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Crickets #1
Crickets
With the novel CRICKETS, New York Times bestselling author William C. Dietz returns to his military science fiction roots.
When CIA Special Operations officer, Major Jim Carter, is sent to the town of Serene, Texas he’s still grieving for Agent Cathy Abbey, who was not only a fellow agent--but the woman he loved.
And the woman he chose to shoot rather than let Al-Shabaab insurgents abduct her. A decision that haunts him.
When Carter arrives in Serene, it’s to discover that all one hundred and twenty-one citizens of the town have been murdered by insectoid creatures assumed to be extraterrestrials.
None of the authorities know how the aliens arrived on Earth, or what their intentions are, but one thing is for sure… They’re hungry. And they like meat.
During the initial investigation Carter meets army officer and entomologist Anne Blake, who dissects one of the aliens. That’s the beginning of a relationship which will be severely tested as Blake strives to learn everything there is to know about the Prax, the extraterrestrials strive to kill her, and Carter battles to keep the scientist alive.
Millions die, governments fall, and the future of the human race is on the line. CRICKETS.
When CIA Special Operations officer, Major Jim Carter, is sent to the town of Serene, Texas he’s still grieving for Agent Cathy Abbey, who was not only a fellow agent--but the woman he loved.
And the woman he chose to shoot rather than let Al-Shabaab insurgents abduct her. A decision that haunts him.
When Carter arrives in Serene, it’s to discover that all one hundred and twenty-one citizens of the town have been murdered by insectoid creatures assumed to be extraterrestrials.
None of the authorities know how the aliens arrived on Earth, or what their intentions are, but one thing is for sure… They’re hungry. And they like meat.
During the initial investigation Carter meets army officer and entomologist Anne Blake, who dissects one of the aliens. That’s the beginning of a relationship which will be severely tested as Blake strives to learn everything there is to know about the Prax, the extraterrestrials strive to kill her, and Carter battles to keep the scientist alive.
Millions die, governments fall, and the future of the human race is on the line. CRICKETS.
- GenresScience Fiction
314 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 18, 2022
115 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
William C. Dietz
124 books453 followersNew York Times bestselling author William C. Dietz has published more than fifty novels, some of which have been translated into German, Russian, and Japanese. He grew up in the Seattle area, served as a medic with the Navy and Marine Corps, graduated from the University of Washington, and has been employed as a surgical technician, college instructor, and television news writer, director and producer. Before becoming a full-time writer Dietz was director of public relations and marketing for an international telephone company. He and his wife live near Gig Harbor, Washington.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 12, 2023
Review of both volume one and two.
Both are free via Kindle Unlimited and worth every penny.
Ok, I don't see any point in noting every bobble, error and inconsistency in the books. I'll just cite two examples:
The crickets have such hard and thick chitin that ordinary small arms ammunition won't stop them. Soldiers and others use rifles with armor piercing ammunition except when they use 00 buck shot which slaughters crickets. For those who don't know, ordinary 2 3/4 inch, 12 gauge 00 buckshot has nine LEAD pellets of about .32 caliber each. Nothing armor piercing about it. Sometimes the characters use ordinary 9mm handguns which in this book work just as well as armor piercing rifle ammo. At one point the book states that the special team is armed with a Russian 9mm pistol which uses special armor piercing rounds. Only the special team had these and despite that, some of them use ordinary 9mm submachine guns and Glocks just like everyone else. If I remember correctly, a baseball bat also kills a cricket. I don't really care what kills a cricket so long as it's consistent
About two thousand or so crickets have been somehow changed into "cores" which are swirling blue globes. The crickets are ruled by a single prime who is chosen from the cores. The problem? The cores are blue globes but the prime has a body without chitin. No explanation even hinted at.
If you read carefully you will find more nonsense than these two examples such has no one stumbles across any of the cricket hiding places or artifacts in 12,000 years. The writing itself is okay but not comparable to Dietz' early work such as his LEGION series which is similar in concept to Keith Laumer's BOLOS.
Both are free via Kindle Unlimited and worth every penny.
Ok, I don't see any point in noting every bobble, error and inconsistency in the books. I'll just cite two examples:
The crickets have such hard and thick chitin that ordinary small arms ammunition won't stop them. Soldiers and others use rifles with armor piercing ammunition except when they use 00 buck shot which slaughters crickets. For those who don't know, ordinary 2 3/4 inch, 12 gauge 00 buckshot has nine LEAD pellets of about .32 caliber each. Nothing armor piercing about it. Sometimes the characters use ordinary 9mm handguns which in this book work just as well as armor piercing rifle ammo. At one point the book states that the special team is armed with a Russian 9mm pistol which uses special armor piercing rounds. Only the special team had these and despite that, some of them use ordinary 9mm submachine guns and Glocks just like everyone else. If I remember correctly, a baseball bat also kills a cricket. I don't really care what kills a cricket so long as it's consistent
About two thousand or so crickets have been somehow changed into "cores" which are swirling blue globes. The crickets are ruled by a single prime who is chosen from the cores. The problem? The cores are blue globes but the prime has a body without chitin. No explanation even hinted at.
If you read carefully you will find more nonsense than these two examples such has no one stumbles across any of the cricket hiding places or artifacts in 12,000 years. The writing itself is okay but not comparable to Dietz' early work such as his LEGION series which is similar in concept to Keith Laumer's BOLOS.
March 19, 2024
Just could not get into it. Not my cup of tea
August 3, 2022
Very weak.
I gave the book two stars for military tech accuracy, but the rest of the story was very weak on several fronts.
The alien enemy was generic and bland. Basically, being a larger, more advanced form of our earth-based insect life in appearance, as well as internal anatomy and society. Though their technology and intelligence were accelerated, most of it was the stuff of 1950's comic book villains, or less.
The character cast was a tragically woke formula that was blatantly forced.
Insert unrealistically high high number of female characters in advanced combat roles.
Give overly unrealistic number of advanced combat female characters skills, experience and abilities far beyond real world female military personnel.
And so on. I love strong female characters. I love strong female lead characters. But, they must be realistic.
Most male authors do not know how to do this correctly. Some do. The differences are staggering.
Finally, the threat of the antagonist just did not shake or surprise me in any way. They were inhuman, yet predictable by anybody who has ever watched classic alien invasion or monster movies.
I expect more from the books I read.
I gave the book two stars for military tech accuracy, but the rest of the story was very weak on several fronts.
The alien enemy was generic and bland. Basically, being a larger, more advanced form of our earth-based insect life in appearance, as well as internal anatomy and society. Though their technology and intelligence were accelerated, most of it was the stuff of 1950's comic book villains, or less.
The character cast was a tragically woke formula that was blatantly forced.
Insert unrealistically high high number of female characters in advanced combat roles.
Give overly unrealistic number of advanced combat female characters skills, experience and abilities far beyond real world female military personnel.
And so on. I love strong female characters. I love strong female lead characters. But, they must be realistic.
Most male authors do not know how to do this correctly. Some do. The differences are staggering.
Finally, the threat of the antagonist just did not shake or surprise me in any way. They were inhuman, yet predictable by anybody who has ever watched classic alien invasion or monster movies.
I expect more from the books I read.
June 10, 2022
Routine military earth-invaded-by-aliens novel.
I think Dietz is not a very good writer and Crickets is not a very good book. It is riddled with cliches and lazy writing. I see by his credits he has written a ton of books and the law of averages says some must be at least okay but not this one. I’m sorry I wasted my time reading it, it just was not worth it.
I think Dietz is not a very good writer and Crickets is not a very good book. It is riddled with cliches and lazy writing. I see by his credits he has written a ton of books and the law of averages says some must be at least okay but not this one. I’m sorry I wasted my time reading it, it just was not worth it.
August 5, 2023
Poor quality from this author
I've read Ditz's other books and found them quite good, but this effort is back writing at its best. Plot holes, technical errors, cliches, etc.
I've read Ditz's other books and found them quite good, but this effort is back writing at its best. Plot holes, technical errors, cliches, etc.
September 4, 2024
Dietz has lost it man, this was just not very good
August 16, 2023
could’ve gave 3 stars but felt like a number 2
A couple of years ago I found copies of the author’s “America Rising” series at my public library an lay not the best military series was good chacther writing. Then I read this bad joke that drops in quality has never really gos deep into a chacther final moment only woods partly felt like a real death scene for realism.
When I finished the story after going over how I felt about the luck-Lester ability to discripe technology working but with not even a simple explanation tpfor reader just over saying what it can do with stupid names a 3 year could’ve up with better name ing for things. Has it’s said shit rolls down hell an with it get to the over use of egos and guilt conscience that every chacther is effect with in the story that I just did not like them or the world you built into them.
Also I can till you did no research on nuclear weapon counter measures of other countries or the U.S. has you over simplified there use in real actions or they can be stooped. Just another issue I had with story and I just I’m just going to stop here has you can see many disappointments right.
A couple of years ago I found copies of the author’s “America Rising” series at my public library an lay not the best military series was good chacther writing. Then I read this bad joke that drops in quality has never really gos deep into a chacther final moment only woods partly felt like a real death scene for realism.
When I finished the story after going over how I felt about the luck-Lester ability to discripe technology working but with not even a simple explanation tpfor reader just over saying what it can do with stupid names a 3 year could’ve up with better name ing for things. Has it’s said shit rolls down hell an with it get to the over use of egos and guilt conscience that every chacther is effect with in the story that I just did not like them or the world you built into them.
Also I can till you did no research on nuclear weapon counter measures of other countries or the U.S. has you over simplified there use in real actions or they can be stooped. Just another issue I had with story and I just I’m just going to stop here has you can see many disappointments right.
August 28, 2023
Fun, quick read, and hopefully there will be more...
This isn't a lengthy epic with massive world-building in the narrative, but rather it's an easy-to-read & easy-to-digest romp through through a fun and satisfying military/adventure alien-invasion story.
Don't go into it expecting a deeply involved tale like The Expanse by J. Corey, or Odyssey One by E. Currie. Accept it for what it is: fun, light, adventure scifi, and you should have a great time.
I'm really glad I picked this one up on a whim from Kindle Unlimited, and personally, I'm crossing my fingers that it does well enough that the author writes a sequel or two.
This isn't a lengthy epic with massive world-building in the narrative, but rather it's an easy-to-read & easy-to-digest romp through through a fun and satisfying military/adventure alien-invasion story.
Don't go into it expecting a deeply involved tale like The Expanse by J. Corey, or Odyssey One by E. Currie. Accept it for what it is: fun, light, adventure scifi, and you should have a great time.
I'm really glad I picked this one up on a whim from Kindle Unlimited, and personally, I'm crossing my fingers that it does well enough that the author writes a sequel or two.
July 11, 2022
Unexpected Wow
I have read books by the author for years, a and was totally uncertain what to expect. I found a tight, plausible, military sci-fi novel that was well crafted and enjoyable to read. I could see it S either the first in a series, or a one off.
I have read books by the author for years, a and was totally uncertain what to expect. I found a tight, plausible, military sci-fi novel that was well crafted and enjoyable to read. I could see it S either the first in a series, or a one off.
Read
July 20, 2022Very good Sci-fi Military read
I really enjoy these types of books, and this one was not a let down. Tons of action and surprises, with our military having no super duper advanced secret weapons to use on the alien invaders. I'm definitely in for a book 2 !
I really enjoy these types of books, and this one was not a let down. Tons of action and surprises, with our military having no super duper advanced secret weapons to use on the alien invaders. I'm definitely in for a book 2 !
September 9, 2022
Good old mil sci-fi
If you're looking for an old fashioned military sci-fi romp then this is it. Fast paced, brutal, plenty of action, intrigue and human bs. The enemy is relentless and single minded, we're nothing but food. Fight or be fed on.
If you're looking for an old fashioned military sci-fi romp then this is it. Fast paced, brutal, plenty of action, intrigue and human bs. The enemy is relentless and single minded, we're nothing but food. Fight or be fed on.
July 31, 2023
Wow If You Like Alien Invasions Read This!
Diets is a very accomplished writer (in my opinion) and all of his stories need to be read! This one is fascinating horrifically real and exciting by turns.
Diets is a very accomplished writer (in my opinion) and all of his stories need to be read! This one is fascinating horrifically real and exciting by turns.
April 19, 2022
Entertaining
The details of actual weapons were well done the story line was entertaining as always in the works of William Dietz
The details of actual weapons were well done the story line was entertaining as always in the works of William Dietz
April 24, 2022
Really enjoyed this book.
Really enjoyed this book. Like the return to more straight military scifi. Really hope that there is a book two.
Really enjoyed this book. Like the return to more straight military scifi. Really hope that there is a book two.
April 24, 2022
great book
Been reading William Dietz books for years and this one did not disappoint. Great story from start to finish, hope you enjoy it also.
Been reading William Dietz books for years and this one did not disappoint. Great story from start to finish, hope you enjoy it also.
May 11, 2022
Finally back to your roots! PNW.
Good read! Along the lines of the Leigon of the damed enjoyable read fast moving and a good storyline . Hope to more .
Good read! Along the lines of the Leigon of the damed enjoyable read fast moving and a good storyline . Hope to more .
June 21, 2022
New Style
The author has never failed to entertain me. How ever, I was surprised when he took off in this direction. And it is a very successful effort, full of entertaining "goop".
The author has never failed to entertain me. How ever, I was surprised when he took off in this direction. And it is a very successful effort, full of entertaining "goop".
July 1, 2022
Ok read
It was ok
Was a nice read but nothing special, good syfy and military adventure. Good luck and stay safe
It was ok
Was a nice read but nothing special, good syfy and military adventure. Good luck and stay safe
July 10, 2022
Good, but a little scary. Shows, ya never know!
July 23, 2022
This story moves fast, very good
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews