Existential

Crucible #1

by Ryan W. Aslesen

The Alaskan wilderness holds a nightmarish secret that threatens all of humanity in this epic sci-fi horror thriller. A book so scary that it requires a warning label, and a global phenomenon that is on track to sell over 1 million copies.

Looking for a blockbuster thriller that combines explosive sci-fi action with intense horror that will have you gripping the page with fear? Then look no further and standby for a roller coaster ride of terror.

It was supposed to be just another mission…

Buried deep in the rugged Alaskan wilderness lies a secret that could alter the future of mankind—a secret that billionaire Elizabeth Grey has invested millions in solving. But when the dig goes silent and all attempts at making contact fail, an elite team of battle hardened military contractors is brought in led by former Marine Max Ahlgren, a warrior haunted by his past.

While the mission to make contact and rescue a team of scientists and engineers working on an “archeological” project seems like an easy payday, Once on ground, the team discovers the grizzly truth that this is no ordinary rescue. Max and his men find themselves in the fight of their lives against a nightmarish enemy like nothing they have ever seen. In what quickly becomes a struggle for survival, the world’s greatest soldiers will encounter the universe’s ultimate terror in a battle that puts all of humanity at stake.

No Backup.

No Escape.

No Hope.

Pick up your copy of Existential and embark on an epic journey that will leave your heart pounding with every page. The perfect combination of science fiction, explosive action, and intense horror, Existential is a can’t-miss novel!

Terrifying, visceral, and deeply moving, Existential is a novel that will haunt you forever.

Warning: This book contains intense scenes of violence and horror. It isn't for the faint of heart. Reader discretion is advised.

Genres: Horror, Science Fiction, Action, Adventure, Military Fiction, Fiction, Aliens

354 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 18, 2017

About the author

Ryan Aslesen is a bestselling author based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a former Marine officer, veteran of the War on Terror, and a graduate of Presentation College and American Military University. His military and work experience have made him one of the premier writers of military science fiction and fantasy. His bestselling Crucible and War's Edge series are highly regarded for their authenticity, explosive action, and military realism. When not writing or out protecting the world, you will find him spending quality time with his family.

Get a free ebook and sign up to receive exclusive content and updates at: www.ryanaslesen.com

Reviews

[Zain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terror!

Max Ahlgren is no longer working for the government. Or is he?

Even so, he and his team to the Arctic on a secret mission. They have to provide security for a muted group of scientists.

When they arrive to the site they are welcomed by the disappearance of everyone except a space craft and a brutal monstrosity!

Security is no longer the mission. The mission is to stay alive!

[Asha Stark · Rating 1 out of 5]

This could have been alright but for the author's disregard of women as human beings.

Ryan, if you're reading this, there is no woman on this earth who, having seen their friend raped to death by an alien, would want to fuck the next man they laid eyes on.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I just finished this book, and I am exhausted from the non-stop action and the nerve-wracking suspense. Buy this book. Read this book. Leave a great review so the author can keep on writing amazing books like this.

In a nutshell:

An off-the-grid group of commandos is hired by a billionaire to go to the site of her company's mining operation in Alaska to secure the site and find out why she lost communication with the operation. What they find when they get there is--not good.

What is good is the writing. The author captures the group interactions between men in combat in a very realistic way. They clown around and insult each other, but, most of all, each one is willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of the others. Yes, they are afraid at times (with good reason), but they demonstrate incredible courage and commitment to each other. They have been through hell together in the past and trust each other implicitly.

We learn the motivation of some of the characters, primarily Max, the leader, through their backstories. They are all former members of the military and most of their experiences ended badly. They work together so well as a group because they each know what the rest of them have been through. Max's story is particularly riveting and ultimately tragic.

There's a warning on the book about it being violent and horrifying--and it is; however, I hope that doesn't stop people from reading the book. There was really only one scene that made me queasy. Maybe I'm immune from all the gory zombie books I've read, but the violence and horror in this book are entirely appropriate for the situation the characters find themselves in. The pulse-pounding story is drives the violence, not the other way around, as happens in other books of far less quality.

As I said: Buy the book. It is great. My highest recommendation.

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you would like to read a phenomenal sci-fi thriller, one that has dynamite characters, rapid-fire action and multiple story-lines...This should be your next book!

This book debut by Ryan W. Aslesen will have this author going places, and take you on a fast-paced ride along the way!

Note: The characters in this book use very colorful language and dole out graphic violence, early and often! A warning on the book's description includes a reader discretion advisory.

