Kracken

by Ray Ellis

The year is 135 New Reckoning. A Godless world is rebuilding itself.When a stranger from Mike Stone’s past appears on his doorstep, his ordinary life is suddenly and violently destroyed. Mike’s past has come back to haunt him. Now with his family attacked and his home destroyed, Mike finds himself running for his life through a jungle-planet filled with terrors and a monster known only as the Kracken.In the midst of the chaos, Ted Waters launches his plan for domination. In a post-apocalyptic world, Waters sets himself up as the sole leader of the emerging world government. Using children as slaves, he mines a new narcotic used to subdue the people’s will. Kracken; a dystopian tale of two men, two opinions and two bases of power set on a collision path. When the two collide, Mike finds himself confronted by the God he thought he left behind.

367 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 20, 2015

About the author

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Ray Ellis is a veteran law enforcement officer, former Marine, and ordained Christian pastor. Ray began his career in law enforcement with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in the city of Orange, California in 1989. After working for a number of years in the maximum security facility, he transferred to patrol, working along Orange County’s coast as well as the inner canyons and barrios.

After eight years in Orange County, Ray moved to Idaho and continued his law enforcement career where he has served as a patrol officer, detective, and officer instructor for the Idaho POST Council. In 1999 Ray was appointed as a primary instructor for the Idaho POST Academy Police Training Institution for Idaho, instructing on subjects of arrest control, cultural diversity, and instructor development. From 2007-2011 Ray served as the lead sex crimes investigator for the agency where he works.

Ray is active in the writer’s community in Idaho and has recently served as the president of the Idahope Writer’s Group. In 2011, Ray was selected as one of the Top Fifty Authors in the state of Idaho.

Ray was first ordained into the ministry while living in Orange County and now serves as the Associate Pastor in his home church. Ray has been happily married to his wife, Sharon, since 1983 and has three grown children. Ray currently lives with his family in Idaho.



Ray's published work includes novels and short stories:

- "I" - A Short Story
http://goo.gl/zj7ZM

- Notorious (Previously released as N.H.I. (No Humans Involved) - A Nate Richards Novel - Book 1 http://goo.gl/ZshfR

- Dead List (Previously released as D.R.T. (Dead Right There) - A Nate Richards Novel - Book 2 http://goo.gl/jPVfY

- Insidious - A Nate Richards novel Book 3 http://goo.gl/u3D9z

KRACKEN - A Sci-Fi thriller http://goo.gl/xaeyo3

Ray is currently working on the fourth book in the Nate Richards series, and completing a sequel to the sci-fi thriller Kracken.




Contact Information:

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@RayEllisBks

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http://authorray.blogspot.com

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rayellisauthor@gmail.com

Reviews

[Adam Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kracken is a juicy blend of corporate dystopia and a rip roaring sci fi adventure involving monsters on another world and firefights between spaceships.

The book works on several levels. The action scenes are impressively written and the concepts of the monsters are scary and cool. The book has moments that feel like a well-done Summer action thriller particularly when it comes to the battles with the Kracken.

There are also some solid characters here. Ted Waters is a magnificent villain. He's pure evil and cold as ice. This type of villain can easily come off as cartoonish or over the top. However, Ellis makes him realistic which makes the character even more menacing.

The character of Iona is also very enjoyable as she goes on a journey of her own.

This story is also a story of faith. And I think Ellis has a very interesting approach. When he writes about people's spiritual journeys, he doesn't write about people finding God through meeting a wise person or coming to a perfect place that allows them to get away. Rather, God finds people through the midst of our messed up and flawed everyday humanity and even in the midst of an extraordinary galaxy spanning adventure, God is still moving.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of Kracken is an interesting combination of two ideas that don't often get combined. The genre is science fiction, as Kracken is set in a post-apocalyptic world where science and technology have taken precedence. The second idea or theme that gets woven into the story is one of religion or belief in a higher power. The main character, Mike Stone, is on a journey of self discovery throughout the book as he must battle an evil man and save not only his own family but children who have been taken off planet for nefarious reasons. The writing is strong and shows a nice balance between developing characters and keeping the plot moving. There were some characters I was drawn to and some I did not like, which means the author did what they were supposed to do and created a world we can immerse ourselves in. I liked that the violence and gross things going on were written without bad language or explicit description. Fans of science fiction will enjoy this book as well as fans/believers in a higher power.

