SET IN A POST-APOCALYPTIC, DYSTOPIAN NEAR FUTURE, Jack Lanigan is a traumatized Former CIA agent working as a security guard in Polaris - a powerful security agency that acts as its own nation-state within the city of Chicago. When Jack accidentally mistakes the president of Polaris for a thief, he shoots and kills the most powerful man in the agency. Condemned to execution without trial, Jack manages to escape, but finds himself amidst a manhunt that leads him on a trail of conspiracy he never could have expected. Polaris may be behind one of the world’s most deadly biological weapons, and Jack realizes he may have already had a role in its horrifying production. Determined to set things right, Jack joins forces with a team of rag-tag former agents in a mission to expose Polaris’ crimes.
I am a landscaper by trade and spend as much time outdoors as I can. Polaris: Contagion is my first *published* novel and my goal is to smash genres together and break expectations.
“They’re gonna laugh. That’s ok. Keep writing.” - Lin Manuel Miranda
Okay…wow. People need to pick this one up. Niki Block is not messing around. This is a dark, gritty, fast paced dystopian thriller with a complex plot and gripping cast of characters. I wasn’t sure I would like this because it’s very military-ish (which isn’t something I gravitate toward), but Block managed to make me care a lot. Loved the ending. It was everything I hoped it would be. I’m very fond of these characters now.
Set in a post-apocalyptic futuristic world, Block’s fast-paced debut thriller features high action and a thoughtful exploration of ethical issues relating to genetic experimentation.
Struggling to deal with his inner demons, the Former CIA Agent Jack Lanigan is working as a security guard in Polaris, a powerful security agency that acts as its own nation-state within the city of Chicago. But an unfortunate accident sends him on the run from the authorities and in the middle of a sinister conspiracy, with the high and mighty of Polaris involved.
Block grabs the reader’s interest from the first page while creating intriguing characters struggling through trauma and emotional pain. Jack’s bond with Liv is endearing, but it’s his unlikely friendship with Little Waya that steals the show.
Jack’s quest to unravel the mystery of Polaris’s biological weapon, set against the bleak setting of futuristic earth, not only makes for an addictive reading experience but also invites readers into an exploration of morality, grief, trauma, and familial relationships. Block is off to a great start.
Mind blowing, action packed read that's never lacking!!
This book reminded me a bit of the movie and show shooter, so if you like those kinds of reads then you will love this. The conspiracy and twists and turns never end in this long novel. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the characters changes and grow throughout the book. Jack was an interesting addition. After he shoots and kills the president his life turns into a nightmare. Framed long before that moment Jack learns along the way who framed him and how high up it goes in the chair of command and the reasons behind him being their scape goat and what they are planning is an unspeakable twist which will have you in tears. Jack starts out closed off and refusing to share or reserve even the smallest of details with anyone around him, even the group hes working with on his missions. Seeing him grow and change was the best part of this book for me. I also loved the pace of watching the change because something so drastic doesn't happen over night and the author did an amazing job of showing that and making you feel for his character and go along for the ride with him. Confusion and uncertainty set in when he finds himself slowly developing feelings for a woman that he can't explain. It takes him 3 quarters of the book to make sense of it and finally let go and dive into something hes never had before. I also loved Drews character he was a funny and nice addition to the group and definitely needed in order to add some laughs among the craziness going on in their lives but my favorite was the strong female character Liv. Livs strength and kindness was amazing and I loved being apart of her journey. Overall I enjoyed this book very much. Not really my normal read and with that being said I kept turning the pages. The only thing is I found it hard at times to keep all the names right when reading. The government team was hard at times because sometimes it was their first names being used and other times it was their last and then there were two character, Wheeler and Wallace, for me it was too close of a name and I would often get confused on who was involved in the scene. But that might just be me. This book was worth the read and can't wait to see what the author comes up with next!
There are a lot of genres of books but sometimes you need to pick some specific to learn a particular aspect of life. Have you ever thought if you could read something with some incredible scenes, the perfect things so recently I came across the book.
➡️Starting with the title of the story, the title is so joyful that makes your heart happy and for title I will certainly rate it 1/1. Cover of the novel is attractive and matches the plot of the story, you will get to know when you will read this one out.
➡️Polaris Contagion by Niki Block is a decent read of 525 pages and it’s available on amazon. I finished this one in last night.
➡️The story of Detective is a kind of fiction in which an investigator, a novice or an expert, discusses wrongdoing or an incident. The wrongdoing involves a minimum of one killing in few special cases.
➡️The storey begins with a suspicious entry called the CIA agent Jack and posted a ground-breaking security organisation as its own country state in the city of Chicago, as a police guard in Polaris. At the time that Jack confuses Polaris' leader with a caprice unintentionally, he shoots and kills the office's most influential man.
➡️Talking about the words and the language in the book, they were easy and understandable. Hat’s it from my side, if you have any questions regarding the book please comment below, I would be happy to answer all of them. The choice of words is just as amazing as the writing skills of the author. So, there is absolutely no reason left to not pick this book up. So, what are you guys waiting for go grab your copy fast.
MIND BLOWN!!! That’s the first feeling I got after reading this interesting book. Although the book was a bit lengthier than my reading preferences but at no point, I lost interest or was deviated from the story lineup. The characters are quite beautifully described by the author and the story environment was mesmerizing for a reader like me. Talking about the story lineup, it’s a world after the apocalypse where polaris is a powerful security agency in the city of Chicago. The lead of the narration is Jack Lanigan who is a former CIA agent and works in polaris as a security agent. One of the usual days, the lead mistakes the president of polaris (the most powerful man in the agency) to be a thief and shoots him resulting in his death. Next what, he was sentenced to execution without any trial and Jack is ON A RUN!! He escapes the situation but is a victim of a manhunt (similar to assassins in mad max fury) but he comes across the never imagined conspiracies. He realises that polaris is in the way of building the most powerful biological weapons and in turn joins a team of militants who works n the same cause against polaris. I utterly enjoyed reading the book and it was similar to watching a action thriller movie. All the scenes were well described, and the story flew at a fast pace. Will surely recommend to people who love to read novels. But for people interested in short stories, its not for you. ENJOY THIS BEAUTY!!!
"Polaris: Contagion" is a thrilling, fast-paced dystopian novel that will leave readers on the edge of their seats. The story follows Jack Lanigan, a haunted former CIA agent who works for Polaris, one of the world's most secure nations/companies. After accidentally shooting and killing the president of Polaris, Jack is sentenced to death without a trial. However, he manages to escape and discovers a terrifying secret about the organization he was working for.
The protagonist, Jack Lanigan, is a powerful and intriguing character who keeps the reader engaged throughout the book. The author's writing style is excellent and the plot is full of action, mystery, and suspense. The book's world-building is imaginative and dark, creating an immersive reading experience.
Readers who enjoy dystopian and action-thriller novels will find "Polaris: Contagion" to be a fascinating and entertaining read. Unlike many other thriller novels, the book's characters are realistic and vulnerable, making their victories all the more satisfying. The female characters in the novel are particularly strong, capable of killing their enemies with ease.
Overall, "Polaris: Contagion" is an engaging and exciting book that will leave readers wanting more. The author has done an excellent job of creating a world that feels real and characters that readers can root for. Highly recommended for fans of the genre.
"Polaris: Contagion" is a dystopian, dark, apocalyptic sci-fi novel with a powerful main character / protagonist and an interesting plot. The protagonist, Jack Lanigan, is a haunted former CIA agent working for one of the world’s most secure nations / companies, called Polaris. When he shoots and kills the wrong person (in this case, the president of Polaris), he is sentenced without trial to death for his crime. At the last minute, Jack is able to escape, however, he discovers a terrifying secret about the organization he was working for. Polaris is behind one of the world’s most deadly biological weapons and Jack has unknowingly played a big role in this. To protect himself and correct things in the best way possible, Jack teams up with a team of former agents. Overall, this book is full of action, mystery and suspense. The writing is excellent and the author has done an amazing job in making you, the reader, travel to this imaginative, dark, dystopian, apocalyptic world. Fans of "Blade Runner" and "The Divergent" series will find this read very interesting, intriguing and entertaining.
Polaris: Contagion is an excellent thriller novel with excellent pacing. When it comes to fast-paced action books, you can have them done well or feel like you're being dragged by your face into a brick wall. This book is well-paced, and you will find that there isn't much in the way of downtime, but you're also not exhausted. As for craft elements, that I might comment on usually, this genre is a bit outside my typical compendium. I picked it up out of curiosity, and I think I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the James Bond or the Mission Impossible series.
With high tension and high stakes from beginning to end, both for the main character and for the world at large, this book keeps you wanting more until the very end, and I think it is an excellent example of how a thriller can keep you rooted to the page for an extended period. It reminded me a bit of my first read of the Da Vinci Code, though it has very little in common other than the rapid pacing and phenomenal mystery behind the whole event.
How do I even begin to describe how amazing this book was to read? I found myself unable to put it down, but dreading picking it back up because I didn't want the story to end. The author did a fantastic job building a world and filling it with well developed characters.
The main character, Jack, is dynamic and keeps you on the edge of your seat as your reading. Jack is an absolute enigma that you just deeply want to understand throughout the whole book.
There were times in the book where I was angry, intrigued, joyful, and just plain wary for what the characters were going through. I found myself assessing myself and what I would like to think I would do in the various situations established throughout the book. Even the ending was different than what I expected. It was a roller coaster of emotion and intrigue that I would highly suggest to anyone.
As a huge of contemporaries and dystopian novels, I liked this. This was an engaging, exciting and fun book.
The story is set in a post-apocalyptic near future where Jack Lanigan, a former CIA agent, works at Polaris as a security guard. Polaris is a powerful security agency in Chicago. While on duty, he accidentally shoots the president of Polaris, who is the world's most powerful man. He's then lead to execution but manages to escape from there. On his way, he finds some controversial and shocking news.
This book was very fast-paced and adventurous. I enjoyed it a lot. The writing style was engaging and immersing. I found the plot fascinating. The author's way of telling the story interesting.
I enjoyed this one and would recommend it to the fans of thrillers and dystopian.
Polaris isn’t a book I’d normally buy. Thriller novels tend to get a little formulaic. The James Bond character who seems to get hurt, but it doesn’t hinder him in any way. The “strong” female character who constantly needs saving. Blech!
This book as none of that. These characters get hurt. bad. The female characters can kill you five times before you know you’re dead. Doesn’t make sense? Too bad; you’re dead.
You’re going to feel everything that happens to characters in Polaris. You will feel their urgency, you will feel their anger, you will feel their triumph and you will feel their pain.
This book feels…real, and I'm so happy I got to read it!
Contagion (Polaris Book 1) By – Niki Block Format – Kindle Edition Print Length – 525 Pages My Ratings – 4.6/5
👮🏻♂️Contagion by Niki Block is Polaris Book 1. The plot revolves around Jack Lanigan, a traumatised CIA agent who is so good at his profession that he was taken out of the field to work the beat in Polaris, the most secretive place in the world with the highest security in the world.
👮🏻♂️Jack, Duggie, Frost and Kiltcher were on the squad. One day, Jack mistakenly mistook the president of Polaris for a criminal and killed him. He mistakenly murdered the most important man in the Agency. Now Jack was under an investigation by Leslie Knoll, Deputy Polaris Coordinator.
👮🏻♂️Now, he comes across the Joint Special Operations Command and they told him that now he's going to be hanged for his acts, it was a death sentence. They bound him and carried him to a position where he could be killed, but Jack managed to escape.
👮🏻♂️Now, however, he finds himself in the middle of a manhunt that takes him down a road of conspiracy he could never have predicted. Polaris may be behind one of the world's deadliest biological weapons, and Jack knows that he may have played a role in his horrifying creation.
👮🏻♂️Without revealing much about the plot I would just ask you all to go and grab yours copy of this amazing thriller to know what happens further.
👮🏻♂️Title of the book goes well with the plot and I really liked the Book Cover, it’s attractive and the skull caught my attention at the very first moment and left me intrigued. Jack’s character is portrayed brilliantly and the book comes with a smooth narration and simple language.
👮🏻♂️Overall, I really liked the book, though it was a long read but I wasn’t bored for even a single moment and was into the book completely. The plot kept me hooked as it’s a perfect thriller and will provide proper chills to its readers. A highly recommended book from my side to everyone out there.
⭐Have you ever fall in the situation where you don't have any chance to escape or in ugly middle position? The answer could be no. You will find the same situation of the protagonist jack, who caught in the middle of the things. Jack is a CIA agent who is working already working for it. He got the duty at the high priority place in the world as an investigation officer. Due to his negligence and misunderstanding he took the chief officer as a thief and shoot him there. Later he found that he was the president of the Polaris. Due to his action he was taken to the joint special organization and given the word of death. So without a trial, Jack tries to flee, only to find himself in the middle of a manhunt that takes him down a path of conspiracy he could never have imagined. Polaris may be responsible for one of the world's most lethal biological weapons, and Jack knows he may have played a part in its development. Jack joins forces with a ragtag group of convicted criminals in order to put things right. Talking about the outer look. The book cover is designed with perfection and the title of the book also fascinated me to go through this book. The plot of the book is intriguing and the pace of the story is not to slow. Because the length the book is 525 pages. But I feel connected to this book while reading it. I would request and recommend to all of you read this book and it is available on Amazon.
Polaris by Niki Block is an action packed adventure in a dystopian future where large corrupt corporations run the world and have all the power. The world within this book is deep with a modern history and an alternative timeline to ours, and it holds what I see to be an interesting reflection and maybe a warning to our own world.
I really liked Jack's character from the start. It was interesting to see how much his duties meant to him and how they were subverted when he met Liv and the others of his crew following his condemnation. I liked other characters too like Little and Archer and felt like each of them had their turn for development - the author has spent a lot of time making them likeable and relatable.
The writing style is third person present tense which is unusual but I felt the author delivered it well. It gave an urgency to the plot and the action scenes, which were well paved and never far away. This really made for a thrilling read. There was a few sections in the early middle that were really well executed and I thoroughly enjoyed them.
Polaris: Contagion is the thrill ride that never ends. Every time it seems like things are beginning to resolve themselves, Block throws in another twist to keep you turning those pages. If you like action-packed thrillers with a touch of sci-fi, you will love this book. I can't wait for the sequel!