I, like the author, am a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and thoroughly enjoyed the way he described Max's team. Each member could very well have been a Marine that I have served with. With an exacting military lexicon and hilarious inter-squad bantering, Aslesen fleshes out the group in exceptional fashion. During this great read, I found myself cheering them on through the many twists and turns the plot threw at them.

My favorite parts were when the author's description and verbiage he chose made the action jump right off the page and into living color. His writing style propelled me into the middle of the action and had me eagerly anticipating all that might be on the next page.

Max Ahlgren is a great character. Tough as nails when needing to be, yet interlaced throughout the story we see a more humane side of him, as well. I cannot wait for Ryan W. Aslesen to write another great book in his series!

[David Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good sci-fi action thriller. Alien creatures deep in the Alaskan wilderness. Deadly alien creatures. A high bloody body count. I bought this book for only $0.99 (on sale) and will for sure pick up the next book in this series: Undead: A Max Ahlgren Novel (Crucible Book 2) . Book 2 is KOLL book which I will get to in another month or so.

If you love the movie Predator (the classic first one) or if you have read Hunter by James Huggins, then you will enjoy this thriller. The ending could be a little more polished, but it had all the action I love and plenty of blazing guns. The creatures were gruesome and hard to kill.

[Michael Collins · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book because of the high number of good ratings and the premise: a group of commandos exploring a crashed ancient alien ship holding a dangerous secret. Sounded like a winning prospect to me and I was excited to read it. Unfortunately, the book didn't live up to the hype.

I know that it's really difficult to come up with a truly original story, but this story has absolutely no originality of any kind.

It's almost as if this story was created as an example of what NOT to do when trying to write an original sci-fi / action / horror novel. Every single character is a cliche you've seen a million times before and the entire plot of the story has nothing you haven't seen before in a better story.

If you are as much of a fan of Aliens, The Thing, Prometheus, and Predator as I am, you might enjoy this story because all of those story plots and elements are in this gumbo. However, I can't promise that you'll find even one character that you'll actually care about (I didn't).

The plot is full of holes and missed opportunities: the characters are running around in a huge, alien spacecraft buried in the ice but we never learn anything about the story behind this ship or its creators. These characters might as well be running around an abandoned shopping mall.

The author tries too hard to sound brilliant by using words that NOBODY actually uses in conversation: words like "physiognomy" and "simulacrum." Do you know what those words mean? When was the last time you heard anyone speak them? Hemingway was a great writer because he wrote fascinating stories while using simple everyday language. This story could have used more of that discipline.

And one last suggestion I would like to make that would have made the hero a little more relatable: don't make him a chiseled 6'4" Adonis with "honey-colored eyes." Why would I root for this guy? I can't relate to him, I don't even care about him. He bores me already. I'd be on his team if he was 5'6" and looked like Buddy Hackett. That's a guy I want to follow around.

I hope the author doesn't give up and keeps at it. I might check back in a few years and see how his craft has developed, but he's got a long way to go as of now.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Good read, but not nearly as gruesome as some of the reviews led me to believe.
When the author stuck to the action, I was hooked. It was creepy and the buildup was fantastic.
Unfortunately, most of the 2nd tier characters weren't fleshed out enough for me to really care.

Rant:
There is one recurring issue I have with some male authors. Why do they insist on introducing female characters by their physical attributes. I don't care that the Lady Ph.D is super hot, lithe, stunning or giving the male lead lustful fantasies. Please stop.

[Ian Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

The basic story here is that Elizabeth Grey owns Greytech Industries, her son is dying of cancer, she somehow has located a crashed alien spaceship that is seemingly covered by a glacier, and in that the team she has sent there has found a mysterious substance that seems to have "interesting" biological properties. Then the team goes dark, so she hires Max and his team of mercenaries to find out what has gone wrong. She fears someone else is trying to steal her find. With one reservation, so far, so good. But when Max and his men get there, they find the place littered with horribly mangled corpses. If you are squeamish, this is not for you. Ther eare survivors, and Max learns that the "substance" can morph into new creatures that would do well in an "Alien" film.
The action scenes are very plausible (apart from the alien things) and well written, and the author's military background serves him well here. The plot is a bit predictable - the obvious sequence of deaths, and I thought the ending tended to be along the lines, "got to finish, so clean up". From the horror point of view, it should satisfy most in gore. From the fantasy point of view, well-described nasties. From the science point of view, not possible, and here is my first gripe – so much more could have been made of the concept if a little more balance and sense were introduced in the alien nasties. Why not leave in the conservation laws and give both sides a problem? Contrary to some of the other reviewers, I thought the characters of the team were well-drawn, including their emotional problems with the sort of life they had chosen. The character of Elizabeth Grey made no sense at the end, which in my view, spoiled the story a little, and there was one other character that, in my view, was poorly done, and had that been improved, the story could have been so much better. So, overall, a good effort, an interesting read if not squeamish, but quite a bit more could have been made of the concept. However, a review has to look at what is there, and not what might have been.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5. Writing quality was fair. The depiction of the only male-female relationship was bad. Completely unbelievable. That the boss of the "elite" mercenary crew would drop all of his leadership abilities the second an attractive female shows up was not believable. The alien depictions were ok. Most of the characters were flat. The plot was ok. The pacing was good. The action was ok.

Looking back at my review, I wonder what made me finish. As others have said, there are so many good unread books in the world, why devote any time to bad (or even mediocre) books? This was a super easy read and mildly entertaining, so I guess this book gets a pass. I will not be picking up the second book.

[Joseph Fallon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've read scarier takeaway menus.

[Hayley · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. Narrator is terrible, book is boring, and I don't care what happens to anyone.

[Peachykeen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read, but not for weak stomachs

This is definitely not the type of book I normally read, but the title enticed me along with the synopsis. I thought this book was well-written and it flowed from one scene to the next. There were a few areas that dragged, but it was mostly high energy that had you wanting to keep reading. It definitely fit the science fiction thriller genre that it was intended to.

I thought the characters were well developed and you could actually feel their struggles and pain. Even though I knew some of them would die, I couldn’t stop reading just so I could find out what happened to everyone.

I’m not into blood, guts, and gore personally so there were some parts I did not enjoy reading. However, I appreciated the author’s attention to details and some of the scene descriptions were so vivid I could actually see the scene play out in my head. If you’re not into messy scenes and you have a weak stomach, this story is definitely not for you.

I was kind-of disappointed at the ending though. I felt like I was left hanging a bit and would have liked further closure. Although, it was nice that some of the really bad guys died in the end. Seemed fitting.

Overall, this story was excellently written and I would recommend to anyone who is interested in this genre. Hope to see more writing out of this author.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unremarkable, cringey in places.

I'll say now that my review is not because I'm not the target demographic for this sort of book. I actually enjoy a lot of similar books - gun toting soldiers v monsters - and have read books of that ilk which Inhave very much enjoyed e.g the Alex Hunter books by Greig Beck and Jeremy Robinson's Chess Team books. All good fun. This book however didn't engage me. The characters were 2 dimensional and not likeable in the slightest because they simply weren't interesting enough. That, coupled with the painfully cringey scenes with Max and the Token Hot Female Doctor made this a do not recommend for me.

Saving graces:
- Interesting alien
- Audiobook is narrated by Jeffrey Kafer, who is a legend.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first few chapters were great. After that I started to get bored as the rest of the book was not as engaging. Most reviews either loved it or hated it. I was was just lukewarm about it.

[Darth Dragonetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Existential" is a 2018 military sci-fi horror novel by Marine veteran Ryan Aslesen. I just stumbled across this novel by accident, but am certainly glad that I did. I had never heard of the novel or its author, but was intrigued when I learned about the author being a veteran. Plus, the plot sounded compelling, so I decided to give "Existential" a shot.

The plot of "Existential" is a mix of Michael Crichton, Predator, and The Thing, and it mixes the three very well. A private company has gotten its hands on a discovery that could very well alter the course of history, a discovery that is very quickly revealed to the reader. However, the company loses contact with the excavation site of the discovery, and decides to hire a team of mercenaries to check out the site. Mercenary leader Max Ahlgren (a U.S. war veteran) leads his team into what he believes should be a simple mission, only to discover something nefarious, chilling, and terrifying. Author Aslesen turns what might otherwise be a hoaky plot into quite the compelling read. I found the novel to be exhilarating, tense, and very scary, and also enjoyed the science fiction angle to the story. The story kept me engaged and glued to the page until the very end. A few times I found the plot to be slightly predictable, but overall it kept me guessing until the surprisingly touching end.

"Existential" is well written and features some great characterization. The team of mercenaries turns out to be quite interesting, particularly their leader, Max. I much enjoyed their banter and hearing about their background and personal history. I also appreciated the realism brought to the details of the story by the veteran background of the author. While the plot of the novel is rather-over the-top, Aslesen's expeience and background help ground the story and make it seem more believable. Readers should be cautioned however, about the extreme amount of gore--as advertised. Squeamish readers should most definitely give this book a pass.

If you enjoy great military or horror sci-fi, look no further than "Existential." Its masterful blend of frights, action, and science fiction will no doubt keep you thrilled until the explosive end. The world of military fiction has a new ace, and his name is Ryan Aslesen!

If you enjoyed "Existential" I would encourage you to check out the Max Ahlgren prequel novella entitled "Crucible," but I would wait to read it until after "Existential." Also, check out book 2 in the series, "Undead."

[Dennis Crotts · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, the thing that I thought after listening to the audible the author made a small talk on Veteran who committed suicide and gave a number for a person to call not many authors do that and really impressed me as a Veteran myself.
Can things get any worst for the main character he thrown out if the military then by the CIA which later in the book it was another frame up as it was when he was in the Marines. For ever step forward he gets knocked back 20 nothing goes right and people get killed both good and bad and he has to live with the death of his wife and son in a car wreck or was it murder? Before his final couple missions something has gone wrong in Mexico he loosen both two if the hostages and his men and the party who hired him tries to not pay him till he finds out his brother in law was behind the taking of the three women and one was his wife who was the only survivor and was able to verify that her husband tried to have her killed or sold into slavery with her two friends.
The main story is not about humans but aliens who crashed here before the ice age. This is a very sad story of a young man 19 years old and dieing of cancer and bloody because the whole team of mercenaries are slaughtered and in addition the team of security, doctors and other staff at the crash sight if the alien ship. Thus part of the story I want go into but I highly recommend you listening to it by the end you will feel tears for those who died who was innocent and a young man who makes a great decision about his life and the truth of the main character wife and sons death. But at the same time you feel relieved to find the ones who really caused the suffering met their end in a way we all hope we never will

[Miriam still reading! HIATUS from GR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome read! At first it kind of reminded me of an upgrade of John Carpenter's movie The Thing. I wish they would make a movie out of this book! I would be all over it!

[Terrance Mulloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome start to the Max Ahlgren/Crucible series. Think Tom Clancy meets John Carpenter. Lots of action and suspense, coupled with great character moments. Highly recommended.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Semper Fidelis
Existential: The Mission - To Survive by Ryan W. Aslesen, a former Marine and brother, is a neat sci-fi thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I didn't read "About the Author" before starting this book, so I did not realize that the author was a Marine until I began reading about the character Max Ahlgren and his KA-BAR performing silent sentry tactics and his use of his hardcore dialogue. For me, this well-diversified story seemed very familiar, yet it still held surprises for me as the very colorful cast members went on multiple different journies. One minute I'm reading about mercenaries "smoking" feeble Mexican cartel and then the story morphs into a crashed alien spacecraft in Alaska.

Because of the plot's complexity, I was continually surprised and entertained. I enjoyed the author's crisp, precise writing style as it made this story very easy to follow and digest. It's quite apparent Existential was extremely hard to write, and I admire the author's intestinal fortitude. The result for me was beautiful synchronicity throughout the journey. I appreciate the stringent proof and editing work that was applied to this clever story; it becomes quite obvious as the story unfolds. I would be remiss if I did not also mention the awesome cover art, as it represents the contents well and enhances the pages within. Contrary to the statement, "Don't judge a book by its cover." this book is the exception. I immediately judged this book by its cover and as I anticipated a compelling cover, a compelling book. I wait with great patience for the next highly lethal adventures of Max Ahlgren, a Marine's Marine.

[Marisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is first and foremost just really good writing. I didn't expect a debut novel to be this expertly crafted. You'd think this author had been publishing for years.
A bunch of military guys running around with guns isn't normally the kind of story I would seek out, especially when i involves a lot of really gory deaths mixed in. But I was totally sucked in by the story line. It kept me on the edge of my seat and I was always anxious to see what was going to happen next.
By the end I will admit I was a little fatigued with all the constant, really gory disturbing deaths, especially of characters I'd become invested in, but the ending was a decent payoff.
There was a lot of military jargon and much discussion of various weapons. I'm definitely not well versed in this area so I can't tell you how realistic it is but it certainly felt genuine.
The author has a lot of faith in the reader. They lead you on an adventure, use some pretty impressive vocabulary, and drop hints that let you figure things out as you go. Overall I'm very glad I got the chance to read that and recommend that you pick it up.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok, so I’m fine with horror books. Even gruesome ones that have gore. And this one was fine, definitely lots of graphic body parts hanging in trees type stuff and people dying, BUT, the graphic description of a woman being killed by and alien tentacle being shoved so far up a her vagina till it comes out of her mouth and being swung around like a sock puppet while she’s still alive, was too much for me.

If this doesn’t bother you, knock yourself out. The writing is decent and is definitely action packed. However, if this does bother you, then steer clear because my description just glazed over what was actually written.

[Tom Mahan · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting premise ruined by the most stereotypical bunch of characters I have come across in a long while. It is almost as if the author started out thinking: ok I need one black, one or two Latinos, one Irish guy, one grumpy old guy, one good looking leading guy, one very fit and attractive femme fatale etc. You know, all the usual suspects. Throw them all into a plot that gets more inane by the page, and there you have it. 1.5 stars.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

This didn't grip me at any level. DNF @ 40%. 2.5*

[Brian Aird · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Mission That Is Out of this World

Existential: The Mission To Survive by Ryan W. Aslesen is a gripping science fiction novel that combines the savagery of alien life forces against the military prowess of a ex-military unit and their experience of successful and hardened combat scenarios.

Lured by a payout of big-money, this crackerjack team of expert military combatants sign on for a mission in Alaska. The employer, CEO Ms. Grey of Grey industries, is powerful, rich and beautiful. Her request is for Max Ahlgren and his team to fly into Alaska and to communicate with the archaeological team that has suddenly stopped "dropped off the map." The mission is suppose to be conducted at a rapid pace with the plans being go in and get out within a couple of days.

All at a guaranteed payment of over $1 million per team member.

Unfortunately, someone or something has other plans and the mission takes on a whole new focus resulting in a fight of their lives for this paramilitary team.

Existential: The Mission To Survive by Ryan W. Aslesen is a both graphic and gory in its detailed writing that puts a new twist on an encounter with the unexplained and the modern technology of warfare.

Ryan W. Aslesen is a gifted writer and his imagination is on full display as he provides a well-written and extremely suspenseful science fiction novel that blends together nicely his experience with armed conflict and the unknown of science fiction. The plot and the unfolding of the narrative will keep the reader engaged and on the edge of their seat.

Additionally, as with all good novels, it takes the reader on a action-packed journey and provides a surprise ending while unraveling the motivation of the main characters and plot line.

[BookzBookzBookz · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I found the Crucible series, I figured I can do this! I can read a military horror and it not be by my absolute favorite author in the world! So I took on, not just book one, but the series thus far, Existential being book one.

This Sci-Fi Horror Thriller is about Max Algren, a special forces soldier who has literally given all he’s got for his country. He’s a hired gun, doing jobs no one else will do, both government and private. When he and his hand-selected team accept a job in Alaska, they expected to walk out, millionaires- scathed or not. They didn’t expect an extra-terrestrial nightmare beyond anything they could dream up.

Existential is one of those novels I’d refer to my detail-oriented readers. Those who love the extreme military talk that begins a military thriller. Though the action was pretty much non-stop, it took a while to get there. Each soldier was given a background bit, and a couple stood strong against the horrific background that was their assignment, but in the end (NO SPOILERS), all that information was consumed by the story. I was a tad upset by it. Not saying the story wasn’t good, because it was.

I think what threw me was the overload of information before it all began, then the repetition of the gruesome deaths. But when the deaths took place, believe me- it was of nightmares. I am not exaggerating about that. Also, I feel like Max, the hero of the story, was a bit quick to fall. I can’t say how or why, but you’ll see if you read it.

Existential is worth reading/listening to, just be prepared to take in a lot of information in the beginning, then a bit of recycling during the adventure. Still worth the read. I promise. Cheers!

[Jessica Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome book! I just had to say that up front. This is especially important coming from me since I am not one that even likes science fiction novels, but I could not put this down.

So much happens, the plot is super fast paced. I will warn this book is very very gory, and I do mean very gory... the author spares nothing in the details when describing the carnage. Also never get to attached to any certain character since many, well pretty much everyone in the story ends up brutally killed off. Yet, most killings, maybe not all, do serve a greater purpose in the story, which is not like other books with this much gore, it is there for a reason, its there to add to the drama shows just how dangerous the "creature" is and its ability since as the deaths pile up the people fighting it get smarter trying to discover ways to defeat it, but at the same time the "creature" also is learning.

The story is complex and so are the characters. You will also go through a rollercoaster of emotions, you will laugh out loud, be shocked, amazed, horrified, get pissed off, be heartbroken, and heck even feel a little lovey by the end of this book. It is not by any means a short book but the fast paced nature of the plot makes it feel like a short book. I highly recommend this book! Totally a 5 out of 5! The book is also left open for future installments, so there will be a slight cliffhanger but it is not a major one that will make you mad that more was not resolved.

[Walter Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Combat, Powerful Sense of Honor and Duty, Nerve-shattering Horror

Like those old sci-fi horror movies where scientists in the far north uncover a frozen alien body and thaw it out. People go missing or show up dead, and a security team or the army / marines are sent in to sort things out. It also brought to mind the Special Forces team sent to rescue hostages, led by Arnold Schwarzenegger, in the 1987 movie Predator.
In this case, the Greytech Company has found an immense alien spaceship embedded in a mountain, under a thick cover of ice.
Ryan W. Aslesan also has writing skills, coming up with a compelling plot, non-stop tension, horrific battle scenes, and somehow brings his individual characters to life, with their different perspectives, and in the case of the main characters, shows how a strong sense of duty can smooth out the rough edges of men who have confronted death before, and whose first loyalty is to always have the back of his fellow brothers, at all times.
There is a lot of violence – explosions, bloodshed, and lives snuffed out. I found one scene to be gratuitous violence in the way it is described, but having had a chance to pass that one on to the author, felt free to give this one the full five stars.
I have already purchased Crucible, another novel featuring the main character in Existential.

[Toni Babuchiwski · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, please note the warning in the Amazon description of this book. It contains very graphic, bloody scenes that some viewers may not enjoy. While this book is very well written, if you are easily grossed out or get queasy quickly, it may not be for you.

With that being said, I am not the kind who finds gore or graphic violence disturbing. I found this book to be thoroughly engrossing. It had me clinging to every page. A true sci-fi thriller, this novel will keep fans engaged. The characters themselves are very well developed and easy to relate to. The author masterfully describes the scenes, emotions, and dialogues in a way that make them easy to picture.

The author clearly uses the experiences he has as ex-military when writing about the adventures of his hero, Max Ahlgren. Not only does the book cater to the sci-fi community, but it also engages those who enjoy military reads with its thorough descriptions of equipment, tactics, and personal struggles of a combat-experienced service member.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a thrilling, military-style sci-fi novel. I can’t wait to see what else Aslesen writes and look forward to more adventures from Max Ahlgren.

[Staisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for an unbiased review.


Max Ahlgren and his team of battle-worn, professional military contractors are called in by tycoon Elizabeth Grey, founder of Grey Industries, to secure an archeological site her team has discovered deep in the rugged Alaskan terrain, after the site has gone black and communication has been disrupted. At face value, the mission is a straight-forward, quick, and easy security job with a huge payout, but nothing is ever what it seems in contract work.

For 99 cents, I was not expecting much of a story, crude editing and writing skills, and poor characterization. O am I glad I was wrong. While the story was high intensity for most of the plot, the plot had a very smooth, believable transition from event to event. Description of the setting and characters was not over done, and I could understand the emotions of the characters. Very well written. The only distraction was the in-depth description of the few female characters that was unneeded as it felt out of place in the rest of the story. There were a few parts that were predictable, but it was not detracting.

The novel contains graphic violence and some language.

[R.C. Mulhare · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up on a whim, as the summary intrigued me from the outset: it gave me a vibe of John Carpenter's "The Thing" (or its great granddaddy, H.P. Lovecraft "At the Mountains of Madness", and this book certainly delivered on its promises.

Be warned, though: the killer creatures lurking in the shadows have no definition of mercy, and the violence they inflict can get quite stomach-churning. The author pulls no punches, though later, this balances out with a surprising twist that takes the commonly used trope of the Suspected Other In Our Midst and leads it into a completely different direction than you'd expect from this kind of story. And there is a surprisingly human core behind all the derring-do and weird happenings, and a final twist toward the end might not hinge on the plot, but made me want to see more of Max Ahlgren and what life and his warrior skills take him next.

This book may not be for the fainthearted, but it's also not for the cynical hearted either, but for a reader who likes a balance of action and humanity.