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Anghazi #2
Pathogen Protocol
Humanity's greatest secret is uncovered. An insidious plot threatens its future.
A corporate and government conspiracy, led by CEO-turned-politician Gregory Andrews, has succeeded in taking over the Applied Interstellar Corporation (AIC), and its stockpile of hyperium, the element that enables interstellar travel. But Andrews didn't get everything. AIC's leader, Jans Mikel, escaped to a hidden base on the alien moon of Helios, where he harbors the company's greatest secrets, the most profound of which is that humans are not alone in the galaxy.
Now, as Andrews seeks to finish off AIC, Mandi Nkosi sets off to help Jans and AIC forge new alliances that could provide a path to their salvation. Their journey takes them beyond the realms of known space and uncovers revelations about humanity's future that will shake the foundations of science. On Eridani, AIC soldier Grae Raymus commands a fledgling resistance aimed at buying Mandi and Jans the time they need. But Grae uncovers that Andrews is little more than a pawn in a larger game, one that threatens more than just AIC, while Mandi discovers an even deeper, more insidious evil at play. With humanity's future hanging in the balance, Mandi and Grae fight to save the people they love, and along with them, all of mankind.
Pathogen Protocol is a heart-stopping science-fiction thriller, a story of survival and perseverance in the face of insurmountable odds. The second installment of Darren D. Beyer's award-winning Anghazi series, it was hailed by Book Life as a "fast-paced, action-packed, stellar storyline, reminiscent of Ender's Game and 2001: A Space Odyssey."
A corporate and government conspiracy, led by CEO-turned-politician Gregory Andrews, has succeeded in taking over the Applied Interstellar Corporation (AIC), and its stockpile of hyperium, the element that enables interstellar travel. But Andrews didn't get everything. AIC's leader, Jans Mikel, escaped to a hidden base on the alien moon of Helios, where he harbors the company's greatest secrets, the most profound of which is that humans are not alone in the galaxy.
Now, as Andrews seeks to finish off AIC, Mandi Nkosi sets off to help Jans and AIC forge new alliances that could provide a path to their salvation. Their journey takes them beyond the realms of known space and uncovers revelations about humanity's future that will shake the foundations of science. On Eridani, AIC soldier Grae Raymus commands a fledgling resistance aimed at buying Mandi and Jans the time they need. But Grae uncovers that Andrews is little more than a pawn in a larger game, one that threatens more than just AIC, while Mandi discovers an even deeper, more insidious evil at play. With humanity's future hanging in the balance, Mandi and Grae fight to save the people they love, and along with them, all of mankind.
Pathogen Protocol is a heart-stopping science-fiction thriller, a story of survival and perseverance in the face of insurmountable odds. The second installment of Darren D. Beyer's award-winning Anghazi series, it was hailed by Book Life as a "fast-paced, action-packed, stellar storyline, reminiscent of Ender's Game and 2001: A Space Odyssey."
214 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 10, 2018
39 people are currently reading
299 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
September 4, 2018
This is a review of Pathogen Protocol - Anghazi Series book 2.
This review contains a spoiler free section at the beginning, followed by a spoiler filled section.
***Spoiler free section***:
After finishing Casimir Bridge (Anghazi Series Book 1), I couldn't stop talking about or thinking about it. Every plot twist and turn, the science in the Science Fiction, the political jousting, all had me glued to the pages. If you haven't read that first book, stop reading this, and go get that book! I of course signed up for updates from the Darren Beyer camp, I read other reviews of the book, I even picked up other sci-fi books just to get my fix! I didn't want to leave the universe that Darren Beyer put in my head, and needless to say, I couldn't wait for book 2. Now I have it, I've read it, given myself a day to reflect on it, and I'm ready to review it.
I took a day to sit and think about this book before writing the review. I wanted to reflect on how I felt after finishing the first book, and if I felt that same excitement after finishing Pathogen Protocol. My excitement is real! Darren D. Beyer flawlessly executes a second story! This book once again had me glued to the pages. Beyer proves that he is a force to be reckoned with, and firmly cements The Anghazi series as must read sci-fi. The pace of this book is fast, much faster than the previous, but also full of details and new characters. This book is a must read! The Anghazi universe is fully fleshed out and intoxicating; this series deserves your attention!
***Spoilers to follow! You have been warned. If you want to go into Pathogen Protocol with no new knowledge, then do not continue to read this review!!!***
With that out of the way, let's jump into the SPOILER FILLED review for Pathogen Protocol (Anghazi Series Book 2).
We waste no time at all catching up with the characters we left behind in book 1. Mandi, Grae, the Anghazi, and yes even the left for dead Erik Hallerson (we see Jans not too long after the prologue). The prologue was one of the better ones I've read. Short, sweet, and to the point. Beyer uses it well to refresh your memory, but he's also expecting you to have read the first book. No fluff, no frills, you've read book 1 and here's book 2.
We find Jans, Mandi, Gisela (Mandi's mother), and Sophia on the Helios Anghazi. Unfortunately, we don't learn too much more about the Anghazi in this book. Beyer does a good job at providing just the right amount of tid bits to move the plot along, but he also leaves you wanting to know more by the end. The Anghazi tries to spread knowledge to humans by opening neural pathways in the brain to help them resolve problems they may or may not know that they have. The Helios Anghazi keeps mentally projecting to Mandi an image of a circle, made up of a snake devouring itself from the tail end. Mandi recognizes this symbol as a tattoo on Erik Hallerson's arm, but does not know why the Anghazi is showing her this. Quickly, Mandi learns that she is very sensitive to this mental connection with the Anghazi, and she needs to leave before she is overcome by it.
Meanwhile, back on Eridani, we find Grae struggling to regroup with his people in hidden AIC bunkers set up by Danny Dagan on the planet's surface. What remains of AIC is being hunted down and exterminated by Erik and Gregory Andrews. Grae stumbles across a hidden message left by Dagan in one of these bunkers, and is able to relay it to Jans on the Helios Anghazi. In the message we learn that a former colleague of Jans and Gisela, Nassir of The Nashira Brigade (labeled terrorists by the Coalition) has something the AIC needs in order to defeat Gregory Andrews and TSI. Unfortunately, Erik Hallerson is able to intercept this message and learns when and where Jans will meet Nassir. It is also appears that Erik Hallerson has either swapped bodies with someone else, or has had extensive reconstruction surgery, or both. It is not fully revealed what exactly Erik Hallerson is, but now for some reason human emotions make him violently ill, and Beyer is leading the reader to believe that (read the following in De Niro's voice) "this guy, you know, this friggin' guy... he ain't alright".
As Jans is ready to leave Helios to rendezvous with Nassir, Mandi succumbs to the Anghazi's mental connection (which puts her in a coma for a week) and is forced to leave as well. They end up way out in deep space on Ouricscen Station in the Tau Gruis System to meet Nassir. Ouricscen Station is full of people that do not want to be near civilization under government rule, and quickly Mandi and Jans know they are in trouble. The Ouricscen chapters are excellent, and really engaging. This part in the story is high action, and Beyer writes it well. Back on Eridani, Erik Hallerson has put several plans in motion to secretly seize control of TSI and Eridani, including one called the Pathogen Protocol, which is a virus made up of highly advanced nanobots designed to induce brain aneurysms. Grae is infected by this virus after checking on the crew in one of AIC's downed air crafts. All of the crew members in the craft are dead, and quickly the virus spreads through Grae's system almost killing him.
Back on Ouricscen Station, Mandi and Jans are attacked by more of Erik's men and narrowly make it to a rover to escape the danger. This rover is controlled by an AI named OLIVER short for Over Land, Independent, Vocal, Exploration Rover. OLIVER is a welcomed addition to this series and steals the show every time he turns up, I hope to see more of him in future books. OLIVER gets them to an escape rocket but during the take off sequence, Jans is captured and it is unclear if he is alive. Mandi is eventually picked up by Nassir and brought to his hidden base on a planet orbiting the star Iota Ceti, 300 light years from Earth. This system also has an Anghazi and it shows Mandi a different version of the same snake symbol. Nassir explains that his hidden base was not built by his people, but was built by another race of humans about the same time that the American Revolutionary War took place! I'm intentionally leaving a lot of details out here on this subject, you'll have to read it for yourself! Until this point it is believed that the Anghazi can only enable learning and that they cannot teach anything new, but Nassir theorizes that they can indeed teach new ideas, after learning that the new snake symbol Mandi sees is a native snake of this planet.
Back in the Eridani system, Gregory Andrews learns of Erik's treason, and without going too much into spoilers, can do little about it. Erik escapes to Eridani's orbiting space station with the now captured Grae and all of humanity's Hyperium supply, intent on taking over the galaxy more or less. The only thing that can stop him at this point, is a plan orchestrated by Nassir and Mandi who are on their way back to the Eridani System.
Pathogen Protocol fires on all cylinders. The new characters are not just shoehorned in to expand the universe. They are exciting and easy to get attached to (looking at you OLIVER). The story moves along very quickly while effortlessly weaving in and out of the different plot lines. I have so many new questions, but I am also thoroughly pleased with the ride Beyer takes us on in this book. Once again, I am eagerly waiting another Anghazi Series book!
This review contains a spoiler free section at the beginning, followed by a spoiler filled section.
***Spoiler free section***:
After finishing Casimir Bridge (Anghazi Series Book 1), I couldn't stop talking about or thinking about it. Every plot twist and turn, the science in the Science Fiction, the political jousting, all had me glued to the pages. If you haven't read that first book, stop reading this, and go get that book! I of course signed up for updates from the Darren Beyer camp, I read other reviews of the book, I even picked up other sci-fi books just to get my fix! I didn't want to leave the universe that Darren Beyer put in my head, and needless to say, I couldn't wait for book 2. Now I have it, I've read it, given myself a day to reflect on it, and I'm ready to review it.
I took a day to sit and think about this book before writing the review. I wanted to reflect on how I felt after finishing the first book, and if I felt that same excitement after finishing Pathogen Protocol. My excitement is real! Darren D. Beyer flawlessly executes a second story! This book once again had me glued to the pages. Beyer proves that he is a force to be reckoned with, and firmly cements The Anghazi series as must read sci-fi. The pace of this book is fast, much faster than the previous, but also full of details and new characters. This book is a must read! The Anghazi universe is fully fleshed out and intoxicating; this series deserves your attention!
***Spoilers to follow! You have been warned. If you want to go into Pathogen Protocol with no new knowledge, then do not continue to read this review!!!***
With that out of the way, let's jump into the SPOILER FILLED review for Pathogen Protocol (Anghazi Series Book 2).
We waste no time at all catching up with the characters we left behind in book 1. Mandi, Grae, the Anghazi, and yes even the left for dead Erik Hallerson (we see Jans not too long after the prologue). The prologue was one of the better ones I've read. Short, sweet, and to the point. Beyer uses it well to refresh your memory, but he's also expecting you to have read the first book. No fluff, no frills, you've read book 1 and here's book 2.
We find Jans, Mandi, Gisela (Mandi's mother), and Sophia on the Helios Anghazi. Unfortunately, we don't learn too much more about the Anghazi in this book. Beyer does a good job at providing just the right amount of tid bits to move the plot along, but he also leaves you wanting to know more by the end. The Anghazi tries to spread knowledge to humans by opening neural pathways in the brain to help them resolve problems they may or may not know that they have. The Helios Anghazi keeps mentally projecting to Mandi an image of a circle, made up of a snake devouring itself from the tail end. Mandi recognizes this symbol as a tattoo on Erik Hallerson's arm, but does not know why the Anghazi is showing her this. Quickly, Mandi learns that she is very sensitive to this mental connection with the Anghazi, and she needs to leave before she is overcome by it.
Meanwhile, back on Eridani, we find Grae struggling to regroup with his people in hidden AIC bunkers set up by Danny Dagan on the planet's surface. What remains of AIC is being hunted down and exterminated by Erik and Gregory Andrews. Grae stumbles across a hidden message left by Dagan in one of these bunkers, and is able to relay it to Jans on the Helios Anghazi. In the message we learn that a former colleague of Jans and Gisela, Nassir of The Nashira Brigade (labeled terrorists by the Coalition) has something the AIC needs in order to defeat Gregory Andrews and TSI. Unfortunately, Erik Hallerson is able to intercept this message and learns when and where Jans will meet Nassir. It is also appears that Erik Hallerson has either swapped bodies with someone else, or has had extensive reconstruction surgery, or both. It is not fully revealed what exactly Erik Hallerson is, but now for some reason human emotions make him violently ill, and Beyer is leading the reader to believe that (read the following in De Niro's voice) "this guy, you know, this friggin' guy... he ain't alright".
As Jans is ready to leave Helios to rendezvous with Nassir, Mandi succumbs to the Anghazi's mental connection (which puts her in a coma for a week) and is forced to leave as well. They end up way out in deep space on Ouricscen Station in the Tau Gruis System to meet Nassir. Ouricscen Station is full of people that do not want to be near civilization under government rule, and quickly Mandi and Jans know they are in trouble. The Ouricscen chapters are excellent, and really engaging. This part in the story is high action, and Beyer writes it well. Back on Eridani, Erik Hallerson has put several plans in motion to secretly seize control of TSI and Eridani, including one called the Pathogen Protocol, which is a virus made up of highly advanced nanobots designed to induce brain aneurysms. Grae is infected by this virus after checking on the crew in one of AIC's downed air crafts. All of the crew members in the craft are dead, and quickly the virus spreads through Grae's system almost killing him.
Back on Ouricscen Station, Mandi and Jans are attacked by more of Erik's men and narrowly make it to a rover to escape the danger. This rover is controlled by an AI named OLIVER short for Over Land, Independent, Vocal, Exploration Rover. OLIVER is a welcomed addition to this series and steals the show every time he turns up, I hope to see more of him in future books. OLIVER gets them to an escape rocket but during the take off sequence, Jans is captured and it is unclear if he is alive. Mandi is eventually picked up by Nassir and brought to his hidden base on a planet orbiting the star Iota Ceti, 300 light years from Earth. This system also has an Anghazi and it shows Mandi a different version of the same snake symbol. Nassir explains that his hidden base was not built by his people, but was built by another race of humans about the same time that the American Revolutionary War took place! I'm intentionally leaving a lot of details out here on this subject, you'll have to read it for yourself! Until this point it is believed that the Anghazi can only enable learning and that they cannot teach anything new, but Nassir theorizes that they can indeed teach new ideas, after learning that the new snake symbol Mandi sees is a native snake of this planet.
Back in the Eridani system, Gregory Andrews learns of Erik's treason, and without going too much into spoilers, can do little about it. Erik escapes to Eridani's orbiting space station with the now captured Grae and all of humanity's Hyperium supply, intent on taking over the galaxy more or less. The only thing that can stop him at this point, is a plan orchestrated by Nassir and Mandi who are on their way back to the Eridani System.
Pathogen Protocol fires on all cylinders. The new characters are not just shoehorned in to expand the universe. They are exciting and easy to get attached to (looking at you OLIVER). The story moves along very quickly while effortlessly weaving in and out of the different plot lines. I have so many new questions, but I am also thoroughly pleased with the ride Beyer takes us on in this book. Once again, I am eagerly waiting another Anghazi Series book!
January 2, 2019
I won this in a GoodReads Giveaway and I am very grateful to the Author for the chance to read this. I did enjoy this and found the plot and characters interesting and relatively easy to follow. My only complaint is that I was never able to get a good grasp on the settings. Characters and action would move along from place to place and I had no idea where they were in relation to each other. Maybe that was just me not being able to follow along but I always felt a little bit confused as if I had missed something and could never quite nail down the environment except in general terms. For one or two scenes I would attribute that to myself, but that feeling was constant for every scene. Otherwise, a fast paced well told story that hinted at much bigger things to come.
January 31, 2022
Enjoyable book. Mandi Nkosi is the resourceful main character. She lives offworld, Humans have mastered interstellar travel. There is a battle for what controls interstellar travel, the mineral hyperium. Mandi gets caught in middle of it of the battle. She escapes several traps and manages to stay ahead of the trouble.
October 28, 2018
"Pathogen Protocol" is the second book in the Anghazi Series by sci-fi author Darren D. Beyer. It picks up where "Casimir Bridge" (the first book in the series) left off, with our heroes struggling to escape an attack led by rogue forces that are trying to gain control of the resources needed for interstellar travel. Characters travel to a distant, new (to the series) star system in search of allies, and they find that there's much more to the story behind their potential allies than they ever imagined.
Beyer continues to infuse his stories with the kind of technical detail that kept me searching for more information as I finished each chapter. The title of the book refers to the method used by the bad guys to gain the upper hand using technology that is being experimented with today. Beyer's knack for extending today's science into tomorrow's possibilities kept me engaged and wanting to learn more. He also managed to reach deep into the past, and again I found myself digging deeply through anthropology resources to learn more about the theories presented in the book. I found myself being not only entertained, but educated!
Beyer clearly has more to add to the Anghazi Series. I can't wait to see what comes next!
Beyer continues to infuse his stories with the kind of technical detail that kept me searching for more information as I finished each chapter. The title of the book refers to the method used by the bad guys to gain the upper hand using technology that is being experimented with today. Beyer's knack for extending today's science into tomorrow's possibilities kept me engaged and wanting to learn more. He also managed to reach deep into the past, and again I found myself digging deeply through anthropology resources to learn more about the theories presented in the book. I found myself being not only entertained, but educated!
Beyer clearly has more to add to the Anghazi Series. I can't wait to see what comes next!
September 19, 2018
Without a doubt, 'Pathogen Protocol' was even better in my opinion than the first book in this series. The characters Mr Beyer presents to us again(Grae Raymus, Erik Hallerson, Mandi Nkosi, Jans Mikel, Gregory Andrews, and a host of others are all so very well portrayed. The action is non stop and the futuristic portrayal is so remarkably well painted by Mr. Beyer on his present Pathogen Protocol canvas. While we all knew from the first book who Mandi's mother was with whom she shared 'the gift' of the Anghazi, this book allows us the knowledge of who her father is (plays a very key role in the book too...read it if you want to know). All in all the book was a first class thrill ride and by the last page it's clear that this ride is far from over. Well done Mr. Beyer...and folks if you love quality sci-fi, action packed story telling, and just good writing, do yourself a favor and read the Pathogen Protocol..you won't regret it.
September 3, 2020
2020-09-01 Just started reading it. The only reason I'm reading it is to find out how Helios stays in orbit inside its primary's atmosphere. (multiple references to being inside the primary's "mantle" in the first book — that phrase means inside the atmosphere) If he doesn't explain it early, I'm done. It was distracting throughout the first book, and kept me from actually enjoying it. I'm not going to put up with that all the way through this one.
2020-09-03 And done. With the book and the series. Still no explanation of how Helios "orbits" among Ascension's clouds (which is exactly how it was phrased early in the first book). There are hints, including the true nature of both Helios and Hyperion, but no explanation of whether it's actually just floating in the atmosphere, or even circling the planet under it's own power. Either way, that's not "orbiting", and looking for this explanation was a constant distraction from the story.
Without that, I think I'd actually enjoy the story, but that and the "each book is just a chunk chopped out of the story" series format make me unwilling to keep reading.
2020-09-03 And done. With the book and the series. Still no explanation of how Helios "orbits" among Ascension's clouds (which is exactly how it was phrased early in the first book). There are hints, including the true nature of both Helios and Hyperion, but no explanation of whether it's actually just floating in the atmosphere, or even circling the planet under it's own power. Either way, that's not "orbiting", and looking for this explanation was a constant distraction from the story.
Without that, I think I'd actually enjoy the story, but that and the "each book is just a chunk chopped out of the story" series format make me unwilling to keep reading.
October 1, 2018
This one is a hard-science space adventure story, crammed with true-to-life space science details by someone who would know: Author Darren Beyer, has been a Space Shuttle experiment engineer, who worked on the Hubble Space Telescope launch and was part of Shuttle recovery crews.
Beyer knows his stuff, but also can tell a terrific story. That’s a drawback that faces some folks with real science experience: how do you translate the one thing into the other? Beyer does it by having the real science parts as the launch pad for the sci-fi adventure parts.
It’s part 2 of a series, so you’ll need to pick up part 1. But that’s a good thing in this case. It’s just more neat stuff for you to read. I’m anxious to see what’s next.
Beyer knows his stuff, but also can tell a terrific story. That’s a drawback that faces some folks with real science experience: how do you translate the one thing into the other? Beyer does it by having the real science parts as the launch pad for the sci-fi adventure parts.
It’s part 2 of a series, so you’ll need to pick up part 1. But that’s a good thing in this case. It’s just more neat stuff for you to read. I’m anxious to see what’s next.
December 7, 2018
Darren has done it again....
Darren D Byers has done it again. Riveting fast paced hardcore sci fi adventure with captivating characters, heart stopping action, government conspiracys coming true, interstellar space battles and of course our human weaknesses and victories. This second book in the Angazi series is even better than the first book, which was excellent itself. I couldn't put this book down as I found the story enthralling and for 22 hours I was totally absorbed. If you haven't read Casimir Bridge you will be missing the lead up to this gripping story. Thank you Darren for an excellent series.
Darren D Byers has done it again. Riveting fast paced hardcore sci fi adventure with captivating characters, heart stopping action, government conspiracys coming true, interstellar space battles and of course our human weaknesses and victories. This second book in the Angazi series is even better than the first book, which was excellent itself. I couldn't put this book down as I found the story enthralling and for 22 hours I was totally absorbed. If you haven't read Casimir Bridge you will be missing the lead up to this gripping story. Thank you Darren for an excellent series.
June 19, 2022
Sci Fi at its best. As it should be. Stunningly good.
There are few books or related Sci fi novels that deliver as traditional Sci fi does. This modern dynamic, warm exhilarating ride across Casimir Bridge and through the
Pathogen Protocol has been a true delight. Unequalled for many a year. More to follow I would Like to believe, though I am not usually a fan of series. Excitement, adventure. Mystery. Fun, baddies and the inevitable hint of long lost Races accelerate the tension and enjoyment these novels give the Reader. More Please. Please......
There are few books or related Sci fi novels that deliver as traditional Sci fi does. This modern dynamic, warm exhilarating ride across Casimir Bridge and through the
Pathogen Protocol has been a true delight. Unequalled for many a year. More to follow I would Like to believe, though I am not usually a fan of series. Excitement, adventure. Mystery. Fun, baddies and the inevitable hint of long lost Races accelerate the tension and enjoyment these novels give the Reader. More Please. Please......
April 20, 2019
A tremendous write
The only difficulty I have with this novel is that it is not over. In order to achieve resolution I must continue to the next in the series. If that one holds my attention as the first two did then I will be in constant reading mode because once begun you cannot put the novel down. Great story,immense imagination and a plot that extends like an asymptote. Thanks for the read
The only difficulty I have with this novel is that it is not over. In order to achieve resolution I must continue to the next in the series. If that one holds my attention as the first two did then I will be in constant reading mode because once begun you cannot put the novel down. Great story,immense imagination and a plot that extends like an asymptote. Thanks for the read
October 4, 2018
If you are a fan of Si-Fi, but are unfamiliar with the work of Mr. Beyer, you will find a new experience in this refreshing style. Background in broad aspects of our human society fill in a convincing tableau of characters. Mr. Beyer's background in aerospace make the science in the fiction authentic. As Pathogen Protocol is part 2 in this series, make sure you start with Casimir Bridge, the first book.
October 8, 2018
I found this book to be very well written. I loved the plot - you've got interstellar conspiracies, wormhole travel, and the 'pathogen protocol' itself, not to mention self-aware ships and... I could keep going but you should read this one for yourself!
February 20, 2019
If book 1 was about the science, this one was about the story. I was much more engaged in the story this iteration and found it much easier to get caught turning page after page. Looking forward to book 3.
October 17, 2018
Like the characters
Please let us keep all the good guys. I like them. You took one already. That should be plenty.
What a series of adventures.
Please let us keep all the good guys. I like them. You took one already. That should be plenty.
What a series of adventures.
March 11, 2020
Good space opera
Good space opera. I enjoyed the character development built interest and intrigue into the plots as you separate each story sections. I have enjoyed them so far.
Good space opera. I enjoyed the character development built interest and intrigue into the plots as you separate each story sections. I have enjoyed them so far.
November 4, 2018
Enjoyable. A bit of a struggle since I did not read the first novel which set up the characters.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews