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Area 51: Empire Falls: The Fall of Imperium — An Area 51 Prequel Novella
There was a human empire in our Solar System in the distant recesses of time. It was destroyed so utterly that we have yet to find traces of it. This is the story of the beginning of what happened to it and the birth of the Swarm. (This novella can be read as a standalone outside of the series as it is a prequel)
Hundreds of thousands of years before the secrets buried at Area 51, the human Imperium spanned the stars — and ran out of patience.
To end a thousand-year argument over worlds that refused to be held, Fleet builds a weapon, the Sunder, that can unmake a planet. It plans to test it in secret on a dead, nameless world in rebel Light-Union-Twelve. Things don't work out quite the way they hoped.
The weapon doesn't fire. The planet doesn't die.
It wakes.
The Swarm will build. It will gather. And it will come for Earth.
The Swarm had a beginning. This is it.
Hundreds of thousands of years before the secrets buried at Area 51, the human Imperium spanned the stars — and ran out of patience.
To end a thousand-year argument over worlds that refused to be held, Fleet builds a weapon, the Sunder, that can unmake a planet. It plans to test it in secret on a dead, nameless world in rebel Light-Union-Twelve. Things don't work out quite the way they hoped.
The weapon doesn't fire. The planet doesn't die.
It wakes.
The Swarm will build. It will gather. And it will come for Earth.
The Swarm had a beginning. This is it.
168 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2026
About the author
Bob Mayer
628 books47.8k followersI'm a West Point graduate, former Green Beret and a New York Times Bestselling Author. I've sold over five million books.
I love using history and science in my books. My Area 51 series pretty much had me rewriting our entire history of civilization.
I also collaborate with Jennifer Crusie on our unique brand of suspense thrillers with humor.
I love using history and science in my books. My Area 51 series pretty much had me rewriting our entire history of civilization.
I also collaborate with Jennifer Crusie on our unique brand of suspense thrillers with humor.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 1, 2026
Damn this was good and it was really different from what we had in the series so far. It’s clear this was planned out for a while and I can’t wait to see how it unfolds in the future.
September 25, 2026
A must read if you enjoyed the Area 51 series.
I remember picking up the original Area 51 book in this series based on the title. I was a huge sci-fi/conspiracy theory fan so this was up my alley. I'm not so much into conspiracy theories anymore but I got back into the series many years later and still enjoyed it. This book is the Swarm origin story. I enjoyed it.
I remember picking up the original Area 51 book in this series based on the title. I was a huge sci-fi/conspiracy theory fan so this was up my alley. I'm not so much into conspiracy theories anymore but I got back into the series many years later and still enjoyed it. This book is the Swarm origin story. I enjoyed it.
September 12, 2026
Another Spectacular Area 51 Masterpiece
As always, Bob Mayer knows how to write spectacular science fiction as there's nothing like his Area 51 series, and I loved this prequel. Keep up the great work, Bob!
As always, Bob Mayer knows how to write spectacular science fiction as there's nothing like his Area 51 series, and I loved this prequel. Keep up the great work, Bob!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews