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The Nameless #2
Shadows of Ash
To survive hell, you must make a deal with the devil...
In the aftermath of a global catastrophe that has killed billions, old enemies become allies in order to survive. When Ryan Connors and his former recon team, the Nameless, form an alliance with the Yakuza they learn of a new plot that could lead to countless more deaths. Armed with this new knowledge, and driven by revenge, Ryan and his team launch a desperate bid to stop OPIS from executing their plans to destroy the world.
In America, prisoner Zanzi Connors is offered a way out and a chance to find her father and join the fight. But her freedom comes at a cost, forcing her to do something that goes against everything she believes--take another life.
Like father, like daughter, even though they are separated by fate, Ryan and Zanzi are bonded by a common mission to save humanity. No matter what the personal cost, even if it means their own lives.
In the aftermath of a global catastrophe that has killed billions, old enemies become allies in order to survive. When Ryan Connors and his former recon team, the Nameless, form an alliance with the Yakuza they learn of a new plot that could lead to countless more deaths. Armed with this new knowledge, and driven by revenge, Ryan and his team launch a desperate bid to stop OPIS from executing their plans to destroy the world.
In America, prisoner Zanzi Connors is offered a way out and a chance to find her father and join the fight. But her freedom comes at a cost, forcing her to do something that goes against everything she believes--take another life.
Like father, like daughter, even though they are separated by fate, Ryan and Zanzi are bonded by a common mission to save humanity. No matter what the personal cost, even if it means their own lives.
- GenresPost ApocalypticAction
241 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 27, 2021
27 people are currently reading
38 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 19, 2021
The terror returns! People shaped piles of ash, strange bloated once human creatures tear at the living.
Warning!! Spoilers ahead!
Spoiler warning! If you haven't read Whispers of Ash, you probably shouldn't continue reading this review of the Shadows of Ash. There will be mention of things that happened in book 1 and I really don't want to spoil your story. Besides, you'll miss the opportunity to meet all these amazing characters for the first time. Can't have that now!
SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!
TURN BACK BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!!!!!!
Too late. You're here now.
Ryan Connors had spent his life chasing evil as part of the Nameless, his old unit of LK3 specializing in infiltration, recon and extraction. He'd left the unit shortly after losing his wife and son on the same day. His wife Calwyn drowned during an operation. Her body was never recovered. Their son Liam had been killed the same day during a mass shooting at his high school. He had been shot and killed trying to get some fellow students
to safety. Left to raise his daughter, Liam's twin sister Zanzi, Ryan left the Nameless and LK3 behind him. Until now.
Dragged back into the unit to find the Keiko, the daughter of Sofia Ortiz, current member of the Nameless. Keiko was like a daughter to Ryan, best friend of Zanzi. Keiko was looking into rumors of a strange bunker deep beneath the Koyasan University in Koya Japan. Keiko hadn't returned. Ryan was pulled back into the unit, not knowing the terrors he would face: cities covered in people-shaped piles of ash, bloated monsters with translucent skin and cross-shaped cuts who attacked people and tore their spines loose from the neck of their victims, sucking on the end vertebrae like slurping up a straw.
As he chased after clues to find Keiko he found that someone was buying up satellites while others bought up control codes for hundreds more. That led back to shell corporations finally leading to Victor Offenheim. Head of the largest tech company in the world—ReinCorp. What was the giant tech company wanting with satellites? What was turning people into piles of ash? And what was making the monsters? And why would Ryan take his ex-dead wife back? Where had she been the past 3 years? And why do I keep asking you all these questions when you should just be reading the book!
This is an amazing story of greed and avarice, of megalomania and racism, of characters you love, adore, and envy and other characters you detest, despise and really just can't wait to see them die in horrible pain!! Well, you get the idea. This is a great read and I already preordered the next book in this series! Amazing story, truly amazing.
Warning!! Spoilers ahead!
Spoiler warning! If you haven't read Whispers of Ash, you probably shouldn't continue reading this review of the Shadows of Ash. There will be mention of things that happened in book 1 and I really don't want to spoil your story. Besides, you'll miss the opportunity to meet all these amazing characters for the first time. Can't have that now!
SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!
TURN BACK BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!!!!!!
Too late. You're here now.
Ryan Connors had spent his life chasing evil as part of the Nameless, his old unit of LK3 specializing in infiltration, recon and extraction. He'd left the unit shortly after losing his wife and son on the same day. His wife Calwyn drowned during an operation. Her body was never recovered. Their son Liam had been killed the same day during a mass shooting at his high school. He had been shot and killed trying to get some fellow students
to safety. Left to raise his daughter, Liam's twin sister Zanzi, Ryan left the Nameless and LK3 behind him. Until now.
Dragged back into the unit to find the Keiko, the daughter of Sofia Ortiz, current member of the Nameless. Keiko was like a daughter to Ryan, best friend of Zanzi. Keiko was looking into rumors of a strange bunker deep beneath the Koyasan University in Koya Japan. Keiko hadn't returned. Ryan was pulled back into the unit, not knowing the terrors he would face: cities covered in people-shaped piles of ash, bloated monsters with translucent skin and cross-shaped cuts who attacked people and tore their spines loose from the neck of their victims, sucking on the end vertebrae like slurping up a straw.
As he chased after clues to find Keiko he found that someone was buying up satellites while others bought up control codes for hundreds more. That led back to shell corporations finally leading to Victor Offenheim. Head of the largest tech company in the world—ReinCorp. What was the giant tech company wanting with satellites? What was turning people into piles of ash? And what was making the monsters? And why would Ryan take his ex-dead wife back? Where had she been the past 3 years? And why do I keep asking you all these questions when you should just be reading the book!
This is an amazing story of greed and avarice, of megalomania and racism, of characters you love, adore, and envy and other characters you detest, despise and really just can't wait to see them die in horrible pain!! Well, you get the idea. This is a great read and I already preordered the next book in this series! Amazing story, truly amazing.
April 24, 2021
Actual rating 4+ stars ... and getting better. I quibbled a bit with the rating of book 1 - which was indeed a great but flawed read - but this is a rock-solid, couldn't put it down, thrill-ride from A to Z. Except for a bit of uneven cadence in terms of AJS's prose - which got so much better as the book progressed - I really couldn't ask for much more!
"Shadows of Ash" benefits from being a true blue thriller without having too many different icky things happening around us like the various reactions we saw in book 1 (ash deaths, swelling until folks exploded deaths, zombification, etc.). The characters are either much fuller than the first book or even really get their first real introductions (Booth being for me the main example). It's an eclectic group across the board and again this time it was a big bonus to truly get to know them. Smith also shows his writing chops by expertly handling parallel plot lines that are beginning to really coalesce as part of the overall, big picture. As I also already mentioned, the flow doesn't stay as choppy as it was in book 1 but there's still some rough edges in here.
And sure there were some bits I would have liked to have seen more of, especially the cadre of super mutants we meet up with in Japan. I also wish we could have done even more with Ebony (weirdest name ever for a redhead) instead of her just hiding out for the last third of the book, but let's hope she's cut loose in book 3 and comes into her own. I'm also having trouble believing that ANYONE else is still alive despite the survival rates we infer as the book begins its fade-away. I guess we'll see.
Bottom-line: I can't wait for November and part 3 because it'll give me an awesome excuse to re-read books 1 and 2 again on my way! Great stuff, do enjoy!
"Shadows of Ash" benefits from being a true blue thriller without having too many different icky things happening around us like the various reactions we saw in book 1 (ash deaths, swelling until folks exploded deaths, zombification, etc.). The characters are either much fuller than the first book or even really get their first real introductions (Booth being for me the main example). It's an eclectic group across the board and again this time it was a big bonus to truly get to know them. Smith also shows his writing chops by expertly handling parallel plot lines that are beginning to really coalesce as part of the overall, big picture. As I also already mentioned, the flow doesn't stay as choppy as it was in book 1 but there's still some rough edges in here.
And sure there were some bits I would have liked to have seen more of, especially the cadre of super mutants we meet up with in Japan. I also wish we could have done even more with Ebony (weirdest name ever for a redhead) instead of her just hiding out for the last third of the book, but let's hope she's cut loose in book 3 and comes into her own. I'm also having trouble believing that ANYONE else is still alive despite the survival rates we infer as the book begins its fade-away. I guess we'll see.
Bottom-line: I can't wait for November and part 3 because it'll give me an awesome excuse to re-read books 1 and 2 again on my way! Great stuff, do enjoy!
October 28, 2021
I listened to the audiobook version of this without reading or listening to the first in the series. Man, is this great. Adrian J. Smith defly mixes the sci-fi, horror and technothriller genres and while staying true to each, adds a unique take on them. If you like any of those genres (and in particular, the NBC show Revolution), I highly recommend this great book. It's riveting from beginning to end. And though I didn't read the first one, the author provides the right amount of backstory (without it feeling expository) to catch new readers up. Now I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the series.
April 20, 2021
Non-stop page turner!
LK3 has their work cut out for them in this second book of the Nameless series. Not only are they separated from their children, they are also facing the Yakuza and a gargantuan organization named OPIS that has its tentacles squarely in the apocalyptic event which turned the majority of the world’s population into piles of ash. There’s plenty of action and suspense in this story and I thoroughly enjoyed the read.
*I was provided with an ARC from the author.
LK3 has their work cut out for them in this second book of the Nameless series. Not only are they separated from their children, they are also facing the Yakuza and a gargantuan organization named OPIS that has its tentacles squarely in the apocalyptic event which turned the majority of the world’s population into piles of ash. There’s plenty of action and suspense in this story and I thoroughly enjoyed the read.
*I was provided with an ARC from the author.
April 23, 2021
Shadows of Ash, Book 2, is another successful thrill ride. Unlike a lot of sci-fi monster books, Adrian fills our imaginations with not just one or two, but multiple species of monsters, with conspiracies and relationships in turmoil all crammed into this action-packed series. Never a dull moment, you won't want to put this book down.
April 24, 2021
Great read
Love this series! The story grabs you from page one and keeps getting better. The characters are believable and you hold your breath waiting to see what they'll do next to handle the situation they find themselves facing..again. Can hardly wait for book 3!
Love this series! The story grabs you from page one and keeps getting better. The characters are believable and you hold your breath waiting to see what they'll do next to handle the situation they find themselves facing..again. Can hardly wait for book 3!
May 19, 2021
Top battles
There are factions within factions, each fighting for what they believe in, good and bad. The battles are full of energy, bullets and nanites. Following all the groups of good guys keeps the rhythm and speed of this novel at top revs. Brilliant!
There are factions within factions, each fighting for what they believe in, good and bad. The battles are full of energy, bullets and nanites. Following all the groups of good guys keeps the rhythm and speed of this novel at top revs. Brilliant!
May 24, 2021
You can run
but you definitely cannot hide! This second book propels our heroes forward, and sees the addition of some new faces. Don't hold your breathe because the suspense is non-stop! I absolutely love Adrian Smith's writing and highly recommend you read his works.
but you definitely cannot hide! This second book propels our heroes forward, and sees the addition of some new faces. Don't hold your breathe because the suspense is non-stop! I absolutely love Adrian Smith's writing and highly recommend you read his works.
February 26, 2022
Excellent reading
I enjoying very much reading this story, this is the second book in the series and I cannot wait to start reading book 3. Good characters and an enjoyable storyline.
I enjoying very much reading this story, this is the second book in the series and I cannot wait to start reading book 3. Good characters and an enjoyable storyline.
May 8, 2021
The end of the world just got a whole lot more intense. The stakes are higher, the action grittier in this brilliant post apocalyptic novel. I’m thoroughly hooked.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews