Settle Down

by Jeremy Robinson

When Clayton survives a plane crash, he figures the worst is over―but he’s wrong―in this sci-fi genre mashup from the author of the Infinite Timeline series.

Stranded on a thirty-acre island with a handful of art students, a grieving widow, and a growing pile of corpses, Prof. Clayton Reed is forced into a role he never wanted: leader. Food is scarce. Water is scarcer. And trust? Practically extinct. When one of the survivors kills in self-defense, the fragile alliance fractures and a subset of the group flees in a dinghy to take its chances in shark-infested waters, leaving Clayton and six others behind.

But soon the night sky turns blue. Strange lights pulse across the horizon and strings of star-like objects pass by overhead. Something big is happening to the rest of the world, and the professor and his companions are sure it isn’t normal.

Rescued by a drifting luxury yacht loaded with food, weapons, and a fortune in cocaine, the survivors trade one nightmare for another. Earth is under attack, massive beams of light shooting down from space to the surface. As they sail toward home, not knowing whether it still exists, one thing becomes clear: Those looking at Earth with hungry eyes have noticed them . . .

New York Times–bestselling author Jeremy Robinson delivers a razor-sharp, character-driven survival thriller meets postapocalyptic alien invasion story that flips the genre upside down, inside out, and back again.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Thriller, Audiobook, Aliens

366 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 25, 2026

About the author

Jeremy Robinson is the New York Times bestselling author of seventy novels and novellas, including Apocalypse Machine, Island 731, and SecondWorld, as well as the Jack Sigler thriller series and Project Nemesis, the highest selling, original (non-licensed) kaiju novel of all time. He’s known for mixing elements of science, history and mythology, which has earned him the #1 spot in Science Fiction and Action-Adventure, and secured him as the top creature feature author. Many of his novels have been adapted into comic books, optioned for film and TV, and translated into thirteen languages. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife and three children. Visit him at www.bewareofmonsters.com.

Reviews

[Addy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars 🌟
Thank you, Podium Entertainment, for the physical ARC! 💙

A dystopian, post-apocalyptic world after an alien invasion where the few people left are just trying to survive day by day? Count me in!

To be honest, I went into this one very blind, but I think that was the best thing for me! It created an experience where I had no idea at all what was happening, but I was on the edge of my seat wanting to know what would happen next! The story was funny, intense, and shocking. Every time I thought that maybe, just maybe, I knew what was happening, I was proven very wrong. The humor to break apart the more serious moments? 10/10. There were so many moments where I found myself laughing as I read. Not to mention, the book had a diverse cast of characters that you couldn't help but root for! I was emotionally invested, yall!!! This is a book that I would recommend!

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty good but it felt like 2 completely different stories & I feel like some key questions were never answered.

[Elrik · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite entertaining. The rating is in regard to the ... level of the book, an easy read, nice story, simple prose, light comedy style. Definitely no literary feat, and quite some logical and narrative errors ("I didn't know if the alien could laugh at all" after "I realised that was their laughter", or skimmers that will "pretty much never run out of energy" and then "these were the tanks with fuel sloshing around" and stuff like that. Editor, where were you?!). And the potentially worn out trope of humans being very special compared to hundreds of other races, almost having superpowers. Slightly too easy, but it worked over all.

But seeing it as simple paperback style, not quite pulp, it did its job. Rather well. And there were some nice ideas included, and the characters were fleshed out enough to be somewhat relatable, even when being comically over the top. The generational differences were fun, and even sometimes very on point.
Overall I am not too fond of comedies, and this one skirted the edge of cringe. But there were some punches when I didn't expect them, enough to draw me in and sometimes laughing out loud as well. Acceptable balance.

Being sucker punched IRL healthwise, good entertainment is medicine for me, escaping unpleasant reality, and offering a few hours of escape and doing what a book is supposed to do - whisk me away into another world. Oh, and a new word of the day - omnicide. Wonderfully macabre.

[Jarryd Kalideen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Preachy

I usually always enjoy Mr Robinson's books, and this is a little enjoyable. It's also a quick skim read. He fills this with superfluous conversations, diatribe and self-righteousness. Very preachy.

The story is not a serious one at all, not what I expected. A lot of humour, some actually funny, most of the book is a joke really. Like how pathetic the alien soldiers are.

He writes at the end giving us his reasoning for the colonialism story which takes up most of this book - and it seems like the sci-fi story was just quickly tossed together in order to push his thoughts. The irony, and funny thing for me is that he has a go at Columbus (rightly so), but he misses out extremely pertinent info about who Columbus really was. His characters, especially Tal - one of the worst characters I have ever read - are so self-righteous, talking about not killing, taking things from the Bible out of context, hitting out at Hitler and such. It's a pity the author isn't as knowledgeable and well read as he thinks - he'd know a lot more about the Austrian painter if he was. The romance is rubbish, let me be frank, it's clichéd and cringe. If that was deliberate then well executed old chap. Same goes for the silly Gen-X nonsense.

[Julie Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Settle Down is such a great read! I absolutely loved the characters in this book and enjoyed being along for the ride. And what a ride it was! I was sorry when this book was finished because I didn't want this story to end. Definitely a 5 star read for me.

[Trevor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stranded after a plane crash, survivors see strange lights in the sky, when they return to civilisation, they find it gone with aliens in its place. Interesting story, although the ending was slightly unexpected, with humans taking control.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Darude Meets Eminem. In this tale, the New God of Science Fiction gets more overtly political than in any other book I've ever read from him - and I met the guy back in *MySpace* back when he had just two books available (both via Print On Demand in the pre-Kindle era before this was anywhere near as common as it is now), so I've read them *all*. And yet he gets political in ways that I had to point blank ask him "Is this characterization based on *me*?", as in the very first scene where the politics is directly introduced, the character espousing it is said to be a former Southern Baptist from Georgia who now more wrestles with their faith, but the exact topics discussed here are things that I *know* I have openly discussed a few times over the years in arenas where Robinson could have seen those discussions.

Beyond the directly personal and/ or overtly political though, this really is Robinson going yet again into areas even long time fans like me would have never guessed. Yes, he has done some elements of various pieces of this story in other ways and in other overt setups, but he has never before put the together in quite this manner or with really even close to this actual sequence. Thus keeping even long time fans on our toes... while still ultimately delivering the same kind of kickass balls to the wall scifi thriller adventure that we've come to know and love from him.

So come for an adventure unlike any you've ever seen. Seriously, this tale ranges from at times Emily Bleeker to at other times Orson Scott Card or even Richard Phillips (his "Second Ship" trilogies in particular), and it even has at least some elements of the 2000s era Battlestar Galactica remake... (Let's see who catches *that* connection other than myself. ;) ) It has heart. It has humor. It has action. It has thought provoking moments and moments that will make you question everything you know and believe.

And yes, it has elements such that apparently Dr Dre *also* sent one Jeremy Robinson along with Marshall Mathers to "piss the world off". Seriously, if you're not at least mildly offended by *something* in this book, I'm going to start questioning your humanity, truly. And yet, even here, even at his most overtly political... everything included here is in direct service to the story Robinson is telling here. Your mileage will absolutely vary on the politics at hand, but see the earlier sentences of this paragraph and read the damn book anyway. You'll have fun, no matter your politics - and again, I'm going to question your humanity if you don't. Because this book has bits of damn near everything anyone could want in a book - showing how Robinson truly is the New God of Science Fiction.

Very much recommended.

[Nimra Iqbal · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

A plane crash, a deserted island, and an ALIEN INVASION?! This book really said surviving a plane crash was just the beginning. 😂

Settle Down by Jeremy Robinson was such an entertaining, fast-paced sci-fi read! I loved how the story started with a group of survivors stranded on an island, struggling to find food and water, only for things to escalate into something so much bigger and more chaotic than they could have imagined.

One of my favorite aspects was the post-apocalyptic setting. I love a good end-of-the-world scenario, especially when characters are forced to navigate unpredictable situations and figure out how to survive when everything around them is falling apart. This book definitely delivered on that front!

I also really enjoyed the characters and the pacing. There was always something happening, and I found myself wanting to know what would happen next. I appreciated how the stakes continued to rise throughout the story, taking the characters from a survival situation to something on a much larger scale. The escalation made the whole experience incredibly entertaining.

And can we talk about the luxury yacht stocked with food, weapons, and a fortune in cocaine? Because WHAT?! 😂 That was one of those moments where I genuinely had to pause and process everything happening.

Overall, if you enjoy fast-paced science fiction, alien invasions, survival stories, and post-apocalyptic chaos, Settle Down is definitely worth adding to your TBR. It kept me entertained and turning the pages, and I had a great time with this one!

Thank you to Podium Entertainment for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

[Shar B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Settle Down by Jeremy Robinson and give it 4.5 stars.

The story starts with survivors of a plane crash stranded on an uninhabited island, which would have been enough of a survival story on its own. But when they finally escape, they discover that something much bigger has happened: an alien invasion has wiped out most of the world’s population. From there, the survivors have to figure out what happened, how to survive in this completely changed world, and eventually how they might fight back.

I loved the premise, but what really kept me listening was how quickly the story moved and how unpredictable it was. Just when I thought I knew where things were going, the story would take another turn. The characters were interesting and well developed, and I especially liked the relationships between them. Alien-invasion stories don’t always have this level of characterization, and I thought that made the story much more interesting and engaging.

I finished this book in just a few days, which is much faster than I normally get through an audiobook. I kept wanting to find out what happened next, and that’s always a sign that a book has really hooked me.

And, of course, R.C. Bray’s narration was excellent. He’s one of my favorite audiobook narrators, and he was a great fit for this story.

Fast-paced, suspenseful, and fun. Definitely worth a listen. 4.5 stars.

[Kyle Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came to Settle Down, Jeremy had other plans…

Writing reviews is quite challenging for me. I read a book, finish it, and when it comes time to Settle Down and write a review, I can’t remember everything I loved about the story. Not because I didn’t enjoy it, but because I get so engulfed in it that I forget to settle down and take mental notes.
What I do remember is how I felt the entire time I was reading. Most nights I read after getting the kids to bed, and it usually settles me down and nearly puts me to sleep. Unless… it’s a Jeremy Robinson book. Settle Down is no exception.
If you enjoy post-apocalyptic sci-fi thrillers, this is another one that deserves a spot in your library. It’s got the intense imagination, relentless pacing, and trademark humor I’ve come to expect from JR.
And, well… being a Millennial, this book introduced me to a whole new vocabulary I’d never heard before. No cap. (Did I use that right?)
I guess what I’m trying to say is this: if you’re looking for a fast-paced, fun, thought-provoking sci-fi thriller loaded with pop culture references, this one absolutely slaps.
Now quit reading my review, Settle Down, and go read this book.

[Ryan Kentner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Settle Down. Maybe it’s because I’m Gen X and found the protagonist unusually relatable, or maybe part of me is just waiting for someone to interrupt normal middle-aged life with an adventure. Either way, this book really worked for me.

It was refreshing to read an adventure with a protagonist at a stage of life I could identify with. The humour, perspective, relationships and frustrations felt familiar, and that made it much easier to become invested when ordinary life started becoming anything but ordinary.

The story moves quickly, has a great sense of fun, and kept making me want to read just one more chapter. What surprised me most was how much I enjoyed simply going along for the ride. I finished it wishing the adventure wasn’t over yet.

If you’re Gen X, I suspect there are going to be quite a few moments in Settle Down that feel particularly familiar. Even if you’re not, there’s plenty here for anyone looking for a fast, entertaining adventure.

I received an advance reader copy of Settle Down. This is my honest review.

[Matt Egan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blew Away My Expectations!

Settle Down is wild, genre blending/bending thriller that absolutely blew me away. I had high expectations going in, as I do for everything Robinson writes, but got so much more than I imagined. Robinson has officially reached auteur status! The opening chapter is all it will take to get you hooked, and give you one insight into just how different Settle Down is compared to other first contact/ alien invasion thriller. Despite the dark nature of the writing, there are a few laugh-out-loud interspersed throughout the death and destruction, making it that much more enjoyable! Overall, 5/5 stars! Highly recommended for fans of apocalyptic survival thrillers, alien invasion thrillers, sci-fi thrillers and anyone interested in what might be the most interesting book I've read all years. Kudos to Robinson for somehow setting the bar even higher than the also phenomenal 'Parrallax', it couldn't have been easy!

[Khurley424 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one heck of a surprise- after I'd finished the most recent Bobiverse installment, this was the "recommended preview" that Audible threw my way. Admittedly, I had another book in mind that I was going to start- but after maybe 5 minutes of reading that, I went "nah, fuck this, I want to know more of what was going on in that preview book." Here I am throwing 5 stars at it and thinking "wow, that was fresh, interesting, fun, engaging, simultaneously light enough to be a fun read and heavy enough to be thought provoking, and different." I have some very minor complaints- Like where tf did the Eden come from? Or wow it's convenient that humans are just unstoppable juggernauts. Also the containment lattice didn't stop our alien buddy in the end there? No alien ever felt passion before? Just corny things like that irked me but those are nowhere near outshining the fun i had with this

[Julie Jameson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd give it more stars if I could.

I love to read, but struggle to find books that immediately grab my attention. I need this, or I quickly become bored and have a hard time getting through a book. Jeremy Robinson hasn't disappointed me yet, but Settle Down not only managed to grab me in the first chapter and not let go, it also made it hard for me to focus on my daily tasks. 😄 I'm a rather slow reader, but I completed Settle Down in three days, which is very fast for me. I never thought I was into UFO/alien novels until I started reading Jeremy Robinson. This book puts a very different spin on that genre. From start to finish, I absolutely loved this book. The action and humor are great. I love the characters, and alien pets.😄

[Jacob Dixon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Jeremy Robinson. His books are fun and inventive and this is certainly true of Settle Down. But for as readable and clever as it is, it is also the preachiest book I have read from him. In the afterward, he says that it was not written in response to any current controversies and I believe him, but it also fails to recognize that many people today don’t want to be preached at, considering the amount of preaching we have to endure in any given day. I don’t fault him for preaching any more than he could fault me for not liking it. Again, the story and characters are great and aside from this glaring issue (as well as theological pronouncements that illustrate a lack intensive study), Settle Down was an enjoyable read.

[Matt Schroeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lightweight, but enjoyable

I'll tell you this much. Read the author's notes first. It might change the way you look at this novel. I didn't find it until after, and now I wonder if my perception of the book would be different.

The source material seems light by comparison. I found it to be an enjoyable read with a decent mystery up front and shallow-to-mid character development.

But here's the thing: It still gets four stars—primarily because of the strength of the first half of the book. That's the real gem here

After San Francisco, there's a steady decline in pacing and direction. Too much hand wavy stuff and no real sense of peril—which, given the inspiration, should have been much weightier. The payoff at the end wasn't there for me.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book!

If you've never read anything by Jeremy Robinson, this is a great introduction to his work. It combines all of the greatest things that he includes when he tells a story.
There's humor, there's pop culture references, there are rich characters, and the descriptions of each "scene" in the novel are so detailed you can clearly see in your mind what is happening.
I highly recommend to anyone who loves sci-fi, or anyone who is looking for a new author.
You won't be sorry, I promise!!

[Gary J Callahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, fast, and funny sci-fi thriller

This was "just the thing" I needed inbetween other longer, more dense (and more challenging) reads. A beach read. It's light, fast, and a lot of fun. The characters are all well developed and supported so that, as in any well-crafted story, I came to care what happened to each of them. There are sections where the author gets a big bogged down and some of the descriptive language is a bit over the top but all in all, the story moves along nicely and I enjoyed from start to end.

[Karen B · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wild ride it took me on. My TV fandom Lost loving heart especially enjoyed the first half, where a professor is stranded on an island with some of his students and other unique characters. Their survival journey turned into a dystopian level fight as the world they found again wasn’t the same they left (there was aliens!). Each character was well developed and the plot was fast-moving. As a reader who doesn’t normally pick up books in the sci-fi genre, this one kept my interest.
3.5 stars
Thanks to Podium for the paperback

[Kevin O'Rourke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic adventure from Robinson

I always look forward to a new book from this author and he rarely disappoints. This was one of his better stand alone stories (I don't know but I'm willing to bet that it'll be referenced again in another book like 5 years from now). Anyway, I liked the story and the last act was pretty sweet. Jeremy , please keep up the fantastic work and as someone who was born in 81' you nailed it!

[Mark Andersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take me to your Leader

Another solid Sci-fi adventure from my favorite author. A tail of Alien vs Human as well as a little Young vs Old. There are some horrid goings on but the way Mr Robinson meshes humor throughout the story kept me from focusing not on the things that were done but rather on the developing story. In the end you're pretty psyched to be human even if there's not that many of us left. I highly recommend this book and you can see what I mean for yourself.

[Gene Steinbacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

One reviewer said he was preachy in this book. I didn't see it that way. To me the motive of preachy is to sway people to one particular side. Mr. Robinson was more like contemplating the different aspects of colonization. But in an entertaining way. Once again the imagination of Mr. Robinson shows through by providing us with another amazing story completely unique to all other stories he has written, and likely rarely, if ever, written in the past.

[Donald Firl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story

Another excellent story from Jeremy. Along with being a great story it is also very thought provoking. Without giving any spoilers I would like to state that I would NEVER do what the characters of my age group did. Also I fully support what you know who did to you know who. Now comes the hard part, waiting for his next book.

[I C Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

As is usual with Mr Robinson, ANOTHER cracking read, this time a different take on the ‘Earth invasion’ genre. As is the way with Jeremy’s stories there are strong characters, good story, action all wrapped up with his unique brand of humour, if your a fan of Jeremy’s work, or yet to experience any, give it a go.

[Michael Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling and insightful. And a thrilling sci-fi buffet!

Jeremy robinson conveys an incredible story of resilience, survival and fast paced action. The characters are so well developed that you could belive they are living, breathing humans. With several non-humans who come alive to fill the story with real emotion. This is MUST read!

[James M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good read from Robinson

I have read nearly every book written by Robinson and have never been disappointed. While this was not my favorite from him I thoroughly enjoyed the book and the fact that it is a standalone book when it seems like everything else is becoming a trilogy or multi-book series.

[Nick Blount · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rounding up to 3.5 stars. Another Solid JR book. These books are so crazy and everything happens very conveniently for our characters but it’s just a fun read/listen. You let little plot things go because you’re just too engaged. I’m always down for a good alien invasion story. Not as good as the last couple but I still enjoyed it!

[Brian Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC from being one of the first 50 on a post in his Facebook group. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK! The characters and premise of the book kept me turning pages on my kindle and not wanting to put it down.

[Michael Strange · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

Another great book from Mr Robinson. The characters are like longtime friends by the end. It also makes you think about our history and the truth we are not taught in school

[Cheryl E. O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story could have continued…

I wish this story line had not ended with this book. Formulaic good versus evil and the polyglot earthlings win against the galaxy, what’s not to love?