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Longshot
A brand new novel written in the BLOCKBUSTER, BESTSELLING, and READER-LOVED Alien Invasionuniverse.
While Las Vegas burns, John Abbot is on fire.
What's a Gambler to do when the kind of winning streak he's only ever dreamed about hits just as aliens invade and it looks like the world is coming to an end?
Even while Las Vegas catches fire all around him, John Abbot decides to let it ride. For the first time in his life it feels like he can do no wrong. But it's gonna take more than a boatload of chips to survive the alien apocalypse. It might even require him to pull together the motley crew of left-over lowlifes and Vegas vagabonds to embark on a high-risk crusade.
In order to get a dying alien to Area 51, and hopefully save the world, John's only hope is a disillusioned showgirl, a snarky comedian, a cynical slot machine junkie, and the rest of the Las Vegas leftovers.
Unless they die, and destroy the universe along the way.
It's a race against time as the aliens arrive in this new stand-alone book in the Alien Invasion universe.
While Las Vegas burns, John Abbot is on fire.
What's a Gambler to do when the kind of winning streak he's only ever dreamed about hits just as aliens invade and it looks like the world is coming to an end?
Even while Las Vegas catches fire all around him, John Abbot decides to let it ride. For the first time in his life it feels like he can do no wrong. But it's gonna take more than a boatload of chips to survive the alien apocalypse. It might even require him to pull together the motley crew of left-over lowlifes and Vegas vagabonds to embark on a high-risk crusade.
In order to get a dying alien to Area 51, and hopefully save the world, John's only hope is a disillusioned showgirl, a snarky comedian, a cynical slot machine junkie, and the rest of the Las Vegas leftovers.
Unless they die, and destroy the universe along the way.
It's a race against time as the aliens arrive in this new stand-alone book in the Alien Invasion universe.
- GenresScience FictionFiction
210 pages, Nook
First published November 3, 2020
470 people are currently reading
231 people want to read
About the author
Sean Platt
334 books826 followersSean loves writing books, even more than reading them. He is co-founder of Collective Inkwell and Realm & Sands imprints, writes for children under the name Guy Incognito, and has more than his share of nose.
Together with co-authors David Wright and Johnny B. Truant, Sean has written the series Yesterdays Gone, WhiteSpace, ForNevermore, Available Darkness, Dark Crossings, Unicorn Western, The Beam, Namaste, Robot Proletariat, Cursed, Greens, Space Shuttle, and Everyone Gets Divorced. He also co-wrote the how-to indie book, Write. Publish. Repeat.
With Collective Inkwell
Yesterday's Gone: Post Apocalyptic - LOST by way of The Stand
WhiteSpace: Paranoid thriller on fictitious Hamilton Island
ForNevermore: YA horror that reads nothing like YA Horror
Available Darkness: A new breed of vampire thriller
Dark Crossings: Short stories, killer endings
With 47North
Z 2134: The Walking Dead meets The Hunger Games
Monstrous: Beauty and the Beast meets The Punisher
With Realm & Sands
Unicorn Western: The best story to ever come from a stupid idea
The Beam: Smart sci-fi to make you wonder exactly who we are
Namaste: A revenge thriller like nothing you've ever read
Robot Proletariat: The revolution starts here
Cursed: The old werewolf legend turned upside down
Greens: Retail noir comedy
Space Shuttle: Over the top comedy with all your favorite sci-fi characters
Everyone Gets Divorced: Like "Always Sunny" and "How I Met Your Mother" had a baby on your Kindle
Sean lives in Austin, TX with his wife, daughter, and son.
Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/seanplatt (say hi so he can follow you back!)
Together with co-authors David Wright and Johnny B. Truant, Sean has written the series Yesterdays Gone, WhiteSpace, ForNevermore, Available Darkness, Dark Crossings, Unicorn Western, The Beam, Namaste, Robot Proletariat, Cursed, Greens, Space Shuttle, and Everyone Gets Divorced. He also co-wrote the how-to indie book, Write. Publish. Repeat.
With Collective Inkwell
Yesterday's Gone: Post Apocalyptic - LOST by way of The Stand
WhiteSpace: Paranoid thriller on fictitious Hamilton Island
ForNevermore: YA horror that reads nothing like YA Horror
Available Darkness: A new breed of vampire thriller
Dark Crossings: Short stories, killer endings
With 47North
Z 2134: The Walking Dead meets The Hunger Games
Monstrous: Beauty and the Beast meets The Punisher
With Realm & Sands
Unicorn Western: The best story to ever come from a stupid idea
The Beam: Smart sci-fi to make you wonder exactly who we are
Namaste: A revenge thriller like nothing you've ever read
Robot Proletariat: The revolution starts here
Cursed: The old werewolf legend turned upside down
Greens: Retail noir comedy
Space Shuttle: Over the top comedy with all your favorite sci-fi characters
Everyone Gets Divorced: Like "Always Sunny" and "How I Met Your Mother" had a baby on your Kindle
Sean lives in Austin, TX with his wife, daughter, and son.
Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/seanplatt (say hi so he can follow you back!)
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
July 12, 2021
I like first contact stories and alien invasions and this one starts out quite promisingly. It’s centered on a group of survivors in a Vegas casino who frankly don’t know what to do with themselves now that the aliens have come and the world is falling apart. Unfortunately, the story never really picks up speed and never really gains that spark of excitement and discovery that makes this subgenre of story so exciting. It should have. There’s a very interesting alien trap, a rendezvous with Area 51, and an ending that certainly veers off into seldom trod territory for invasion stories. Yet it didn’t quite work despite these promising features.
The biggest problem the size of the cast. It’s way too big and each of them gets a lot of screen time from their own POV. This might have worked in a longer book where lots of things were happening along the way, but because of the multiple perspectives, the introductory phase of the story lingers much too long and when something finally happens, they spend much too much time worrying about the thing, trying to convince themselves to take a chance and do something to take control of their fate.
When they finally decide to do that, their plan doesn’t really makes sense. They walk into a trap that kills some of them in a very bizarre way and they just keep walking into it. Then we get to examine the affect on each of them and it just further slows down a book that is already crawling.
The Area 51 portion of the story finally picks up a little speed, but the heroes make strange decisions that leads to an ending that feels like total loss even though it is my impression that it wasn’t supposed to feel that way.
I’m left more perplexed then enthralled.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
The biggest problem the size of the cast. It’s way too big and each of them gets a lot of screen time from their own POV. This might have worked in a longer book where lots of things were happening along the way, but because of the multiple perspectives, the introductory phase of the story lingers much too long and when something finally happens, they spend much too much time worrying about the thing, trying to convince themselves to take a chance and do something to take control of their fate.
When they finally decide to do that, their plan doesn’t really makes sense. They walk into a trap that kills some of them in a very bizarre way and they just keep walking into it. Then we get to examine the affect on each of them and it just further slows down a book that is already crawling.
The Area 51 portion of the story finally picks up a little speed, but the heroes make strange decisions that leads to an ending that feels like total loss even though it is my impression that it wasn’t supposed to feel that way.
I’m left more perplexed then enthralled.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
September 8, 2021
Meh
I understand its a series, but taking an engaging story like this and screwing up the ending so you have to buy the next book sucks.
No wrap up. No questions answered. Batter to not start reading in the first place
I understand its a series, but taking an engaging story like this and screwing up the ending so you have to buy the next book sucks.
No wrap up. No questions answered. Batter to not start reading in the first place
March 15, 2021
Short but entertaining. Told from the perspectives of a number of survivors of an alien invasion who had been taking refuge in an aged Las Vegas casino resort. They get caught up in a bigger game relating to the invasion after an alien vessel crashes through the front lobby.
A difficulty of telling stories like this is keeping readers engaged with the motivations of each character. I thought that Todd could have been given more airtime to fully prime readers to the role he plays in the climax. I was largely sympathetic to the cast save for the bride and the friend zone groom.
I wasn't too pleased with the handling of the showgirl, and i saw more potential with her character.
I got the feeling the authors weren't too set on the main character but the gambler, John Abbott, ended up largely fading into obscurity. I would have liked to see more of him too.
The story itself is intriguing and enjoyable.
A difficulty of telling stories like this is keeping readers engaged with the motivations of each character. I thought that Todd could have been given more airtime to fully prime readers to the role he plays in the climax. I was largely sympathetic to the cast save for the bride and the friend zone groom.
I wasn't too pleased with the handling of the showgirl, and i saw more potential with her character.
I got the feeling the authors weren't too set on the main character but the gambler, John Abbott, ended up largely fading into obscurity. I would have liked to see more of him too.
The story itself is intriguing and enjoyable.
May 29, 2021
What Happens In Vegas...
For all the fantasy that Vegas represents, setting it as the central point of an alien invasion seems somehow appropriate. An interesting mix of characters (all of whom for the most part are rather unlikeable) sets the stage for an unlikely adventure of otherworldly proportions. Blake and Truant do a fine job of moving the story forward while setting the stage for the larger premise. The take on the aliens' goal is both thought-provoking and disturbing.
For all the fantasy that Vegas represents, setting it as the central point of an alien invasion seems somehow appropriate. An interesting mix of characters (all of whom for the most part are rather unlikeable) sets the stage for an unlikely adventure of otherworldly proportions. Blake and Truant do a fine job of moving the story forward while setting the stage for the larger premise. The take on the aliens' goal is both thought-provoking and disturbing.
June 12, 2021
Interesting and definitely different. Not what I expected when I began it, but it kept me flipping through the pages quickly, adjusting my preconceived notions as I went. I wish I'd known this was a prequel type story with a long series after it before I began. Worth the read, but I don't have the time or the patience for a long series right now. If you do, you'll probably be in for a wild ride.
March 22, 2022
This book has potential. The series actually. There was a lot of lead-in, pretty much this whole novel, but it got intriguing at the end. I plan to read the rest of the series. If you are ok investing the time in meeting the characters, the book is well written, the story is novel and entertaining, and the development, though slow, is solid. It feels like book two will be the hook and I am looking forward to it.
July 11, 2022
Entertaining fantasy listening 🎶🔰
Another will written fantasy Sci-Fi aliens invading earth 🌎 adventure thriller novel by Avery Blake and Johnny B. Truant about a space aliens invasion of Las Vegas and what happens to twelve people trapped in a casino 🎰. I would recommend this novel to readers of fantasy Sci-Fi space adventure novels 👍🔰. Enjoy the adventure of reading all kinds of different types of novels and books 📚. 2022 👒💼😊
Another will written fantasy Sci-Fi aliens invading earth 🌎 adventure thriller novel by Avery Blake and Johnny B. Truant about a space aliens invasion of Las Vegas and what happens to twelve people trapped in a casino 🎰. I would recommend this novel to readers of fantasy Sci-Fi space adventure novels 👍🔰. Enjoy the adventure of reading all kinds of different types of novels and books 📚. 2022 👒💼😊
June 1, 2021
Interesting in a bazaar why.
It kept me reading only in that I wondered if there would be a point where the story became interesting. I hate putting a book down once I have started reading. I guess I am just not inclined to enjoy this type of nerative. Sorry but I just never got it.
It kept me reading only in that I wondered if there would be a point where the story became interesting. I hate putting a book down once I have started reading. I guess I am just not inclined to enjoy this type of nerative. Sorry but I just never got it.
June 4, 2021
A unique take on the alien abductions experience
This is a pretty fast paced story with rich, complex characters and a very intriguing plot. I was caught up very quickly an had to read the whole thing over several hours in one day. Ideas often explored by ancient astronaut theorists are skillfully interwoven with new age concepts to give us a ragtag bunch of people in Las Vegas when the aliens do land. Turns out there’s more to all this than meets the eye.
This is a pretty fast paced story with rich, complex characters and a very intriguing plot. I was caught up very quickly an had to read the whole thing over several hours in one day. Ideas often explored by ancient astronaut theorists are skillfully interwoven with new age concepts to give us a ragtag bunch of people in Las Vegas when the aliens do land. Turns out there’s more to all this than meets the eye.
January 9, 2021
more like sling shot
Here are 5 people are drawn together can they save the world can they conquer aliens can they figure out the mystery of why this is happening very intriguing highly interesting I loved it
Here are 5 people are drawn together can they save the world can they conquer aliens can they figure out the mystery of why this is happening very intriguing highly interesting I loved it
May 24, 2021
Mediocre
The characters were interesting and overall the writing was good but the plot is a B movie plot with some hokey new age stuff thrown in. Not a fan and will not be reading more but maybe if 70s style sci-fi is your thing it would work for you.
The characters were interesting and overall the writing was good but the plot is a B movie plot with some hokey new age stuff thrown in. Not a fan and will not be reading more but maybe if 70s style sci-fi is your thing it would work for you.
May 28, 2021
Strange head trip
When I started reading I thought it was a 70s smoking party ... halfway through I still thought that. This is the strangest book I’ve read in a long while, but when finished, I realized that i had enjoyed it and was craving more. Well done, Johnny.
When I started reading I thought it was a 70s smoking party ... halfway through I still thought that. This is the strangest book I’ve read in a long while, but when finished, I realized that i had enjoyed it and was craving more. Well done, Johnny.
May 28, 2021
Really a good story about alien invasion because they want to study and influence human behaviour and are not just intent on world domination and destruction of the planet or species. Not what you expect of an advanced alien race.
October 22, 2023
Hard to get into but worth it
It took me quite a bit of effort to get through the beginning of this, but once they left Vegas, it sucked me in and now I want to know what happens next.
It took me quite a bit of effort to get through the beginning of this, but once they left Vegas, it sucked me in and now I want to know what happens next.
June 12, 2024
Muddy
The plot remained ambiguous. Dialogue and flow was poor at best. The characters were poorly created and sub-par at best. There was very little scene settings. I suggest a hard pass on this book and the following series.
The plot remained ambiguous. Dialogue and flow was poor at best. The characters were poorly created and sub-par at best. There was very little scene settings. I suggest a hard pass on this book and the following series.
May 22, 2021
This was supposed to be funny...
The people were unlikable, the situation tense, and the book is apparently just a small part of the story. Meh.
The people were unlikable, the situation tense, and the book is apparently just a small part of the story. Meh.
Read
May 23, 2021The characters except for maybe 3 were all selfish and vulgar. The plot didn't make sense at the end.
May 30, 2021
I couldn’t get into it. I kept getting lost.
June 12, 2021
Longshot
Different , curious cast of characters leaving it to the very end to fit it together. Not sure I want to read the further volumes.
Different , curious cast of characters leaving it to the very end to fit it together. Not sure I want to read the further volumes.
July 17, 2021
Mildly entertaining
September 3, 2021
Not a light read
A varied cast of characters with depth allows the story to progress slowly but with background integral to the parts they all play. The build up to the mystery yet to be unraveled is interesting and the aliens’ abilities definitely intrigue. Warrants further investigation.
A varied cast of characters with depth allows the story to progress slowly but with background integral to the parts they all play. The build up to the mystery yet to be unraveled is interesting and the aliens’ abilities definitely intrigue. Warrants further investigation.
October 15, 2021
Invasion
This story held my interest the whole way through to the end. Not too many characters to confuse the story line
This story held my interest the whole way through to the end. Not too many characters to confuse the story line
February 1, 2022
Gave up reading the book, couldn't get into the story.didnt float my boat
June 8, 2024
Weird. Too many vague goings on. Answers obtained only by reading the sequels.
July 10, 2025
Disjointed alien invasion, area 51 is a government base total involved. Purchased Kindle book from Amazon for free on May 29, 2021.
May 1, 2022
I didn’t like anything about this book. Very surprised that I read it to the end.
Disliked the characters, the format and the overall story line.
Maybe just not smart enough to grasp what the author was trying to put forth.
Will not be buying the series.
Disliked the characters, the format and the overall story line.
Maybe just not smart enough to grasp what the author was trying to put forth.
Will not be buying the series.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews