to reading more of Buzarde's books, if they're as good as Non-Human Origin, I'll love them!
Profile Image for David Cordrey.
Author 13 books3 followers
December 27, 2025
Thoroughly enjoyed this story!

Great plot and suspenseful action, although I would have liked a little more character development. Some descriptions of the technical aspects of the story seemed to assume a lay person should understand, but that didn't really distract too much when they didn't.
Overall, it was a fun read, and my only additional comment would be-clearly a sequel is appropriate and already hinted at. When do we get that?!
Profile Image for Michelle.
661 reviews60 followers
February 25, 2026
I just can't do it anymore. Characters with the depth & complexity of a paper plate, character descriptions that are suspiciously like they were the result of an AI prompt, awful pacing, stereotypical dialogue, ... I could go on but you probably get the idea. I love Antarctica, so I was really hoping that this would be a win.

This book received a lot of high marks, so either (A) I read it wrong, or (B) the reviewers have some connection to the author.
118 reviews4 followers
December 10, 2025
Joss

This was a great adventure,took me 2 days to read,you end up loving the characters including the self absorbed IT billionaire,The mystery is interesting,the action great but it felt like a character introduction. The ship,the crew, the computer, there must be a sequal,hell a series I want a series
Profile Image for Shelley Heddings.
8 reviews
December 19, 2025
I had a hard time deciding how to rate this one. The story kept you interested, and the author evidently did a lot of research into the details, but it was way too wordy for me. Some may enjoy all of the detail, but the story could have been trimmed by half and it wouldn't have detracted from the storyline.
26 reviews3 followers
December 29, 2025
Great Read on AI and Alien Encounters

This was a short read with well developed characters and plenty of action. The author is very knowledgeable about offshore drilling systems, which was part of the reason I didn't give this a 5-star rating. I skimmed the sections where the drilling systems were talked about In detail.
221 reviews2 followers
January 7, 2026
Pretty Good

I love "death comes from the sea" books. For this one I liked most of the characters and how they worked with each other. I wish more time was spent on the boat and less on the build-up. I also thought things were resolved too easily, especially with all the threats going in. I did find the ending to be unexpected and I really liked the AI.
6 reviews
February 26, 2026
great read

I’ve read a lot of fiction authors and stumbled onto this one, I have to say his style is up there with the best. I totally enjoyed this story but loved finding another writer with talent.

SMG
4 reviews
February 26, 2026
A Very Technical Book

Its a good book with a good story but sometimes it can be a bit too technical. The author does his best to describe the process of certain things but can be lost with technical terms and a convoluted process.
Profile Image for michael hussey.
50 reviews2 followers
March 18, 2026
Outstanding Book

This novel really has it all, murder, money, high seas adventure and aliens. I read it two days because I couldn’t put it down. Don’t take my word for it from the first till last chapter it takes you on a fantastic adventure.
Profile Image for Thibaldo Manrique.
269 reviews1 follower
March 29, 2026
Good action, very much an adventure novel

Good action and OK characters. Firmly in the adventure category. The sci-fi side of it is very close to fantasy, rather than sci-fi, but passable. In desperate need of a good editor, but otherwise enjoyable.
56 reviews2 followers
March 31, 2026
meh…

Science fiction? Yes. Thriller? Not even close. A lot of slow, detailed character development and setting up the main plot but this book fizzled and never really hooked me. Those of you who are into offshore drilling or salvaging, this would be right up your alley.
52 reviews
January 14, 2026
Very good novel

A little slow to begin but by the end it was unputtdownable. I highly recommend to any one who likes scifi.
2 reviews
January 30, 2026
Just not interesting

I suppose this plot could have worked, but it was so poorly put together I could barely finish it. The conclusion seemed like the author just gave up.
Profile Image for Daniel Hutmacher.
Author 8 books1 follower
February 3, 2026
A great read

When I found this book it sounded interesting. It was very well done. If you like first contact you will like this book.
2 reviews
February 4, 2026
Outreach

If the unknown is out there, there is z greater possibility mankind will undoubtedly try to get to it sooner than later.
94 reviews
March 7, 2026
Really good story

I liked the characters are the fast pace. Not enough about the AI. What happened to it? Surely it rated a little more notice!
Profile Image for Donna Lancaster.
20 reviews
March 8, 2026
Entertaining

Didn’t expect the ending. It’s a decent sci fi thriller if that’s what you happen to be in the mood for. I did skim over some of the descriptive passages.
11 reviews1 follower
March 27, 2026
Good Read

Like the drama. Keeps a guy thinking all the time about the future, present and what lies in between the lines.
6 reviews
March 29, 2026
Level 3 Please

I'm not a expert on Sci-fi I thought this was different in a original way on how much we really don't know.
91 reviews
January 5, 2026
A new author for me. Took a bit to get into the plot & characters. Slowly builds, then lots of action. Ending interesting.
6 reviews1 follower
February 19, 2026
Lack of character development unrealistic plot

It feels like the author threw this together in a week or two. He even tried to have a romantic relationship which feels like an afterthought, tossed in to make an editor happy. Zero real character development.
Profile Image for Scott Geddes.
116 reviews
January 31, 2026
Well written thriller that takes place in the Antarctic Ocean. Part Sci-fi, part murder mystery mixed in with military drama on the high seas. This would make a great movie. A little slow in the beginning but well worth the read.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews