THE GOVERNMENT SAID THE VARIANTS WERE DYING OFF... THAT THE BEASTS WOULD BE EXTINCT IN A MATTER OF YEARS... THAT THE ALLIED STATES HAD RETURNED TO PROSPERITY AND FREEDOM...
The government was "dead" wrong. Deep under the cities, the Variants weren't just hiding, they were breeding. While human survivors of the Extinction Cycle built outposts and brought back industries, the monsters were building something of their own. Working with human collaborators, they constructed a vast underground organic network to control this new army and launch a blitzkrieg assault across the Allied States. After tunneling under the walls, the beasts managed to overwhelm even the most fortified outposts. Many of them fell within days, forcing the military to abandon bases and retreat.
But not everyone is on the run. Team Ghost hunts a monster behind enemy lines that could change the tide of war. On the USS 'George Johnson', Doctor Kate Lovato and her team of scientists seek to understand and tap in to the Variant network while oil tycoon S.M. Fischer and his engineers come up with a plan to help buy time for the remaining outposts. And, at Outpost Portland, Captain Reed Beckham and Master Sergeant Parker Horn investigate a frightening conspiracy involving the human collaborators.
As the Variant armies surge across the Allied States, those working to stop them realize even desperate measures may not be enough to prevent the total annihilation of their country.
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.
Note: Nicholas is no longer an active user on Goodreads and does not use the platform. If you want to connect with him on social media here are some links. He would love to hear from you.
As I’ve come to expect – almost non-stop action from beginning to end. Extinction Inferno was a blast of a book. It was one of those books that as soon as I finished it I thought “I should read that again, I’m sure I missed all sorts of little hints”.
Smith and Melchiorri absolutely nailed it with Inferno. I didn’t think this series could get any better, but I was wrong. As much as book one in this series shocked and surprised me – Extinction Inferno surprised me even more. There were scenes in it that I thought I had pinned and… nope I wasn’t even close. Other times – I was sure I knew what was going to happen to someone, haha, just kidding, not even close. I love when an author can surprise me like that.
Just like the first book – Extinction Inferno is one of those books that is hard to review because there are so many plot points that I want to talk about that would give away the entire book. So, I won’t even attempt to talk through them. Just know that you’re in for a great book. Military Thrillers to Post-Apocalyptic fans will love it. Also, if it’s not obvious already, if you’re a fan of Nicholas Sansbury Smith or Anthony J. Melchiorri – you’ll also love this book.
Throw in the excellent narration by R.C. Bray and you have a winner. It’s like that perfect dinner after thinking about it all day. You go into it hoping that it’ll be as good as you remember and it ends up being even better.
Ok, I'm going to try and do this book justice with this review, but it's going to be hard because I may ramble a bit as the book is absolutely breathtaking in it's intensity!!
So book 2 sees the threat of the variants worse than anything they thought it was going to be. Every safe haven is being targeted by both variants and collaborators and the attacks are unlike anything they experienced at the height of the war. Everything is more coordinated and the variants seem to be smarter. Team Ghost, Beckham and Horn, and Kate are all risking everything to find out what's happening before it's too late.
My heart was in my mouth the whole way through this book. Every single page is packed with action and it was really hard to stop listening because I was so invested in the story and needed to see what happened and believe me when I say that there is a lot happening in this edition!!! It amped up the overall tension that was there since book 1 and has made me more eager for the final book.
Between Team Ghost and their missions, Kate and what she is tasked to do, and Beckham and Horn trying to figure things out too, there was so many plot points that I could talk about but I don't want to spoil things for anyone. Every single revelation shocked me and I couldn't imagine where the authors would take the story, but boy did they take it in directions I couldn't see coming. I have so many questions that I wish I could peak inside the authors heads because the waiting will be hell, but I also know that these authors will produce one heck of a finale so I'm willing to wait as long as it takes.
In all, this book was phenomenal. The action is breathtaking, the plot is brilliant and kept me on my toes, the characters are some of the best I've ever read and the story is everything you want in a book. There are few series that I recommend so fervently, but the Extinction Cycle series (I include these in that series) is in my top 5 series and one I will never fail to shout about!!!
R.C Bray is easy to listen to and always performs a book he reads. His array of voices for the characters were amazing and he made the atmosphere come to life. He is one of the best in the business, need I say more!!
Following the first novel, the seal teams and team Ghost continue operations with almost no rest to protect the Allied States and their citizens. With a sudden rush of enemy Variants and Calibrators the government calls off the election to save humanity from the extinction. They also discover all the outposts are believed to have been comprised to sleeper cell agents that are working with the collaborators. Could this be the final chapter of humanity in the Allied States as the enemy swarms and help from Europe is pulled back? Is nuclear attack on Allied States soil necessary to save the government and its people?
Excellent continuation of the story, had me rooting for the kids and thrilled to be alongside Team Ghost again. A nice gem in the audiobook is Mr. Fischer the oil Tycoon, and his brazen personality and character.
I normally don’t write reviews anymore. It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just that I’m very ill and it’s difficult to write when part of my chronic illness is being too blind to read and write. I only see color and contrast, no detail. It’s extremely frustrating for a lifelong reader with a love for books. So I must seek help with reviews which can be difficult to find at times.
But I’m felt compelled to find a way to express my joy in hearing my narrator, and partially Audible, give me this latest experience in Extinction Inferno.
Nicholas Sansbury Smith is truly a remarkable storyteller. He started this series with seven books in the “Extinction Cycle” series and then moved on to the new “Dark Age” series with “Extinction Shadow” book one, which I’ve already had read to me and left a very deserved five star review.
It’s important to say that readers need not have had to read the previous Extinction Cycle seven book series in order to enjoy this new series. It’s basically a stand alone series that you can enjoy if you’re new to Nicholas’s writing.
Now we have “Extinction Inferno” book 2. I don’t want to give out any spoilers and I do need to keep this short because of my physical problems. Let me just say that Mr. Smith has simply continued from book one with all of the goodness a truly wonderful story can give.
Nicholas Sansbury Smith is a storyteller second to none. He weaves stories that put the reader right in the action. He makes you feel like everything in the book is plausible. You start feeling for every character and when someone is killed, by a huge variety of means by the way, it’s truly heartbreaking. Mr. Smith has a way with words that gets the reader totally invested.
All of his stories, his series, are extremely difficult to put down or stop listening to in my case.
I’m always so happy to see his new books come out as I know I’m in for a real treat.
If you’re new to his work then I say “hold on” because you’re in for a wild ride. If you’re an experienced Smith reader then you already know what joy awaits you.
Extinction Inferno is simply an awesome read. But so are every other series he’s written.
You simply can’t go wrong reading his works with this latest offering being an excellent addition in every way.
I have his third book already preordered and can only wait in anticipation for another wonderful experience.
The action and tension are unrelenting in this second installment of Extinction Cycle: Dark Age. The Allied States are under siege. President Ringgold and her staff are trying to make the best choices in the midst of impossible situations. It’s difficult to catch your breath with all the devastation going on. Seems like each time humanity takes a brave step forward, the Variants and their wicked human collaborators push them two steps back. Inferno is a page-turner that shouldn’t be started late at night.
This series gets better and better with each book. I keep thinking to myself that things can't get any worse and I'm wrong every time! The situation is getting so bad that this series almost seems like a prequel to the Hell Divers series! (which would be really awesome) I'll be starting book 3 first thing in the morning. Can't wait! Another fantastic book by Nicholas Sansbury Smith and a great narration by R.C. Bray!
Ok, I'm going to try and do this book justice with this review, but it's going to be hard because I may ramble a bit as the book is absolutely breathtaking in it's intensity!!
So book 2 sees the threat of the variants worse than anything they thought it was going to be. Every safe haven is being targeted by both variants and collaborators and the attacks are unlike anything they experienced at the height of the war. Everything is more coordinated and the variants seem to be smarter. Team Ghost, Beckham and Horn, and Kate are all risking everything to find out what's happening before it's too late.
My heart was in my mouth the whole way through this book. Every single page is packed with action and it was really hard to stop listening because I was so invested in the story and needed to see what happened and believe me when I say that there is a lot happening in this edition!!! It amped up the overall tension that was there since book 1 and has made me more eager for the final book.
Between Team Ghost and their missions, Kate and what she is tasked to do, and Beckham and Horn trying to figure things out too, there was so many plot points that I could talk about but I don't want to spoil things for anyone. Every single revelation shocked me and I couldn't imagine where the authors would take the story, but boy did they take it in directions I couldn't see coming. I have so many questions that I wish I could peak inside the authors heads because the waiting will be hell, but I also know that these authors will produce one heck of a finale so I'm willing to wait as long as it takes.
In all, this book was phenomenal. The action is breathtaking, the plot is brilliant and kept me on my toes, the characters are some of the best I've ever read and the story is everything you want in a book. There are few series that I recommend so fervently, but the Extinction Cycle series (I include these in that series) is in my top 5 series and one I will never fail to shout about!!!
R.C Bray is easy to listen to and always performs a book he reads. His array of voices for the characters were amazing and he made the atmosphere come to life. He is one of the best in the business, need I say more!!
4+ stars on the 'regular' rating scale as well as what I keep calling the NSS scale (which in this genre is "it" in terms of good sh*t). We're getting there but I'm saving my 5 star ratings for what I'm sure are going to be a 2nd half for the ages in books 3 & 4. One thing is clear though: as suspected, "Inferno" has managed to ratchet up the tension from the first book and now we're really starting to roll!
Smith has once again put together an awesome and extremely tense book using his strengths of non-stop and believable action sequences, incredibly well-conceived characters (I can't believe one reviewer said they were hard to follow?) and a degree of über-foreshadowing that beats any of the crap we had to read in High School English. What makes this book stronger than book 1 - imho as you hip kids say today - is that even though, yes, the ever-evolving world of Variants remains a species-ending threat, it is really the human factors AND the multitude of factions that carry the day (and make the book even more relateable in terms of the world of 2020... you folks in Michigan listening?). Adding AT LEAST 2 if not more threats in this regard had me truly biting my nails to the quick and that's me thinking that's probably the most disgusting habit one can have.
True-blue NSS fans will no doubt find not only lots of 'Trackers' elements in this tome - Dohi being lifted straight from those pages - but also even a very real kind of 'Hell Divers' vibe to the action, especially with all the non-stop mayhem that Team Ghost must face. I really love how we never get too lost in any one aspect of what is going on - this is after all a book that I believe is constructing the foundation for what comes next more than a book that solves anything per se - and Smith again juggles this with aplomb. And possibly a chainsaw or three.
No more talk, too much risk for spoiler bits. Start reading, keep reading. All it takes is all you've got!
As we know from volume one, the Variants are tunneling beneath the outposts, avoiding all the fortifications that had worked for the past eight years, attacking and destroying the majority of defenders. President Jan Ringold and Retired General Mark Cornelius have agreed to a collaboration for the defense of the country. New Variant Alphas were discovered; large digging monsters that were creating the tunnels. Cornelius has come up with a plan to utilize Fisher’s expertise in oil exploration to find the Variants tunnels. Fisher is all in. If this technology works they may be able to eliminate tunnels before the Variants can strike. The Allied States have already lost fourteen of the ninety-eight outposts. Another evolved Alpha has been discovered. Team Ghost has been sent to confirm and destroy. Searching for the monster(s), my body is tense as the soldiers move silently through the destruction looking for their target(s). The action seems real as you imagine what the soldiers are going through. Smith’s writing and R.C. Bray’s narration are extraordinary. The firefights are some of the best I’ve listened to. Back to the story. Collaborators have been a problem since day one. They not only provide food and pass information to the Variants but actively fight alongside them. Discovering and breaking the communication between The collaborators and the Variants is a main goal of the Allied. Dr. Lavato, along with a captured Variant Alpha, is working to do just that. If she is successful, they will have a direct line to the Variant’s plans. How were the collaborators gaining the information they were passing to the Variants? Potential collaborator sleeper cells made the Allied leadership’s blood run cold.
Well, this series just keeps getting better and better! At this point, I'm so emotionally invested in this series that I'm surprised that I don't have dreams about these books. Nicholas Sansbury Smith and Anthony Melchiorri can weave tales that keep me on the edge of my seat for the entire books. The scenes move around from Team Ghost to Beckham, Horn, & Co. to Kate Lovato with seamless ease. The action is nonstop, the surprises keep coming, and the creatures just keep evolving. I'm glad that these authors have more books waiting in the wings because when I'm done with the "Extinction" series, I'm going to need more well written books like it. I am a latecomer to the Zombie genre however better late than never. I am so glad I discovered these books. I can't recommend them more enthusiastically.
Book 2 of this series, we're starting to see 4 different storylines develop. Our heroes begin to realize the variant/collaborator threat is bigger than they first realize. Outposts are being wiped out throughout the country, and Ghost Team must travel to the other side of the country to find a weapon that may turn the tide. Of course, none of the storylines are wrapped up, which makes me want to read book 3 to find out what happens next.
A war with zombies but they are as smart or smarter than us. People are siding with them and fighting against people. It is like zombies on steroids. This is a militaristic book about the fighting and the continual failure of the army fighting for all of humanity. I find the series decent just not my favorite. The characters are a little flat and when perspective is changed sometimes they all seem like the same person. Overall just a good action zombie killer series.
Another great installment to the Extinction Cycle series! This one is packed with more action and suspense than ever. Well written, rich detail, and non-stop thrills. I could not put this one down!
The novel picks-up right where last left off has just like the first enemies have no problems becoming even worst monsters then the ones they service. The novel was thriller 7/10 horror meh 4/10 shock factor 10/10
Book 2 was a fun read and had a few errors. The plot and characters have developed well. The plot is a bit predictable, but overall okay. The characters have challenges to over come and a new twist to the series has been introduced.
Another good book in the series. I liked the multiple story lines to different areas of conflict. However, i am still frustrated that the characters always plan for success with no back up plans.
This is book 2 of 4 and it is very well written with awesome characters (both evil and good) and cram packed with action and terror! I’m starting book 3 right now!