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Crux

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Unspeakable horror is unleashed in this riveting thriller from the international bestselling author of Dark Visions and Hunter.

In an experiment to discover what secrets are hidden within the infinite vastness of the galaxy, scientists create a machine so powerful that it rips a hole through space and time. But instead of revealing the dark world of their own universe the machine opens a gateway to a universe infinitely more horrifying . . . and infinitely evil.

After seven physicists vanish during a routine test of the highly guarded Hadron Super Collider in Geneva, a series of grisly murders also begin at the facility and an elite squad of American military operators are dispatched to discover the truth behind the hideous slaughter. Meanwhile, the sister of a missing scientist hires a mysterious, powerful stranger known only as Isaiah to discover the fate of her sister.
Working against time, the two teams risk everything in their quest to learn the insidious truth behind the most dangerous machine in the world, and soon find that the Super Collider did not just open a gateway to the furthest reaches of the galaxy: It opened a far more terrifying gateway, for it bridged the gulf between Earth and Hell . . .
Praise for James Byron Huggins

"Huggins writes like a man possessed."--Steve Jackson, New York Times bestselling author

"May be the thriller of the year."--BookPage on Cain

"Pure entertainment."--Publishers Weekly on Hunter

374 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 8, 2019

103 people are currently reading
448 people want to read

About the author

James Byron Huggins

24 books222 followers
A veteran novelist and best-selling author, James Byron Huggins' life story reads more like fiction than fact. His career as a writer began normally enough. He received a bachelor's degree in journalism and English from Troy State University, and then worked as a reporter for the Hartselle Enquirer in Hartselle, Alabama.

Huggins won seven awards while with the newspaper before leaving journalism in 1985. With a desire to help persecuted Christians in eastern Europe, Huggins moved to Texas to work in conjunction with members of the Christian underground in that region.

From the Texas base, Huggins helped set up a system used to smuggle information in and out of Iron Curtain countries.

In 1987, Huggins was finally able to leave the United States to offer hands-on assistance in Romania. As a jack of all trades, Huggins photographed a secret police installation, took photos of people active in the Christian underground, and also continued his work as an orchestrator of smuggling routes.

Huggins was instrumental in smuggling out film and documentation that showed the plight of Christians in Romania. He even found time to create a code that allowed communication with the United States. As in Texas, Huggins' life had few creature comforts. To survive, he would often remain hidden in the woods or in secure basements for days at a time.

After his time in Romania, Huggins returned to the United States and took up journalism once more. He again worked for a small newspaper and won several awards as a reporter. Later on, he worked at a nonprofit Christian magazine before becoming a patrolman with the Huntsville Police Department in Huntsville, Alabama.

After distinguished service as a decorated field officer, Huggins left the force to pursue writing novels. His first three novels--A Wolf Story, The Reckoning, and Leviathan--achieved best-seller status in the Christian marketplace.

From there, Huggins broke into mainstream science fiction with Cain and Hunter, both of which were optioned for film rights. Huggins then released Rora, a historical novel depicting the harrowing life of a European martyr. His following book, Nightbringer, was met with critical acclaim and is in production for a movie.

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5 stars
44 (36%)
4 stars
43 (35%)
3 stars
21 (17%)
2 stars
9 (7%)
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4 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
Profile Image for David Dalton.
3,069 reviews
November 27, 2019
While exciting, this was not my favorite thriller by James Byron Huggins. That would be either Hunter by James Byron Huggins or The Reckoning by James Byron Huggins . Seems as if the author went way overboard on the Supercollider and how evil the organization behind it was (CERN). Was this CERN not also featured in Angels and Demons / The Da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #1-2) by Dan Brown

The cast of characters I enjoyed and there was plenty of action. But right off the bat Huggins made out CERN to be an evil organization. It just seemed too rushed to me. No build up. I am a huge fan of the author and also loved Cain by James Byron Huggins and Leviathan by James Byron Huggins
Profile Image for Alan Loewen.
Author 27 books18 followers
October 12, 2019
Pulp Adventure at its Finest

Reminiscent of the early pulps of Doc Savage, the Shadow, and the Spider, Huggins’ latest with its bigger-than-life characters and no-holds-barred plot is more pulp adventure than thriller. Taking place in today’s headlines, Isaiah, a combination of the best pulp heroes, assists a woman who is searching for answers in the disappearance of her sister who was working for CERN. The resulting adventure merges a military story with occult and religious themes as Isaiah battles forces of evil that are human and more than human on a stage that exists in multiple dimensions.
Profile Image for Bernard DeLeo.
Author 111 books92 followers
October 8, 2019
Oh my… I have feared the Large Hadron Collider and all its copies being built in evolving layers of disaster, each larger than the one before. Here in reality, reality has changed since the first operations of the Collider. James Byron Huggins envisioned the nightmares made in the simple statement, ‘just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should’, and he illustrates it perfectly in CRUX. For all those simple citizens of reality as it now exists, beware exactly what James envisions here.
Profile Image for Neil.
1,329 reviews14 followers
February 27, 2021
I am not sure how I feel about this book, so I will rate it after I finish my review.