[Rita Bodiford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Combination of Two Great Genres!

Kracken, by Ray Ellis, appealed to me at first sight because it combines Biblical truth with the creativity of science fiction. The story is exciting and full of unpredictable twists and turns. There is enough action to satisify the most masculine reader and enough empathy to reach the heart of any woman. This combination is hard to achieve without going overboard one way or another. The interwoven theme of grace brings a depth to the story that is essential to the substance of the book. God is not just added on to this story to make it "Christian," but rather a foundational character working in the complex narrative that gives it meaning. The author uses good judgement in choosing to include no sexual scenes that go past the point of appropriateness or necessity to the plot. I am looking forward to seeing more of this writer as his novels become even more polished and fine-tuned. I was given a free digital copy of this book to review, but the opinions are my own.

[T.L. Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ray Ellis delivers once again with Kracken. When I started Kracken I didn't know what to expect, but having read Ellis's crime fiction, I already appreciated his storytelling ability. Kracken has a sci-fi, fantasy, love story essence that never forgets its characters are inherently human. Kracken is a classic story of good and evil with a hint that neither is always as good or as evil as it seems giving hope that redemption is always possible. As the characters come together, are torn apart, and find their way back together, they face danger, injury, and death. Ellis's character whether male or female exhibit emotion, rationality, strength, weakness, and capability as they fight each other and work together to create the world they wish to inhabit. The sometimes flawed decisions of the characters make them all the more real and give the reader a sense of satisfaction when they are forced to face the consequences of their decisions. Ellis writes stories that grip the reader and refuse to let go, and Kracken is no exception.

[Robert Roush · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an engaging story that continued to pull me in throughout. Important to the Sci-Fi genre, Author Ray Ellis creates believable characters and immerses them into a well described environment. At times, I would have appreciated even more detail as to the scene the author envisioned. However, there was enough detail to allow for the creative filling in of the rest. Ray did a good job of keeping the story pushing forward to an intriguing, unexpected, and somewhat open-ended conclusion. My primary struggle with this novel originated with the use of the omniscient point-of-view. At times, scenes jumped around a bit much and this kept me from being able to dive as deep into the characters as I wanted to. Overall, this was a good read and worth the investment of my time.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book it was the first book I have read by Ray Ellis, but I look forward to more by this author.

This book takes place in the future where there is space travel and advanced technology. There was plenty of action and suspense. But even in the future there are the same problems we face now. Drug abuse, power hungry people, and people running from God. The struggles faced by Mike are struggles we all face at one time or another and there are great characters along the way who help him along. Looking forward to more.

[Sheila McIntyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read four different books from Ray Ellis along with the teaser for this newest release, I must say I was intensely curious about Kracken! The story did not disappoint! With a complex plot line and full of suspense, I was immersed right away in this new book. The vivid descriptions and realistic characters/dialogue made me feel as if I was right there in the story. If you want a good book that will be full of suspense and remind you of what it means to care about others and stand up to evil, this is the book for you--definitely a great read!!

[Michael Shulman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of the book through Goodreads First Reads. Ray Ellis really delivers with his book. He combines science fiction with the Bible to make a captivating plot, great character development, and an ominous theme to make the story an edge of your seat thriller. I really enjoyed all the twists and turns the book had to offer. If you like science fiction and you're a firm believer in God, then definitely read his book. You will not be disappointed.

[Marian Baay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kracken is a fast moving story full of adventure and danger. The vivid descriptions of future Earth and space and planets transfer the reader into the story. I especially enjoyed the part where Mike and his crew are on the planet. I could easily imagine myself among them and witness the rare flora and fauna.
Fans of science fiction will surely enjoy the read.

[Geraldine Van Curen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read, good character development and interesting story line. It left me wanting more.

[Martin Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good sci-fi adventure set in a dystopian future. Strong characters but a little too heavy on the religious message.

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was given this book to read, I had it set aside because of a newborn baby and all those times I was free to do something for myself I regret that I didn't use that time to pick this book up sooner. As the book progresses it goes up and up on excitement as the plot and character growth grows deeper and deeper. His subtle, not in your face, use of Christian faith in each character is so beautiful and easy to relate to, it makes the book more meaningful.

If you want a good book to read I highly recommend this book, and once you start to dive in you'll find there is more to this book than meets the eye.