The Extinction Cycle Boxed Set, Books 4-6

Extinction Cycle #4-6

by Nicholas Sansbury Smith, Bronson Pinchot (Reading)

Extinction EvolutionCentral Command is gone, the military is fractured, and the surviving members of Team Ghost, led by Master Sergeant Reed Beckham, have been pushed to the breaking point. While the strong return to the battlefield, the wounded are forced to stay behind on Plum Island and fight their inner demons.Betrayed by the country they swore to defend and surrounded by enemies on all sides, Team Ghost has one mission left: protect Dr. Kate Lovato and Dr. Pat Ellis while they develop a weapon to defeat the Variants once and for all. But after a grisly discovery in Atlanta, Kate and Ellis realize their weapon might not be able to stop the evolution of the monsters.Joined by unexpected allies and facing a new threat none of them saw coming, the survivors are running out of time to save the human race from extinction.Extinction EndAlmost seven weeks have passed since the Hemorrhage Virus ravaged the world. The remnants of the United States military have regrouped and relocated Central Command to the George Washington Carrier Strike Group. It's here, in the North Atlantic, that President Jan Ringgold and Vice President George Johnson prepare to deploy a new bioweapon and embark on the final mission to take back the country from the Variants.With his home gone and his friends kidnapped, Master Sergeant Reed Beckham and his remaining men must take drastic measures to save what's left of the human race. But not everyone at Central Command has the same plan for victory. As the Variants continue to evolve, only a handful of heroes stand between the creatures and mankind's total extinction.One way or another, the battle for the United States of America ends here.Extinction AftermathNewly christened as the leader of Delta Force Team Ghost, Master Sergeant Joe Fitzpatrick arrives in Normandy over seventy years after Allied Forces joined the fight against the Nazis. The war to free survivors and eradicate pockets of adult Variants and their offspring is underway by the European Unified Forces. But as the troops push east, rumors of a new type of monster spread through the ranks. Fitz and his new team quickly realize that the fight for Europe might be harder than anyone ever imagined.Back in the States, Captain Reed Beckham and Dr. Kate Lovato are settling into a new life on Plum Island. Across the United States, the adult Variants have all been wiped out, and the juveniles are on the run. But survivors soon realize there are other monsters at home, and they may be human.As the doomsday clock ticks down and military bases fall across the country, the human race enters the age of extinction. Will science prevail--or will mankind vanish off the face of the planet?

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Audiobook, Post Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Apocalyptic

Audio CD

Published February 21, 2017

About the author

Nicholas Sansbury Smith is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than forty novels with two million copies sold. Before his writing career, he served at Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management, a background that inspired many of his story concepts. A two time Ironman triathlete, he enjoys running, biking, and hiking. Nicholas also loves traveling, especially to his cabin in Northern Minnesota where he weaves his tales. He lives in Iowa with his wonderful wife and their son and daughter.

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Reviews

[Jenny Jo Weir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond great! Absolutely no complaints. Spectacular series everyone should check out. Really great books written incredibly well and with perfect delivery.

[BookzBookzBookz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come.

[Ryan Rauber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Books 4, 5 and 6 in this series. These 3 books continue to post-apocalytic world in which humans inadvertently create a pandemic that has turned 90% of the population into monsters. Here, the humans in the US attempt a last ditch attempt to rid these variants, only to fall into civil war as rivals try to take over the newly formed government. Meanwhile, Fitz and the Ghost team travel to Europe to help allies retain the continent from the variants. As in the previous books, lots of action, a good story that has kept me entertained. Looking forward to continuing this series to see where it ends.

[Todd Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extinction Cycle continues to be the best new sci-fi series I've listened to this year! (new to me) We played God and at this point have almost wiped out the human population across the planet. Dr Kate Lovato is still working on something to destroy the juvenile population, which are far worse than their variant parents. Captain Reed Beckham and his team work on helping survivors and killing these things the old fashioned way. As the juveniles continue to age, they continue to evolve as well. Can't wait to start the next book! Great narration by Bronson Pinchot!

[Rounak Raj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! Mr. Smith, your work is brilliant as always. The non-action, suspense, thrill etc. had me turning page after page, until I reached the conclusion. To be honest, I found the human antagonists more realistic and appropriate than the monsters, probably because human depravity exists in the real world, too.

[Rob Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

People die, cities fall, and the variant threat remains. Beckham, Fitz, Cho and Big Horn are here to greet the Monsters that go bump in the night.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will definitely read or listen to The Extinction Cycle books again.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Will Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Violent...what-if book.. Liked the story though

[Josh Levine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was split up for Amazon.com, so here are the reviews broken down by book (4-6):

EVOLUTION:

*** WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS *** And I am back to the fantastic Extinction Cycle series with book four. This series has truly evolved into a highly unique entry in my audiobook collection. With Kate and Ellis working on a new way to kill the variants, Team Ghost and the newly introduced Variant Hunters (VH) group discover horrifying news which, as the title implies, involves evolution of the variants.

This book had me hooked from beginning to end. Per the norm, we have the ever-present collection of “clicking joints” associated with the variants, a noise I can hear every time I hear Bronson Pinchot describe it in the book. The way Nick describes the variants in these books continues to develop a very detailed picture in my mind of just how these creatures look and behave.

As mentioned in my other reviews, the human condition, and its various forms, are very well depicted in this story. Watching as some of the survivors start to take sides (not something I would have imagined but it lent itself to a plot twist I wasn’t ready for) and introduces a new challenge to Ghost and the VH. Watching as survivors with a lower drive towards helping their fellow man are driven to support variants showcases the various levels of emotional strength present in human kind. With the human species estimated at around 1 million people, some survivors begin hedging their bets.

In this book, we are introduced to the White King and the Bone Collector, two Super-Alphas which produce a whole new dynamic in the evolution of the variants. What should humanity do when the variants begin to exhibit human-like characteristics from their previous, non-infected, selves?

Nick clearly did his research on tactics used throughout the book for the various personnel assigned to the variants fighting teams. It is great to see the drive behind the team members aboard the GW strike group and the folks at Plum Island (for as long as it lasted).

This was another gripping entry in the EC series and one I can wholeheartedly recommend. Nick does not disappoint with this entry and if I was forced to identify even a remotely possible negative, it might be the extremely rapid evolution of the creatures, but then again this is Sci-Fi so psssh to that. This book is awesome. Start with book one and you won’t be able to stop! Now on to “The end”

END

WOW! Where to start on this entry in the series. This was perhaps one of the single best stories I have listened to in a while. So many chilling and emotional moments from beginning to end that kept me hooked on the entire story. Bronson Pinchot continues to deliver a top-notch performance and has grown on me (you can listen to his narration at 1.25 speed without much, if any, degradation of his performance). Nick continues to balance out his story telling by combining military action with scientific inquiry and research and good old fashioned plot twists.

As we pick up with Operation Extinction bringing about a possible end to the war against the variants and the juveniles, we see more action for both Team Ghost and the VH group. One of the first things I must comment on in this entry in the series is that of the LTC Kramer story. Right from the start of this side story, I could relate to some of the actions undertaken by LTC Kramer. To say that I was surprised by her actions would be a lie but I was so happy to see the way Karma came back to get her. I won’t completely spoil the plot line, but I will say that LTC Kramer gets what is coming to her. I can relate to stories of an officer who feels that they know what is best for everyone in contrast to standing orders.

Nick continues his great tradition of highlighting the selfless service present in so many of our nation’s greatest heroes. Sacrificing their own wellbeing, their families, their loved ones, and their own safety in the name of the greater good is a common theme I am seeing in many of Nick’s stories.

This story was not all about action and there were a few moments which had me close to, if not in, tears. One of the sadder portions of the story involved Meg and her words to Fitz aboard the GW. Another was the care shown by LT Davis for the soldiers on the GW, namely Fitz and the way she procures new blades for him on multiple occasions. From the start of the novel, I had a series of mixed feelings for LT Davis but was glad to see she showcased the style of leadership that is a trademark to some of the greatest leaders in military history. LT Davis was perhaps one of my favorite characters in this entry and she brought about a really great addition to the team.

One of the major plot lines in this story is that of the nuclear option. From LTC Kramer constantly pushing for a nuclear strike, to the attack near the end of the story, the nukes put an interesting twist on the missions of the teams and remaining survivors. What started out as an invasion into the protected Earth Fall complex (damn collaborators) and then gave the illusion (to the team) of betrayal, yet again, by the military was another in a long line of challenges facing the teams. It was interesting to see, yet again, how the human condition continues to play a huge part in the entire series. What happens when people completely lose faith in their ability to survive and turn against those whom they would normally care about? What happens when those tables turn once again?

I would like to point out that I had one moment which immediately tied me into another one of Nick’s novels: Hell Divers. During the airborne drop into DC, I immediately imagined X from that story and his line of “We dive so that humanity survives”. As soon as Beckham and crew dropped in, this was all I could imagine. I can see a preferred style for the heroes in Nick’s books.

Now on to what is, in my opinion, some of the best written storyline I have ever encountered. As I reached the end of the book, I was thinking to myself that team ghost and Reed/Kate/Garcia/Fitz/etc. should be recognized somehow by Ringgold. It was great to see the medals awarded to the team members as I felt this was perhaps one of the single best ways to honor their actions. That leaves me with the final chapter (epilogue) which I had to listen to three times today in its entirety. This portion of the story was so powerful, moving, and helped wrap up the loose ends for what was supposed to be the end of the series. As I mentioned above, this portion had me tearing up as Reed gave his speech, as Reed has his moment with Fitz, and as Ringgold gave her speech about the future for humanity. Nick really created a gem when he wrapped up this portion of the series.

All in all, this was easily the best book in the series (so far) and it has me saddened that I am almost at the end of this journey. Keep up the great work Nick and for anyone considering this series, just do it! You will not regret it and you will see just why it is so popular.

AFTERMATH

*** SPOILERS AHEAD *** You thought that was the end? Hah, not quite. After the enthralling ending which took place during book five, I was interested to see how Nick carried on the EC series. I was not disappointed. This book carried on the fantastic writing style that Nick employs throughout the series and his other books. Beckham, Fitz, Davis, Ringgold, and others are back as they look to help stabilize the US and other areas of the world. Fitz is now in charge of team ghost and has been deployed to Europe to help in an area where the deployment of Kryptonite did not go as well as it had stateside.

From the start of this book, we note that many of the members have been promoted after their actions in the previous books. This caught me off guard, especially in the case of Beckham, and it took me a second to realize what had occurred. While I understand Fitz’ promotion to Master Sergeant, I was taken aback by Reed’s “promotion” to Captain. Understanding that this is reminiscent of a battlefield commission from wars long since passed, I would have to wonder whether someone of Beckham’s seniority would consider this a promotion. I would think that Sergeant Major would have made more sense, especially given that he would have fallen under “Save Pay” if he were still being paid. But, that aside, I can understand what was trying to be conveyed here. Reed had definitely served his country and this was a way of recognizing that service (along with his medal of honor from the last book).

The internal terrorism and military deception brought about in the book really drew me in. Watching the broadcasts from Woods and the competing information operations (IO) campaign that Ringgold’s team was attempting really hit home with me. It shows how many folks will continue to believe the first story they hear on a topic, even when competing arguments are presented that make more logical sense. As a world and country already ravaged by the war with the variants, this plot line really makes you wonder how folks would side in a real-world scenario. This same plotline seems to be a common trend in Nick’s books and one which really continues to draw me in. Is Civil War actually going to start in the middle of the efforts to recover from the variant threat and the on-going variant war overseas? Knowing the title of the next book is “War”, I can safely assume yes, especially with the ending.

And then there is LT Woods which has left me feeling really angry at the end of this story. I’ve never completed a book and felt myself being physically angry. That is the nature of Woods in this entry in the series and it really makes me want the next book to hurry up and arrive so I can see some resolution.

My other gripe with this entry is the French accent which Bronson Pinchot attempts. His accent is a good one, but it is difficult to understand at times, especially given that I always listen to these books on the road. I found myself rewinding at several points to try and understand what folks were saying. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Even though I rate this entry four stars, whereas past entries have all merited five, I still wholeheartedly recommend it and the entire series. Nick is a gifted author and his talent still shines through in this book. If you haven’t started the series, please do so. You will not regret it.