First of all, it really felt like a mishmash of Hunter and Leviathan and a different "branch of Advanced Science." Secondly, while it starts out with a "Big Bang" but then gets bogged down in exposition for a few chapters as the main characters are introduced the time this book takes setting up the main characters affects the flow of the story. It really slows down and takes a bit to regain that initial momentum. Third, the language. . Finally, there is the character development; some of it is good and some of it is not so good. I was obviously rooting for the "hero characters" but not really feeling emotionally involved with any of the main characters. Some of the interactions between characters felt natural, and some of those moments felt forced. Overall, I felt more of an emotional investment in wanting to finish the story and see how everything is resolved than I did with most of the characters.

Was there anything "good" about it? There are good moments in the book. Towards the end, he has some great moments in describing the horror the survivors experience regarding these creatures from another dimension. I enjoyed the blending of various spiritual elements into the storyline; I felt he did a good job with those moments and the explanations behind some of those moments.





The "science" in the book is pretty crazy; I have seen some of the headlines regarding the CERN facility, so some of the comments made about it in the book were not a surprise to me.

It has its share of "crazy, over-the-top moments," just like its predecessors. .

So was it a "bad story"? No; despite its lengthy "introduction" before the action picks up, it still held my interest. While I would not say it was the author's "best" story, he still did a good job of blending fact and fiction, the spiritual and the scientific, and created a story that did hold an underlying element of horror to it (I think because of a cross between the descriptions of the creatures that had crossed over to "our plane of existence" in conjunction with the "what if . . . ?" aspect of the story). Ultimately, though, the reader learns that what "saved the day" was not the collision of three universes/dimensions or the experimental nuclear warhead detonating; what saves humanity is a "higher power" that "finally" intervenes and ensures that Isaiah and Amanda are able to return safely back to earth as the dimensional portal behind them is closed. So the author appears to have "God" or some other "heavenly power" intervene after all and assist humanity more than humanity realizes. It was a pretty cool-yet-understated moment in the book, as a "miracle" has truly saved them. I would probably rate it 3.4-3.7 stars, but will round it down to 3 stars because I do not believe it is a "4-star" book. In the end, though, I did find myself enjoying it and glad I took a chance on reading it (even if I do not read it again, or any time soon for a long, long time).


343 reviews
February 6, 2020
Too much talk

Unfortunately, this novel was not one of Huggin's best, in my opinion. There was way too much dialogue and the book took too long to get to the action. There was not enough action for the plot premise. Having said that, I would like to see a movie made from this book.
610 reviews2 followers
January 23, 2020
THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS, IT IS..

Hello, this story is just plain okay. The theory behind the story is very good and interesting. The delivery needed a little help. Thanks.
Profile Image for Sean.
239 reviews6 followers
December 11, 2020
In CRUX, scientists succeed in opening a door to another dimension only to discover that there really is a place called hell. As the men and women responsible for this technological abomination struggle to turn the situation to their advantage, a crack military team is dispatched to set everything right even if it means a one-way ticket to the Inferno. Meanwhile, a grieving young woman engages a mysterious man called Isaiah to infiltrate the facility where everything is going down and find out what happened to her sister when the unearthly gateway was opened. The answers will lead Isaiah to a battle with nothing less than evil incarnate with the fate of the world as we know it at stake.

Nobody writes thrillers like James Byron Huggins. Mixing action, horror, and philosophy with unparalleled dexterity, Huggins weaves a tale of mystery and suspense that gradually escalates into an all-out explosion of page-turning excitement. Huggins populates his story with believable flesh-and-blood characters, and every scientist, government official, and soldier is drawn in life-like strokes. Particularly likeable are Isaiah and the young woman who hires him to find her sister, and their narrative arc is the one that leads us through the maze of world-breaking terrors to come. And as is usually the case with the author's novels, behind it all an unmistakable Christian awareness gives the story its soul. Readers who enjoyed the author's previous books will find CRUX right up there with PREDATOR, CAIN, and NIGHTBRINGER. CRUX takes the reader to the edge of the abyss...and back again.
Profile Image for Brian Tubbs.
95 reviews18 followers
October 15, 2019
Cain, Leviathan, and a lot of Advanced Science

I’m a huge fan of James Byron Huggins. This story is basically a mash-up of “Cain” and “Leviathan” with a whole lot of advanced physics thrown in.

The characters are likable. The action is outstanding. Some parts get a little long on the exposition and commentary in my opinion, but that’s just my opinion.

The book raises a lot of questions and provokes a lot of thought and discussion about the nature of life, reality, and eternity - which is undoubtedly what the author is going for.

Personally, I still think “Cain” and “Leviathan” are Huggins’ best monster thrillers — with “Rora” being his best overall. But “Crux” is still very enjoyable. I definitely recommend it.
Profile Image for John.
129 reviews9 followers
October 26, 2019
An adventure beyond space and time

As humans we are always pushing the boundaries of science and faith but what if some boundaries are not meant to be crossed? What if there are some things we just shouldn't try to overcome? The super collider has been a hop topic for a while but what if we are using it for more than what we are being led to believe? A great read that leaves you thinking and a bit worried about just how far we will push things before something pushes back.
Profile Image for Debbie (Can’t breathe w/o a BOOK) D.
137 reviews3 followers
November 20, 2019
Well ladies and gents,

I’ve tried to get into this book and just can’t seem to catch on. I like this genre, and the synopsis is the reason I entered to win, and pleasantly surprised I did.
Now, I’m not going to give up trying to finish the last half, and I’m hoping I come back here and change my review.
Never leave a book unfinished.
Profile Image for SH.
3 reviews
April 29, 2023
I usually do not write reviews, especially I never write negative reviews. This is because perceptions vary and I do not want my perceptions to cloud the efforts of a good author, but this book is an exception. Mr. Huggins is (or rather used to be after this book) one of my favorite authors. I loved Hunter and Leviathan was OK. The beauty of the prose and the characterization of protagonists in his books are some of the best I know, but this book is beyond bad. It is terrible.

I do not know what some authors (**cough** Dan Simmons - Song of Kali **cough**) have against Hinduism. I am an atheist but I hate it when people abuse the belief system of other people and get it wrong at that. Shiva is the male God of destruction, not a crazy-bi*** as Mr. Huggins describes in his book. Shiva is worshiped by billions all over the world and the casual way the author draws comparison to Satan is truly disgusting. I mean, get your facts right before writing a novel and even if you get the facts wrong, do not make up theories that go against the facts. Shiva is a benevolent God who confers liberation (through destruction of the ego, not the world and is therefore called the destroyer) according to Hindu beliefs. There are many evil figures who could have been used but just for convenience (as a statue of Shiva was installed in CERN) making up your own theories is vile and not deserving of a good author.

I was very excited about this book, but right from the beginning it felt off the mark. Basic mistakes like calling electrons (at least in the universe we occupy and as of the moment I am writing this review) positively charged, added to the vague descriptions and explanations about neutrinos, conspiracy theories about CERN and the racism led me to not finishing this book. I made it up to 22%. The science is stupidly wrong and the racism is disgusting. Do not twist facts to suit your narrative. If you are a good author make the facts work for you. I do not recommend this book.
287 reviews3 followers
November 8, 2020
This author has a very unique style of writing to his history. The first few books written by this author had a main story line, of man creates monster with science. Man must destroy monster with science or at least a lot of explosives or electricity. But these last few books have been , man creates monster with religion or ignorance. Man must destroy said evil/monster with religious relic or weapon. Also the story lines for these last few books have been fairly heavy on religious theory or research. Now it is not just any one religion used for the story lines but a multitude of religions picked from. The story lines are fairly far fetched but still very enjoyable, but that is why it is called fiction or even science fiction. I feel the characters are well developed and move thru the arc of the stories very easily and flowing. I look forward to this author's next novel.
Profile Image for Lee Wallace.
28 reviews3 followers
December 17, 2019
James Byron Huggings unleashes fantasy and conspiracies theories in his new horror/thrilling adventure.
The premise of the story is quite straight: one of the experiments inside the (in)famous CERN collider in Geneve goes wrong, and some people die in the process.
In the aftermath of the incident two different stories start the novel up: former spy/mercenary Isahia helps a woman investigating the disappearance of her sister (who probably died in the incident), while a U.S. DELTA FORCE team starts a covert operation in order to destroy the CERN collider and save the world from the dark forces the arrogant of mankind (some crazy scientists pretending to 'rule' the universe) should definetly stay away from.
Huggin's pen gives his best during his over the top, 'eighties style' dialogues that I really fell in love with (even if - at times- they are a little too long). The action is fast packed and very straight with very unexpected bursts of violence in what I would call Tarantino's style. Having a cousin co-credited for discovering the Boson particle together with nobel-winning scientist Carlo Rubbia, and even if she doesn't work there any longer at CERN, I found the conspiracy theories surrounding the CERN experiments extremely enterntaining (don't worry Mr. Huggins: the bad guys at CERN have no interest in this book at the moment :P ).
If you enjoy conspiracy theories and action packed novels, I strongly suggest you to read CRUX.

Wallace Lee - the author of Rambo Year One
102 reviews
January 18, 2020
What a rush!

Loved it and so will you! It had all the things needed to make a truly great story- action, supernatural,God, demons, crazed villains and multiple heroes!

What a screenplay this would be, WOW!
Profile Image for Robert.
131 reviews4 followers
May 3, 2020
An enjoyable experience

I really enjoyed this book, there were a lot of science and action. The people were characters that you actually rooted for. I have been a fan of this authors work for more than a decade. Continue writing good books because you have a fan for life.
Profile Image for Lolapaige.
189 reviews
Read
March 3, 2020
On my DNF list. The technical jargon bored me to death.
13 reviews
November 26, 2024
I did not enjoy this Huggins installment as well as Leviathan or Hunter. It's def inferior in many ways and missed a lot of potential for a greater climax. I felt as though it just petered out.
Profile Image for Tobyann Aparisi.
52 reviews20 followers
November 30, 2019
I won this book on Goodreads (Kindle version) for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book, I really did. This book just did not do it for me. I had a very difficult time getting into the characters and into the premise of the story. I felt like I started in the middle and could not see my way to understanding how to get to the end. There were many things that seemed far fetched to me and that made for a story I just could not get into. This just wasn't for me I guess.
Profile Image for Valerie.
657 reviews17 followers
October 20, 2019
Well this science fiction thriller was a nice surprise! I have been concerned with what’s going up in Switzerland with the Hadron Super Collider, wondering if they know what powers they may unleash or what they may create! Every time I see the Northern Lights on the news I say, “They are at it again up at CERN”. The author writes “power they will never understand!” That’s scary!

Something happened one day up at CERN! Seven physicists go missing and an image of something monstrous was captured before the blue lightning stopped, leaving the facility in shambles. It appears they opened a portal to a different dimension and something came through! Filled with nonstop action, believable events, horrifying consequences, the author opens a door that you don’t want to look through because this could happen!


Profile Image for Tobyann Aparisi.
574 reviews53 followers
December 4, 2022
I won this book on Goodreads (Kindle version) for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book, I really did. This book just did not do it for me. I had a very difficult time getting into the characters and into the premise of the story. I felt like I started in the middle and could not see my way to understanding how to get to the end. There were many things that seemed far fetched to me and that made for a story I just could not get into. This just wasn't for me I guess.
Profile Image for Eric Wilson.
Author 132 books466 followers
November 17, 2019
Another nail-biting read by a master of military/techno-thrillers. This time around, Huggins tackles the Large Haldron Collider in Switzerland, mixing conspiracy theories with military operations and personal vendettas, all against this top-secret backdrop. The dialogue is rough and tough, the heroes and heroines flawed but likable, and the tension running from page 1 to the end.
36 reviews
October 25, 2019
It had loads of twists and what ifs. The book didnt get me really interested until I was about 60% thru. It is a nice way to relax, but for me was not seat gripping.

Read above. Subtitle says it all. I finished it. Glad I did, although surprised at it. The book was just so-so. Im done.
Profile Image for Sharon.
860 reviews15 followers
October 24, 2019
Worthwhile techno-thriller story that will please many readers who enjoy a Big Bang or two.
4 stars

My thanks to goodreads and the book's giveaway sponsors for the opportunity to obtain and read a copy of this book.
Profile Image for Kasey.
168 reviews20 followers
Want to read
November 11, 2019
Thank you for the opportunity to review this book as a giveaway recipient. I am excited to read it and will update my thoughts on this book soon!
319 reviews2 followers
October 31, 2019
I really like the way Huggins ties in religious undertones to the story without getting to preachy. It leads some interesting dialog, issues and of course monsters.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews

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