Helix: Scourge of Bones

by Pat Flewwelling

Ishmael has been cured, but at what cost to him and his allies?

Two members of Ishmael's Pack are missing in action. The rest are either cured, powerless, or unfit for the public eye. The Wyrd Council has been destroyed from the inside by politics and murder, and its last members have scattered to the wind, unwilling to pick a side.

Ishmael's few allies have taken shelter in a bunker in Halifax, waiting for him to recover, waiting for him to choose a course of direction. Half a continent away, a panic-stricken town is under military-enforced quarantine, and the situation is about to become violent, and viral. When the Pack decides to bring the fight to Jay and his Bone Tribe, they're halted by a new player in the game.

And just when Ishmael needs his wits about him, he realizes he's becoming the man he hates most: the man he was before infection.

396 pages, Paperback

Published October 31, 2017

Reviews

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Helix: Scourge of Bones” which I won through Goodreads Giveaways and the thrilling and edgy conclusion to an absorbing series begins where the second book left off with Ishmael dealing with radical changes in his appearance, becoming more aggressive and feeling like a stranger in his own skin. With the implosion of the Wyrd Council, its members scattered and indecisive; two “Tiger Dogs” left behind at Varco Lake; Ishmael and the rest of his pack seeking shelter in a bunker in Halifax; and Elmbury under military quarantine, the search for Jay and his Bone Tribe has become critical.

Yet when the safety of Detective Sergeant (DS) Buckle’s family is compromised, and the bunker attacked after the former head of the Wyrd Council is murdered, Ishmael makes a decision to destroy their refuge and return to the panic-stricken, cordoned-off town of Elmbury to tackle the source of their problems head-on, only to discover that there is a new player who has its own agenda for clearing up a mess that threatens to spread.

Fast-paced and intense the plot heats up when the bonewalkers attack the bunker forcing Ishmael to make a radical decision to become involved with a covert organization that will help him discover clues to Jay’s whereabouts and undermine his plans as well as to free DS Buckle’s kids. Tension and suspense continually build with Ishmael’s flashbacks, his determination to overcome the obstacles that hamper him from being the man he wants to be as well as the changes that are impacting his pack. Pat Flewwing persistently throws curve balls into the plot line that not only have you biting your nails but holding tight to your seat as the trust in new allies is questioned and the enemies collide.

Action-packed with detailed fight scenes as the pack clashes with bone walkers, lycanthropes, wendigos and old adversaries the landscape is filled with chaos and violence. Yet well-written with unforgettable characters that grow in complexity with every challenge and fight as death nips at the heels of Ishmael and his pack and their energy both mentally and physically seems to flag, only the subtlety of the deepening relationship between Ishmael and Holly/Foster, the strength and commitment of friendships within the pack as well as sparks of witty dialogue keep the tension, bloodletting and violence balanced.

I thoroughly enjoyed “Helix: Scourge of Bones” but suggest reading the series in its entirety because to do otherwise you will lose background details and character interaction that make the final book so gripping you won’t want to put it down until finished.

[Aneta · Rating 5 out of 5]

"He made murderers of us all, Ishmael thought. Grabbed us by the saviour-complex and showed us who we really are. Monsters. Every one of us."

Before diving into the finale of the Helix trilogy... Prepare tissues. A lot of tissues. I cannot stress this enough.

This book is about reclaiming your power.

This book is about fighting back after having been abused and wronged.

This book is about struggling but finding yourself after having been lost for too long.

Finding home, in the most unlikely of places.

This book is about family.

Helix is very dark series, dealing with dark topics. It's a study of how seemingly good intentions can lead to doom, what happens when people think themselves better than God. It's not afraid to get its hands dirty in driving the point home and at times things seem hopeless, but the light at the end of the tunnel is bright and brilliant. Oh, how it shines!

There is heartbreak and sacrifice, obviously. There are uncomfortable truths that see the light of day. There are tears of powerlessness and despair. But if not for the moments when you stumble and fall, there wouldn't be those when you get back up again. The ending feels paid-for and truly earned. Sometimes, you lose everything, only to gain something new. Something better.

I did have some pacing issues with this installment. The middle part of it, where we deal with CIRCE, search for Jay and the preparations for the media stunt, got kind of.... boring at times. It was set-up, I know, shifting pieces into place for a satisfying endgame. That worked. But still.

Also, I expected finally meeting Haberman would be a bigger deal.

THE EPILOGUE IS EVERYTHING I NEVER DARED HOPE FOR AND MORE.

Goodbye, to a series that changed me as a person.*

* Except not really goodbye because there's a continuation that comes out in 2019!!! I have been truly blessed. I love these characters to death.

[Lisa Toohey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was enraptured with this book, Flewwelling has kept me in nail bitting suspense as I followed her intrepid heros on their cross country trekk. I felt truly invested in her characters as they fought against the terrifying forces that their enemy has mustered. The final installation in the Helix trilogy does not disappoint; Scourge of Bones will keep you on the edge of your seat!

[A.A. Jankiewicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fitting conclusion to the Helix trilogy and while I was sad to get to the final pages of Ishmael and co's journey, I was not left disappointed.