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Dominant Species #3
Extinction
A pivotal battle looms. Branded as murderers and forced into hiding in the jungle planet's deepest recesses, pilot John Soledad, biologist Rachel Sanders and nurse Donna Applegate survive on their wits, frequent field remedies applied by Donna and occasional late-night raids on the colony's storage warehouses for needed supplies. While the trio struggles to survive, another threat - one more virulent than the jungle's life forms - threatens the very survival of the new colony. Rachel's venom-induced visions are telling her something - revealing to her the terrible nature of the danger - and arousing what seem like memories of things and events ancient, dark and monstrous. 233 pages.
- GenresScience Fiction
240 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2005
5 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
David Coy
14 books21 followersI’ve had a lifetime love of science fiction and horror. I suspect it started in puberty since most obsessions do. My passion for it was so strong as a youth that, young and penniless, I resorted to boosting copies of my favorite authors’ works off the shelves of the book section of the local Federal’s department store. My friends and I soon had a collection of great sci-fi at discounted prices to read and read again. But I’m not wholly without conscience about those shifty activities as a scrawny youth. I’ll shake my head from side to side and mumble “Crap, that was stupid” once every decade or so, but that’s about it.
I consider myself a sci-fi film Nazi. I’m sure I’ve seen every sci-fi movie ever made, or certainly the vast majority of them. I can’t pass up even the worst of it. All those god-awful, black and white B flicks of the 40’s onward, with their outrageous and ham-handed themes of science vs. ignorance and good vs. evil, wrapped in whatever pseudo-scientific covering was popular that year, transfixed me, entertained me, and like the works pinched then stashed in my friend’s basement, made me think. When pivotal films like “Alien” and John Carpenter’s “The Thing” elevated sci-fi film up out of the gutter with all those glorious and expensive production values, I was im himmel.
I attended Wayne State University in Detroit Michigan. Like so many of my peers at the time, I left Wayne State with an utterly useless BA with a major in psychology. I’ve cleaned tractor cranes for money and worked as a steel mill laborer when the last one of those plants in Michigan still existed. I’ve worked as a night janitor. I moved to southern California when I was 30 years old and sold cars for a while. Shortly thereafter I worked for what used to be called the Hughes Aircraft Company as an in-house photographer. For the last 10 years of my work-a-day life I worked as a senior project manager for Computer Sciences Corporation. I now live in Oregon where I started and recently sold a fitness gym. I relate this choppy history to drive home my favorite maxim relating to life and the living of it: you never know where in the fuck you’ll end up. You’ll find my books laced through with that persistent theme. I hope you find the journey of reading them, should you attempt it, if not straight and linear, at least interesting.
I consider myself a sci-fi film Nazi. I’m sure I’ve seen every sci-fi movie ever made, or certainly the vast majority of them. I can’t pass up even the worst of it. All those god-awful, black and white B flicks of the 40’s onward, with their outrageous and ham-handed themes of science vs. ignorance and good vs. evil, wrapped in whatever pseudo-scientific covering was popular that year, transfixed me, entertained me, and like the works pinched then stashed in my friend’s basement, made me think. When pivotal films like “Alien” and John Carpenter’s “The Thing” elevated sci-fi film up out of the gutter with all those glorious and expensive production values, I was im himmel.
I attended Wayne State University in Detroit Michigan. Like so many of my peers at the time, I left Wayne State with an utterly useless BA with a major in psychology. I’ve cleaned tractor cranes for money and worked as a steel mill laborer when the last one of those plants in Michigan still existed. I’ve worked as a night janitor. I moved to southern California when I was 30 years old and sold cars for a while. Shortly thereafter I worked for what used to be called the Hughes Aircraft Company as an in-house photographer. For the last 10 years of my work-a-day life I worked as a senior project manager for Computer Sciences Corporation. I now live in Oregon where I started and recently sold a fitness gym. I relate this choppy history to drive home my favorite maxim relating to life and the living of it: you never know where in the fuck you’ll end up. You’ll find my books laced through with that persistent theme. I hope you find the journey of reading them, should you attempt it, if not straight and linear, at least interesting.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 15, 2012
This tied together Vol 1 and 2 in a interesting way. Can't wait for Vol. 4.
April 10, 2018
Good adventure story, nice horror, versatile characters. I'll be waiting for a sequel, this world definitely looks fun.
August 5, 2012
Acquired Traits is the third book in the Dominant Species Series by David Coy. I fell in love with the first and second books in this series and enjoyed them greatly, so it was only natural that I would read the third in the series. And Wow was I not disappointed.
Unlike the gap in time between the first and second books there was only a short few months between the second and third installment of this great Sci-Fi Horror series. We return to the story with Donna, Rachel, and John living on the land and supplies they pilfer from the settlement. That is where Donna finds Eddie, a great tie to the second books, and their little family of misfits expands a little more. They find themselves living in the great structure they found at the end of the last book and that is when they discover my favorite creepy villain Gilbert, he was in the first book. Gilbert, AKA Jacob, turns out to be a monster even a thousand years after he was imprisoned. Who says you mellow with age. He just got crazier.
The flow of Acquired Traits is actually different from the second book as well. Instead of the vignette feel of the chapters in book two this one focuses predominantly on Donna, Rachel and John. And in truth the main focus is really on Donna and Rachel with John there as a fantastic supporting character. That being said the story still flowed well and was a delight to read. It didn’t feel bogged down or slow at any point. This one is an easy read into the wee hours book.
Once again I loved the characters in Acquired Traits. I liked that Mr Coy brought back Eddie from the second book. He seems like a sweet kid with a good heart who makes some stupid mistakes. At first I was unsure what his being back would mean but I was delighted that he ended up being part of the reintroduction of something from the first book. Poor Eddie but that was awesome. I still love Donna, she is such a tenacious woman, if a little …. Harsh, at times. I love strong female leads in books and Rachel and Donna though dramatically different are both great female leads.
The tie to the first book with Rachel was very well done as well. It was hinted at in the second book but really cemented and detailed wonderfully in Acquired Traits.
I actually cheered when Mike’s brother made his appearance. That was a fantastic twist. And no I am not going to tell you when it happened or when who Paul and Mike are, you have to read the books to find those things out.
I flew through the last 75 pages of this book. I couldn’t put it down until I finished it. And Wow what an ending. The twist and the surprise were very well written and entertaining. Good little wasps.
Fantastic Mr Coy. Absolutely fantastic.
Acquired Traits is one you definitely Gotta Read!
Unlike the gap in time between the first and second books there was only a short few months between the second and third installment of this great Sci-Fi Horror series. We return to the story with Donna, Rachel, and John living on the land and supplies they pilfer from the settlement. That is where Donna finds Eddie, a great tie to the second books, and their little family of misfits expands a little more. They find themselves living in the great structure they found at the end of the last book and that is when they discover my favorite creepy villain Gilbert, he was in the first book. Gilbert, AKA Jacob, turns out to be a monster even a thousand years after he was imprisoned. Who says you mellow with age. He just got crazier.
The flow of Acquired Traits is actually different from the second book as well. Instead of the vignette feel of the chapters in book two this one focuses predominantly on Donna, Rachel and John. And in truth the main focus is really on Donna and Rachel with John there as a fantastic supporting character. That being said the story still flowed well and was a delight to read. It didn’t feel bogged down or slow at any point. This one is an easy read into the wee hours book.
Once again I loved the characters in Acquired Traits. I liked that Mr Coy brought back Eddie from the second book. He seems like a sweet kid with a good heart who makes some stupid mistakes. At first I was unsure what his being back would mean but I was delighted that he ended up being part of the reintroduction of something from the first book. Poor Eddie but that was awesome. I still love Donna, she is such a tenacious woman, if a little …. Harsh, at times. I love strong female leads in books and Rachel and Donna though dramatically different are both great female leads.
The tie to the first book with Rachel was very well done as well. It was hinted at in the second book but really cemented and detailed wonderfully in Acquired Traits.
I actually cheered when Mike’s brother made his appearance. That was a fantastic twist. And no I am not going to tell you when it happened or when who Paul and Mike are, you have to read the books to find those things out.
I flew through the last 75 pages of this book. I couldn’t put it down until I finished it. And Wow what an ending. The twist and the surprise were very well written and entertaining. Good little wasps.
Fantastic Mr Coy. Absolutely fantastic.
Acquired Traits is one you definitely Gotta Read!
August 17, 2012
Acquired Traits is Book Three in David Coy's masterful Sci-Fi Dominant Species series. I can tell you what the Dominant Species series is not about: It is not about benevolent alien life forms that want to help humans create a utopia on Earth. The Dominant Species series is also not about the stereotypical hostile visitors from outer space hell-bent on annihilating our civilization with advanced technology. What the Dominant Species series is about: It is a fascinating and plausible look at what life in the universe might look like and how the human race tries to adapt and interact with that possibility while both humans and aliens try to do what is instinctive to all life forms—and that is to survive. Acquired Traits deftly answers the questions and ties together the mysteries from the first two books. I loved this series because the stories are as much about the human race as it is about the dangers of alien life. Mr. Coy weaves a fantastic vision of life from outer space combined with the challenges facing the human race including our insatiable consumption of natural resources, overpopulation, religious zealotry and all our human flaws and shortcomings. I highly recommend the Dominant Species series if you want to read something that is entertaining, original and relevant in the world we live in today.
March 2, 2013
I really enjoyed this story! What I really liked was that you never knew who the planet was going to get next. Now a new villain, in the form of a 1000 year old man, was racking up a few victims of his own. Since I didn't read the first in the series, there wasn't a link-up for me, but I still didn't feel left out in cold. The story moved along at a really nice clip and there was action and adventure at every turn. Great storywriting!
February 22, 2016
Author's constant ramblings "God this, God that" start to get extremely boring by the 3rd book, and, practically, make zero sense. And, yep, characters are as flat as flatbread.
P.S. Forgot to mention author's erotic fantasy kind of descriptions, that start to get out of control by the end of 2nd book, going worse in 3rd. Why they were important for the story, or why there has to be so many of these descriptions a-la "50 shades of gray IN SPACE" - it is way over my head. Too bad.
P.S. Forgot to mention author's erotic fantasy kind of descriptions, that start to get out of control by the end of 2nd book, going worse in 3rd. Why they were important for the story, or why there has to be so many of these descriptions a-la "50 shades of gray IN SPACE" - it is way over my head. Too bad.
May 24, 2013
Great finish to the first three. looking forward to number 4.
May 4, 2014
Not nearly as much horror as the second book. And the ending kinda lacked a lot of tying up that I was hoping for. Oh well.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews