What do you think?
Rate this book
Thunder Wells
No one ever said surviving an alien invasion would be easy.
Jack Fairbanks made it through the initial wave of attacks, but now the Mawks have seeded the Earth with dozers and crawlers, tracking beasts that crave human flesh and are bent on hunting the remnants of humankind to extinction.
Joined by Lucia, a hardened urban survivor, Jack finds himself caught up in a secret plan to turn the course of the invasion. Can a college sophomore and a ragtag force of soldiers survive when the Mawks descend from orbit and begin their final assault?
Jack Fairbanks made it through the initial wave of attacks, but now the Mawks have seeded the Earth with dozers and crawlers, tracking beasts that crave human flesh and are bent on hunting the remnants of humankind to extinction.
Joined by Lucia, a hardened urban survivor, Jack finds himself caught up in a secret plan to turn the course of the invasion. Can a college sophomore and a ragtag force of soldiers survive when the Mawks descend from orbit and begin their final assault?
290 pages, Paperback
Published December 11, 2016
16 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 1, 2018
Nice take on an alien invasion - always a sucker for that, me - with good tech outlined and a believeable workd. Good balance of male-female characters with an 'every persons' feel that works well in invasion novels. The plot mostly zips along well, with a few sections just a tiny bit slow. For me I would have liked a little more depth to the charscterisation but this is a personal reading quirk and may not be a problem for other readers.
A good solid 4*
A good solid 4*
July 3, 2017
( Format : Audiobook )
"It all reminded me of what life had been like...""
First they knocked out our technology, then the aliens arrived. They manipulated the weather and millions drowned, poisoned crops and introduced a virulent flu virus to kill everyone else. This failed: humans were stronger than they thought. But the seeding of the world with man (and dog) eating monsters, the crawlers and the dozers, was far more successful as was the unfortunate predisposition for people to destroy each other in their desperate desire to survive.
Jack is a survivor. And this story is told, in the first person, from his point of view. Jonathan Waters becomes Jack very believably as he recounts the story of how he firstly forms a back watching partnership with Lucia, another formidable loner, then together they become part of an attempt to fight back against the alien invaders who want their home for themselves. Mr.Water's narration is clear, well paced and kept low key even in the midst of fighting. It seems right, somehow, fitting with the character he is portraying. And his voicing of the other characters, and in particular Lucia, is distinctive and appropriate.
There is an underlying feeling of loss and sorrow to this book so often not present in other survival stories. Although the fight scenes, and there are many, are vivid and very well written, it is this sense of the bleakness of what is left that I personally found most harrowing. My thanks to the rights holder of Thunder Wells for freely gifting me a copy, via Audiobook Boom. It was an enjoyable and worthwhile book which I can happily recommend to any reader with an enjoyment of science fiction, adventure or post apocalyptic stories with a human touch
"It all reminded me of what life had been like...""
First they knocked out our technology, then the aliens arrived. They manipulated the weather and millions drowned, poisoned crops and introduced a virulent flu virus to kill everyone else. This failed: humans were stronger than they thought. But the seeding of the world with man (and dog) eating monsters, the crawlers and the dozers, was far more successful as was the unfortunate predisposition for people to destroy each other in their desperate desire to survive.
Jack is a survivor. And this story is told, in the first person, from his point of view. Jonathan Waters becomes Jack very believably as he recounts the story of how he firstly forms a back watching partnership with Lucia, another formidable loner, then together they become part of an attempt to fight back against the alien invaders who want their home for themselves. Mr.Water's narration is clear, well paced and kept low key even in the midst of fighting. It seems right, somehow, fitting with the character he is portraying. And his voicing of the other characters, and in particular Lucia, is distinctive and appropriate.
There is an underlying feeling of loss and sorrow to this book so often not present in other survival stories. Although the fight scenes, and there are many, are vivid and very well written, it is this sense of the bleakness of what is left that I personally found most harrowing. My thanks to the rights holder of Thunder Wells for freely gifting me a copy, via Audiobook Boom. It was an enjoyable and worthwhile book which I can happily recommend to any reader with an enjoyment of science fiction, adventure or post apocalyptic stories with a human touch
August 24, 2017
I requested and was granted a code for the Audible version of this book.
This was pretty good. A fresh perspective on an alien invasion that happens in the aftermath. The good guy, bad guys, and other bad guys all played their parts quite well, and I liked how the story wove everything together. Honestly, though, one my absolute favorite things about this book was that there was a "team" (I consider Jack and Lucia a team in my own mind haha) consisting of a man and a woman. And it wasn't sexual! Seriously, you don't actually find that very often, and it was AWESOME to see two people who could be just friends in an apocalyptic novel. I know, I'm weird. But I don't care. I give this book 4 Platypires. And that is the rating I'm going with for Goodreads and Amazon.
The Audible version is going to be a 3, as the narrator wasn't my cup of tea. He had a pleasant voice, a steady pace, knew the story. But, I found myself bored and lulled into a state of not even paying attention a few times, causing me to have to go back and listen again. I'm not sure why it was like this for me. I realize that most others loved his narration, but something was just off for me.
This was pretty good. A fresh perspective on an alien invasion that happens in the aftermath. The good guy, bad guys, and other bad guys all played their parts quite well, and I liked how the story wove everything together. Honestly, though, one my absolute favorite things about this book was that there was a "team" (I consider Jack and Lucia a team in my own mind haha) consisting of a man and a woman. And it wasn't sexual! Seriously, you don't actually find that very often, and it was AWESOME to see two people who could be just friends in an apocalyptic novel. I know, I'm weird. But I don't care. I give this book 4 Platypires. And that is the rating I'm going with for Goodreads and Amazon.
The Audible version is going to be a 3, as the narrator wasn't my cup of tea. He had a pleasant voice, a steady pace, knew the story. But, I found myself bored and lulled into a state of not even paying attention a few times, causing me to have to go back and listen again. I'm not sure why it was like this for me. I realize that most others loved his narration, but something was just off for me.
September 5, 2021
I enjoyed this book!
The beginning really grabbed me. I loved how the main character utilizes the very few resources he has in order to survive. Although this story begins after the invasion, I thought is was well written and easy to understand what had happened prior. I liked when they were hiding or fighting the aliens but later it felt more like a typical war and I’m not a fan of war stories. That said, it picked up again and this story, although I wouldn’t say it had an HEA exactly, had the perfect ending for this story.
The narration was fantastic. Jonathan Waters has a fantastic voice and performed these characters beautifully.
If you enjoy this genre, I recommend this book.
Sisters Spotlight 💜
The beginning really grabbed me. I loved how the main character utilizes the very few resources he has in order to survive. Although this story begins after the invasion, I thought is was well written and easy to understand what had happened prior. I liked when they were hiding or fighting the aliens but later it felt more like a typical war and I’m not a fan of war stories. That said, it picked up again and this story, although I wouldn’t say it had an HEA exactly, had the perfect ending for this story.
The narration was fantastic. Jonathan Waters has a fantastic voice and performed these characters beautifully.
If you enjoy this genre, I recommend this book.
Sisters Spotlight 💜
May 20, 2018
This was written by a local author. Much of the first half in the book takes place in and around Toledo. Specifically in Wildwood Metropark. Which happens to be my favorite park and one I know intimately. So reading this was awesome as I knew exactly where the main character was. It lost that fun factor as the story moved south. It was a good action scifi thriller. The only drawback was lack of character development and relationship development between Jack and Lucia. Besides that it was a good read.
March 21, 2025
When an alien force descends on earth, the population is decimated and technology destroyed, as they look to take over. Jack Fairbanks survives in a park he now calls home, Lucia is companion. When they are recruited to help strike back, they set out on a dangerous journey. Can they make a difference and turn the tide of the war.
February 5, 2017
Terry Ervin's novel "Thunder Wells" tells the story of Jack, a college student trying to survive the aftermath of a devastating attack by aliens. He is depicted as level-headed, pragmatic and rational in the wake of this invasion.
PROS:
- Definitely a different take on the survivalist / "prepper" pitch. Normal guy doing his best to survive against the odds.
- Truly interesting information about survival techniques and complications.
- Deals as much with the human threat as sci-fi aliens
- Good, solid story with plenty of action and tension
- Interesting depiction of alien invaders and their motives
- Thunder wells are AWESOME.
CONS:
- Writing was strong in some parts, but too much exposition in other parts.
- Pace seemed a bit uneven in many places.
- Some of the tactics described were pushing the envelope at times
- Shallow character development across the board
- Summary epilogue left me wanting MUCH more
A very quick and enjoyable read.
PROS:
- Definitely a different take on the survivalist / "prepper" pitch. Normal guy doing his best to survive against the odds.
- Truly interesting information about survival techniques and complications.
- Deals as much with the human threat as sci-fi aliens
- Good, solid story with plenty of action and tension
- Interesting depiction of alien invaders and their motives
- Thunder wells are AWESOME.
CONS:
- Writing was strong in some parts, but too much exposition in other parts.
- Pace seemed a bit uneven in many places.
- Some of the tactics described were pushing the envelope at times
- Shallow character development across the board
- Summary epilogue left me wanting MUCH more
A very quick and enjoyable read.
November 20, 2017
Although a little dry i found this story very enjoyable.
The characters and action are very realistic to what you wouke expect in an invasion and we feel very quickly for the way of life and the choices forced upon the world because of it.
The slog through the desolate USA and the mentioned events remind me very much of that of the 2nd Mass Militia and their fight to stay alive and on mission from the popular TV series Falling Skies.
Narration was good but could maybe have served better if a little less gruff and dry, maybe the fault of the writing?.
Saying this I'd still give both the author and the narrator a try in future endeavours.
The characters and action are very realistic to what you wouke expect in an invasion and we feel very quickly for the way of life and the choices forced upon the world because of it.
The slog through the desolate USA and the mentioned events remind me very much of that of the 2nd Mass Militia and their fight to stay alive and on mission from the popular TV series Falling Skies.
Narration was good but could maybe have served better if a little less gruff and dry, maybe the fault of the writing?.
Saying this I'd still give both the author and the narrator a try in future endeavours.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews