TANE,#20, is the final book in Anna Hackett’s Dystopian Hell Squad series.
MY RATING GUIDE: 4.5 Stars. I found TANE a very satisfying conclusion to this drawn out series. Good job! Anna.
1= dnf/What was that?; 2= Nope, not for me; 3= This was okay/cute; 3.5= I enjoyed it; 4= I liked it a lot; 5= I Loved it, it was great! (I seldom give 5 Stars).
Enclave Survivor Base, 2+years after the Alien Invasion of Earth ~
TANE concludes with earth’s survivors, including the Enclave base near Sydney, Australia, desperately communicating across several global locations. They know that the aliens final plan to destroy mankind draws incredibly near.
Tane and his 2 brothers (featured in prior books) are native New Zealanders. Before the invasion Tane was employed as a mercenary in violent pockets of the world. Tane felt his willingness to get dirty meant innocent families and children could live their lives without fear. But it was a hard life and Tane saw terrible things. Tane immediately joined the fighting squads that defended the civilians following the invasion. As the leader of the wild and crazy Beserker squad, Tane is aware a global clock is ticking down.
Selena is a survivor who the aliens took from her own world, brought to earth, tortured then was ultimately rescued by Hell Squad in SHAW #7. Selena joined the Enclave shellshocked but her strength has recently blossomed. As the world winds down to the final weeks, can the leaders, scientists, anybody come up with a plan that will eradicate the aliens and save mankind?
Comments ~
1) The last group of titles (bks13-20) feature the Beserker team members (one of 3 fighting squads featured in Hell Squad). The language in these books tends to be rougher than earlier books due to the character’s backgrounds.
2) The writing in the latter books in the Hell Squad series remind me of serials in a mini-series or individual episodes in a television series - which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But readers should be advised that the series’ story arc builds in tension with each book which won’t be completed until the last book in the series. Each book adds to the overall storyline and either new characters or people previously introduced are featured, each with their own complete HEA. I am finding the series an enjoyable journey.
3) TANE is a dystopian-fantasy novel. Readers who are willing to let go of reality, logical thinking, scientific facts and just settle in for the ride will find the most enjoyment in this series.
4) The Hell Squad books are very fast reading (TANE was about a 3.5hr audio at my listening speed), great for a few hours of escape or for decompressing after work.
5) Although TANE might be read as a standalone title, I really don’t recommend it at this point. TANE is the last book in a 20 bk series with an ongoing story arc. A lot of continuity and character development will be missed starting with TANE. I prefer reading Anna Hackett’s series starting with book one and continuing through the series in order.
6) I find the performance by Kafer and Cook very well done. Throughout this series they have been challenged with various accents (Australian, Russian, Italian and English), as well as steamy intimacy scenes, which must have been “fun” for them. ;) I purchased nearly the entire audio series when they went on Sale. The others I purchased in E format.
7) After finishing SURVIVORS, I wondered if Anna could pull together all the loose ends of the series and accomplish a satisfying conclusion in just 1 final book - TANE. Even after beginning TANE, I wondered. But Anna did it - I was drawn in and my attention captivated until the very end. I was very satisfied! Good job!
READER CAUTION ~ Not recommended to YA readers or those who prefer Clean fiction.
PROFANITY - Yes. Strong language is used frequently.
VIOLENCE - PG. Aliens vs humans.
SEXUAL SITUATIONS - Yes. Detailed steamy scenes between the MCs occurs several times.