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Heartland Aliens #1
Invasion
THEY INVADED.
THEY CONQUERED.
THEY UNDERESTIMATED.
The War of the Worlds gets turbocharged in this nonstop action-packed thriller about a group of survivors thrust into extraordinary circumstances.
When aliens arrive on Earth, the tiny town of Little Creek isn't any more prepared than the rest of the planet.
Without warning or provocation, the otherworldly creatures begin to lay waste to everything.
In the chaos that follows, an unlikely group bands together:
- A beauty queen with something to prove...
- A shopkeeper with something to hide...
- A shellshocked teenager set on revenge...
- And a world-weary veteran desperate to save them all.
As time runs out, this ragtag crew must find a way to fight back against the alien forces massing around them.
What are they? What do they want? How can they be stopped?
If they fail, it won't just be Little Creek that is lost.
It will be all of humanity.
From the bestselling author of Artifact comes a story of survival and determination in the face of overwhelming odds.
THEY CONQUERED.
THEY UNDERESTIMATED.
The War of the Worlds gets turbocharged in this nonstop action-packed thriller about a group of survivors thrust into extraordinary circumstances.
When aliens arrive on Earth, the tiny town of Little Creek isn't any more prepared than the rest of the planet.
Without warning or provocation, the otherworldly creatures begin to lay waste to everything.
In the chaos that follows, an unlikely group bands together:
- A beauty queen with something to prove...
- A shopkeeper with something to hide...
- A shellshocked teenager set on revenge...
- And a world-weary veteran desperate to save them all.
As time runs out, this ragtag crew must find a way to fight back against the alien forces massing around them.
What are they? What do they want? How can they be stopped?
If they fail, it won't just be Little Creek that is lost.
It will be all of humanity.
From the bestselling author of Artifact comes a story of survival and determination in the face of overwhelming odds.
358 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 26, 2022
1246 people are currently reading
388 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
July 27, 2022
Invasion (Heartland Aliens Book 1) is a heart thumping, full-on adrenaline rush with little to no pause. Personally, I could have used some time to catch my breath now and then! Don’t start reading at night because you won’t be able to put this book down.
I reviewed an Advance Reader copy of this book.
I reviewed an Advance Reader copy of this book.
July 27, 2022
Kobo epub 306 pages
A fine opening chapter! With (acknowledged, I think) riffs to HG Wells this focusses on the small town of Little Creek, more specifically on a small number of survivors of the initial landings, with brief interludes showing events elsewhere in the world.
Fast-moving we see how different people react to the invasion, sometimes in surprising ways - and as the book reaches its climax a surprising hero emerges...
Only complaint - now I need the next book!
A fine opening chapter! With (acknowledged, I think) riffs to HG Wells this focusses on the small town of Little Creek, more specifically on a small number of survivors of the initial landings, with brief interludes showing events elsewhere in the world.
Fast-moving we see how different people react to the invasion, sometimes in surprising ways - and as the book reaches its climax a surprising hero emerges...
Only complaint - now I need the next book!
July 26, 2022
This is really good! I really enjoyed this fast paced, exciting, alien invasion story! A brilliant start to the series, grabbed me from the very start & I flew through to the end, now I can't wait for he next part! A great sci fi adventure! I do recommend!
July 26, 2022
An excellent story. What is thought of as a meteor shower turns out to be an alien invasion. Some people are more prepared thnn others. But it appears the government was aware for some time but did n ot act. The author is nable to table individual charcaters and match them up for an action packed read.
December 16, 2022
Action packed alien invasion story. Four stars- it was just missing a little something.
December 22, 2022
DNF @30%
August 28, 2022
This is the first book I've read from this author, so I went into it knowing nothing.
The first thing that threw me off is that the book isn't set in Kansas, Nebraska, or Iowa but in south Pennsylvania, which to me isn't the heartland of America.
A message comes from space but it takes our scientists a long time to decipher it (or maybe it doesn't. This part isn't very clear). Either way, the government has gone into hiding while leaving citizens to fend for themselves.
In the small, fictional town of Little Creek, everyone is excited to see the meteoroid shower. Except guess what? The meteoroids are not what they seem. They're aliens in their equivalent of escape pods come to take over the Earth.
I won't spoil who the aliens are or what happens after that. The author does a good job of keeping the action pushing forward while dropping clues for what's going to happen later in the series. We have Len the guy who knew they were coming and set up a bunker in preparation, Pammy Mae the Butter(?) Queen who is a cheerleader, Guppie the ex-Marine who's out of shape but trying to change that, and many more.
The aliens are okay. They're strong but not so overpowered that it's futile to even fight, and the local townspeople do learn how to take them down.
While I was reading the book I enjoyed it. Now that's it over, I'm kind of wondering what the fuss was about, just like you would after watching a schlockfest while leaving the movie theater.
I am planning to read book two for more fun, but then I'll come back to the genres I love most.
4/5*
The first thing that threw me off is that the book isn't set in Kansas, Nebraska, or Iowa but in south Pennsylvania, which to me isn't the heartland of America.
A message comes from space but it takes our scientists a long time to decipher it (or maybe it doesn't. This part isn't very clear). Either way, the government has gone into hiding while leaving citizens to fend for themselves.
In the small, fictional town of Little Creek, everyone is excited to see the meteoroid shower. Except guess what? The meteoroids are not what they seem. They're aliens in their equivalent of escape pods come to take over the Earth.
I won't spoil who the aliens are or what happens after that. The author does a good job of keeping the action pushing forward while dropping clues for what's going to happen later in the series. We have Len the guy who knew they were coming and set up a bunker in preparation, Pammy Mae the Butter(?) Queen who is a cheerleader, Guppie the ex-Marine who's out of shape but trying to change that, and many more.
The aliens are okay. They're strong but not so overpowered that it's futile to even fight, and the local townspeople do learn how to take them down.
While I was reading the book I enjoyed it. Now that's it over, I'm kind of wondering what the fuss was about, just like you would after watching a schlockfest while leaving the movie theater.
I am planning to read book two for more fun, but then I'll come back to the genres I love most.
4/5*
July 24, 2022
O.M.G.! Joshua James has created a wonderful book here from a message sent to outer space and then a reply came back. But not the type of reply they were expecting. When is a meteor shower not a meteor shower? Then comes first contact. Joshua wove a fantastic tale of what could happen to humanity if we're not careful who we invite to visit out planet. Now I can't wait to read book 2 of this series.
July 25, 2022
Action-packed, suspenseful, fast-paced, well-written page-turner with memorable characters, promising start to a new series
When one sends a message out there, one can never be quite sure who will receive it ... and how they will respond.
The anticipated meteor shower, instead of making for a fun viewing party, turns eager spectators into unwilling participants in a nightmarish scenario. As it turns out, those are no mere meteors... and to think someone knew they were coming and did seemingly nothing. Now all of humanity is in mortal danger, the vast majority fatally unprepared for the disastrous consequences.
While there are a few interesting POVs from elsewhere that add to the whole, the story focuses on a handful of people from Little Creek and the different ways they try to cope with what has happened. Unlikely allies coming together from various backgrounds, struggling to find a way to survive in the drastically altered reality and to come to terms with their individual and collective strengths and weaknesses.
If Len's childhood has taught him anything, it was that mental fortitude was at least as important as physical strength.
In such times as these I wasn't sure an invasion story would pull me in quite as much or even be enjoyable, but the author has paced the book just right and keeps things going and fascinating. The 'team' grows on you pretty soon. Little by little more is revealed also about the invaders, mainly through the viewpoints of the different survivors, not an omniscient narrator, which keeps the story more intriguing as we are pretty much as in the dark as the people we follow through the book and we learn with them, save for a couple of brief glimpses. There are plenty of imaginative, though slightly gory, descriptions. Also uplifting moments. And plenty of excitement. And surprises, both of the unpleasant and pleasant varieties.
If he didn't allow room for doubt, then he could force himself to keep moving.
As Dr. Frankl pointed out, the last of human freedoms is the right to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances. Also, stories hold power. Important things to bear in mind if we attempt to survive in a changing world that more often than not challenges us. Different people can work together to achieve greater things than one person struggling along alone, though being well prepared and in good health is always a preferable starting point. Also, acquiring skill sets that might actually prove useful... You never know what you need before the time comes. Often people have surprising sides to them as well. It all comes together nicely in this book. Also, many encouraging examples of mental fortitude.
So tell yourself another story, Pammy Mae. Tell yourself the story that will help you survive this. You shape the course of your own life, but only when you're in control of your actions. You can't change what happened here. You can't wish the creature above you out of existence. The only thing you can do is decide how you respond. Ask yourself how the best version of you would handle this moment, and do that.
Perhaps in the next book of the series we will get to learn more about what is happening elsewhere as well. The small glimpses served to awaken interest, though the way the story is written, the focus serves the story well, building suspense and making the readers care about what happens to these people, not only to humanity as a whole. Now we shall have to wait till September for continuation... meanwhile, let's try to be the best version of ourselves and also continually improve ourselves, who knows what we'll need to cope with next. Better be at least a little prepared in some small way.
When one sends a message out there, one can never be quite sure who will receive it ... and how they will respond.
The anticipated meteor shower, instead of making for a fun viewing party, turns eager spectators into unwilling participants in a nightmarish scenario. As it turns out, those are no mere meteors... and to think someone knew they were coming and did seemingly nothing. Now all of humanity is in mortal danger, the vast majority fatally unprepared for the disastrous consequences.
While there are a few interesting POVs from elsewhere that add to the whole, the story focuses on a handful of people from Little Creek and the different ways they try to cope with what has happened. Unlikely allies coming together from various backgrounds, struggling to find a way to survive in the drastically altered reality and to come to terms with their individual and collective strengths and weaknesses.
If Len's childhood has taught him anything, it was that mental fortitude was at least as important as physical strength.
In such times as these I wasn't sure an invasion story would pull me in quite as much or even be enjoyable, but the author has paced the book just right and keeps things going and fascinating. The 'team' grows on you pretty soon. Little by little more is revealed also about the invaders, mainly through the viewpoints of the different survivors, not an omniscient narrator, which keeps the story more intriguing as we are pretty much as in the dark as the people we follow through the book and we learn with them, save for a couple of brief glimpses. There are plenty of imaginative, though slightly gory, descriptions. Also uplifting moments. And plenty of excitement. And surprises, both of the unpleasant and pleasant varieties.
If he didn't allow room for doubt, then he could force himself to keep moving.
As Dr. Frankl pointed out, the last of human freedoms is the right to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances. Also, stories hold power. Important things to bear in mind if we attempt to survive in a changing world that more often than not challenges us. Different people can work together to achieve greater things than one person struggling along alone, though being well prepared and in good health is always a preferable starting point. Also, acquiring skill sets that might actually prove useful... You never know what you need before the time comes. Often people have surprising sides to them as well. It all comes together nicely in this book. Also, many encouraging examples of mental fortitude.
So tell yourself another story, Pammy Mae. Tell yourself the story that will help you survive this. You shape the course of your own life, but only when you're in control of your actions. You can't change what happened here. You can't wish the creature above you out of existence. The only thing you can do is decide how you respond. Ask yourself how the best version of you would handle this moment, and do that.
Perhaps in the next book of the series we will get to learn more about what is happening elsewhere as well. The small glimpses served to awaken interest, though the way the story is written, the focus serves the story well, building suspense and making the readers care about what happens to these people, not only to humanity as a whole. Now we shall have to wait till September for continuation... meanwhile, let's try to be the best version of ourselves and also continually improve ourselves, who knows what we'll need to cope with next. Better be at least a little prepared in some small way.
January 3, 2025
Audible version. Much like the aliens that invade Earth in this book, this story is a “clanker”. Most of it makes no sense. I was very hopeful for just an entertaining read but it’s worse than a 1950’s era B movie. Won’t continue in the series.
July 22, 2022
I received an ARC and this is my voluntary review.
Wow! This is an action filled alien invasion story. It's complex and follows quite a cast of characters. I found it a little too descriptive of the various ways aliens and humans died, very gruesome! Almost worthy of the horror genre, which is not my favourite. But it was a gripping story that held my attention from start to finish, with diverse characters who develop over the course of their hardships, and I look forward to the subsequent books in the series.
Wow! This is an action filled alien invasion story. It's complex and follows quite a cast of characters. I found it a little too descriptive of the various ways aliens and humans died, very gruesome! Almost worthy of the horror genre, which is not my favourite. But it was a gripping story that held my attention from start to finish, with diverse characters who develop over the course of their hardships, and I look forward to the subsequent books in the series.
July 28, 2022
The invasion begins with a meteor storm
Or at least what appears to be meteorites, until they changed course! A few survivors banded together to more strongly combat the invaders and learn more about them. A combination of kids and survivalists began to fight back! Strong characters, A deeply twisting storyline told well kept me busy for hours at a time! Hard to put down, this book is a good read!
Or at least what appears to be meteorites, until they changed course! A few survivors banded together to more strongly combat the invaders and learn more about them. A combination of kids and survivalists began to fight back! Strong characters, A deeply twisting storyline told well kept me busy for hours at a time! Hard to put down, this book is a good read!
December 3, 2022
We called it a meteor shower… But the sky is falling.
A smoothly rendered, very readable first contact book that was above all else entertaining. Pretty soft scifi at the end of the day but not a bad creature feature. In fact, I would consider James' tale more realistic in terms of how thing would go down in such an event - namely an "Invasion" - than not. This includes my solemn belief that any aliens that drop by our wee planet would not be friendly and our government certainly wouldn't be of much help initially, noting I still have a lot of this trilogy left to read. So kudos for getting those bits "right" in my eyes!
I’m pretty sure you have to be a sociopath to survive past the end of the world.
Still, I felt that a couple of factors held the book back from being even better. First, the story is a never-ending collection of extremely obvious clichés for this sub-genre with few if any real surprises provided. And secondly, this is coupled with the need for absolute and complete abandonment of belief in what is going on. Or perhaps better said, not going on. Oh and before I forget: Pammy Mae is without a shadow of a doubt the WORST name I've ever seen in print. How I kept hoping she'd get et' up!
What if they were the last three humans left alive?
Anyway, back to the realism of the situation in this, um, scifi book (well, there goes my credibility, huh?). I mean, let's be honest: this is West Virginia we're talking about. Even thinking the high schoolers had gotten together for a kegger without at least enough weaponry present to take out a small country is pretty far-fetched. Their unwavering belief in at very least the MothMan in those parts would have had them prepared for just about any kind of attack from cryptids or, even worse, free-roaming liberals for that matter.
Why do people always think it’s a good idea to split up in situations like these!
That wasn't the only scene where a lack of firepower was shocking (a guy running a quik-e-mart without at least one shotgun on hand? Riiiight!) but I guess you build your world around what you want your story to convey. And let's not get into the classic argument of 'why land on a planet at all if you have the technology to vaporize a planet full of vermin from space?' because I think Star Trek already covered that pretty well. Even if we do like James did and borrow rather heavily from the Alien series mythos, well, it makes you wonder.
He’d had a special affinity for apocalyptic and horror films. In a twisted way, watching them was another form of training, often a lesson in what not to do.
But apropos building a world, some of the best parts of the book are the "asides" where we get to see what's happening in other places. These work very well for giving away some details without further depleting our initial cast and I suspect also providing some hints for what's coming up in the next chapters. It's also a pretty nice break from our main focus on "Rednecks Saving the World" but hey, who's counting? Again though, just the utter lack of kabooms and kablooeys really has to be taken with much more than a grain of salt. Let's compromise and call it a natatorium of salt. That'd be more on topic anyway…
He didn’t need luck. What he needed was a strong drink and for everyone else to leave him alone and stop making him care so damn much.
I don't want to belabor the point after this first chapter though. The important aspects for me were that this book is well-written, enjoyable and contained more than enough intrique to continue the series. I remember as well that the last set of books by James that I read - the "Saturn's Legacy" trilogy - got better and better as things moved along, so I'm counting on that being the case here as well! Avanti amici! Or to put it in the local vernacular - let's git 'er done, y'all!
A smoothly rendered, very readable first contact book that was above all else entertaining. Pretty soft scifi at the end of the day but not a bad creature feature. In fact, I would consider James' tale more realistic in terms of how thing would go down in such an event - namely an "Invasion" - than not. This includes my solemn belief that any aliens that drop by our wee planet would not be friendly and our government certainly wouldn't be of much help initially, noting I still have a lot of this trilogy left to read. So kudos for getting those bits "right" in my eyes!
I’m pretty sure you have to be a sociopath to survive past the end of the world.
Still, I felt that a couple of factors held the book back from being even better. First, the story is a never-ending collection of extremely obvious clichés for this sub-genre with few if any real surprises provided. And secondly, this is coupled with the need for absolute and complete abandonment of belief in what is going on. Or perhaps better said, not going on. Oh and before I forget: Pammy Mae is without a shadow of a doubt the WORST name I've ever seen in print. How I kept hoping she'd get et' up!
What if they were the last three humans left alive?
Anyway, back to the realism of the situation in this, um, scifi book (well, there goes my credibility, huh?). I mean, let's be honest: this is West Virginia we're talking about. Even thinking the high schoolers had gotten together for a kegger without at least enough weaponry present to take out a small country is pretty far-fetched. Their unwavering belief in at very least the MothMan in those parts would have had them prepared for just about any kind of attack from cryptids or, even worse, free-roaming liberals for that matter.
Why do people always think it’s a good idea to split up in situations like these!
That wasn't the only scene where a lack of firepower was shocking (a guy running a quik-e-mart without at least one shotgun on hand? Riiiight!) but I guess you build your world around what you want your story to convey. And let's not get into the classic argument of 'why land on a planet at all if you have the technology to vaporize a planet full of vermin from space?' because I think Star Trek already covered that pretty well. Even if we do like James did and borrow rather heavily from the Alien series mythos, well, it makes you wonder.
He’d had a special affinity for apocalyptic and horror films. In a twisted way, watching them was another form of training, often a lesson in what not to do.
But apropos building a world, some of the best parts of the book are the "asides" where we get to see what's happening in other places. These work very well for giving away some details without further depleting our initial cast and I suspect also providing some hints for what's coming up in the next chapters. It's also a pretty nice break from our main focus on "Rednecks Saving the World" but hey, who's counting? Again though, just the utter lack of kabooms and kablooeys really has to be taken with much more than a grain of salt. Let's compromise and call it a natatorium of salt. That'd be more on topic anyway…
He didn’t need luck. What he needed was a strong drink and for everyone else to leave him alone and stop making him care so damn much.
I don't want to belabor the point after this first chapter though. The important aspects for me were that this book is well-written, enjoyable and contained more than enough intrique to continue the series. I remember as well that the last set of books by James that I read - the "Saturn's Legacy" trilogy - got better and better as things moved along, so I'm counting on that being the case here as well! Avanti amici! Or to put it in the local vernacular - let's git 'er done, y'all!
March 21, 2024
I have to admit that initially I was skeptical of another series by Joshua James. I finished reading the Saturn's Legacy series and was disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I finished reading the first three, but the last book I read Awakened, was not great (in my opinion).
I am a sucker for alien invasion plots and so I decided to take the risk. Heck the fist book "Invasion" is free on Amazon Prime, and I was more than pleasantly surprised. I liked the characters and the story was really good. So much so I bought the series before I was half way through the first book. That's really the point right?
Anyway, I liked it and have been surprised by the ratings people have given it (it has a 4+ rating on GoodReads but the first few I looked at were 3's). No reviews from anyone I know or trust, so I decided to provide my own. I grew up on Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein, and while maybe not quite the same it was really good.
Joshua James has a gift for being able to write about and develop his characters, which I think is the most compelling aspect of his writing. It is the main reason I finished the first 3 books of the Saturn's Legacy series (1st book Artifact was quite good, 2nd Cascade about the same, 3rd I didn't enjoy). This particular story, though simple in places, I found easy to read and gripping...I wanted to know what was going to happen next.
I have no trouble recommending it so far...
I am a sucker for alien invasion plots and so I decided to take the risk. Heck the fist book "Invasion" is free on Amazon Prime, and I was more than pleasantly surprised. I liked the characters and the story was really good. So much so I bought the series before I was half way through the first book. That's really the point right?
Anyway, I liked it and have been surprised by the ratings people have given it (it has a 4+ rating on GoodReads but the first few I looked at were 3's). No reviews from anyone I know or trust, so I decided to provide my own. I grew up on Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein, and while maybe not quite the same it was really good.
Joshua James has a gift for being able to write about and develop his characters, which I think is the most compelling aspect of his writing. It is the main reason I finished the first 3 books of the Saturn's Legacy series (1st book Artifact was quite good, 2nd Cascade about the same, 3rd I didn't enjoy). This particular story, though simple in places, I found easy to read and gripping...I wanted to know what was going to happen next.
I have no trouble recommending it so far...
July 30, 2022
A supposedly meteor shower turns out to be an Alien Invasion. The invaders do not differentiate between the young, the old, women, men, or babies. To them, everything is good.
The problem is that the leaders of the world were forewarned, by three dedicated scientists, Clara, Stewart and Neil, when the latter received a warning message from outer space.
The leaders opted to keep everything under wraps while proceeding with the selection of a certain type of people meeting strict criteria to save the human species while sacrificing the millions left to fend for themselves.
In a small village named Little Creek, the resistance has started when Len, a former army tactician has built a bunker in order to survive after his wife Carla, warned him of what was coming. Although he planed to survive, alone with his two dogs, he is drawn, one night by screams and finds Pammy and Cooper trapped in an overturned car with a creature on top of the vehicle extracting a sort of human body for the obvious purpose. he springs into action, and frees the two trapped teens while killing the creature but not before the third human has been killed. To their band, three others will add themselves. Guppy, Vera and Sean.
However, this is not the only place where the aliens will encounter the human will to fight to survive.
A cross between the movies :"V", "Independence Day" and "Red Dawn" the author has taken the best from all three and added his own personal touch resulting in a well written, action filled thriller that promises to be a great series. I look forward to reading the next one in the series. 5 Stars
The problem is that the leaders of the world were forewarned, by three dedicated scientists, Clara, Stewart and Neil, when the latter received a warning message from outer space.
The leaders opted to keep everything under wraps while proceeding with the selection of a certain type of people meeting strict criteria to save the human species while sacrificing the millions left to fend for themselves.
In a small village named Little Creek, the resistance has started when Len, a former army tactician has built a bunker in order to survive after his wife Carla, warned him of what was coming. Although he planed to survive, alone with his two dogs, he is drawn, one night by screams and finds Pammy and Cooper trapped in an overturned car with a creature on top of the vehicle extracting a sort of human body for the obvious purpose. he springs into action, and frees the two trapped teens while killing the creature but not before the third human has been killed. To their band, three others will add themselves. Guppy, Vera and Sean.
However, this is not the only place where the aliens will encounter the human will to fight to survive.
A cross between the movies :"V", "Independence Day" and "Red Dawn" the author has taken the best from all three and added his own personal touch resulting in a well written, action filled thriller that promises to be a great series. I look forward to reading the next one in the series. 5 Stars
August 26, 2022
Earth is invaded by swarms of space ships carrying hungry bugs - 5 stars
Millions of determined bug-like invaders arrive at every land mass where humans were present. Authorities announced that it would be a meteor shower. At best the predictions of it being "just a meteor shower" was way off. The invaders looked like larger-than-man-sized bugs. The aliens had armor that looked like segmented carapaces; they moved quickly. The aliens grabbed humans, slitting them open and consuming most of the insides.
Beyond the military, NASA, and Space Force which redacted their research, nothing was known about the invaders. No defense preparations were made. Whole towns and cities were quickly overrun. The power grid failed. Satellites and communications failed.
Told from the viewpoint of the initial survivors in a small town, people who were not killed initially hide and try to stay alive. One of the survivors is a prepper/survivalist. Other initial survivors include high school kids and rag-tag misfits. While the battle to hide and survive continues, the alien invaders start to reproduce. Individual people start to demonstrate their survival skills. A few non-United States locations were included to emphasize the worldwide nature of the invasion.
"Invasion" is riveting; it is not a horror story even though there is plenty of gore. It seems to emphasize skills necessary to survive and deal with mental health issues as they occur, making use of the resources that are found. Even a tin hat wearer turns out to have substantial value.
There are two more books in the series to finish the story.
Millions of determined bug-like invaders arrive at every land mass where humans were present. Authorities announced that it would be a meteor shower. At best the predictions of it being "just a meteor shower" was way off. The invaders looked like larger-than-man-sized bugs. The aliens had armor that looked like segmented carapaces; they moved quickly. The aliens grabbed humans, slitting them open and consuming most of the insides.
Beyond the military, NASA, and Space Force which redacted their research, nothing was known about the invaders. No defense preparations were made. Whole towns and cities were quickly overrun. The power grid failed. Satellites and communications failed.
Told from the viewpoint of the initial survivors in a small town, people who were not killed initially hide and try to stay alive. One of the survivors is a prepper/survivalist. Other initial survivors include high school kids and rag-tag misfits. While the battle to hide and survive continues, the alien invaders start to reproduce. Individual people start to demonstrate their survival skills. A few non-United States locations were included to emphasize the worldwide nature of the invasion.
"Invasion" is riveting; it is not a horror story even though there is plenty of gore. It seems to emphasize skills necessary to survive and deal with mental health issues as they occur, making use of the resources that are found. Even a tin hat wearer turns out to have substantial value.
There are two more books in the series to finish the story.
July 28, 2022
This is a different twist to an alien invasion, with the focus on just plain folks in small-town America. After a surprise overwhelming attack, which killed most of the earth’s population, the survivors in Little Creek included a few students, and several adults from middle age to retired, male and female, most of whom had not interacted before. Mr. James gave us a deep look at each character, following their development in coming together to form some sort of survival plan, and learning how to defend themselves against the large, powerful spider-like aliens. They had no super heroes, or special forces troops or sophisticated weaponry; they had to make do with what they had. The story line was well-thought-out and presented our friends with rapidly-changing deadly situations that required teamwork and thinking outside the box. The suspense kept building as the hard-to-kill aliens appeared to be coordinated in how they attacked in overpowering numbers eating the people as food, and were quickly reproducing to increase their force. I was fully engrossed in the story, turning the pages to see what would happen next. Could our friends possibly gain any advantage and stay alive? I have read and enjoyed many of Mr. Jones’ books. This series is off to a great start, and I’m eager to read the rest of it.
February 3, 2023
Invasion, Heartland Aliens, is about a set of people who came together to watch the end of the world. Only it wasn't the end; it was more like the beginning of the end. Something came to visit that wanted more than to make first contact... it was more like first course for dinner.
This book has lots of action and each character grew to be likeable, but not enough for me to truly like them. To me, this book came together in pieces that simply were too quaint for an apocalyptic tale. Things seemed to happen out of convenience, not because it was there prior. I believe this was due to not being able to know them all 'before' the invasion. The characters, like were too knowledgable, too out of character, too wimpy to be the hero, an much more. Even the loony loon knew things that seemed to have me like, "How did he know that?" It just didn't work for me. I found myself growing weary as I read and lost interest.
What I did like were the aliens, though har to see in my mind's eye. I didn't know what the bugs named as descriptors looked like. Even after I tried looking them up,I simply couldn't imagine them. That made it difficult to see the attacks as they happened.
I gave the book a 3-star rating because I did like things that happened but it simply didn't have enough for me to go higher.
This book has lots of action and each character grew to be likeable, but not enough for me to truly like them. To me, this book came together in pieces that simply were too quaint for an apocalyptic tale. Things seemed to happen out of convenience, not because it was there prior. I believe this was due to not being able to know them all 'before' the invasion. The characters, like were too knowledgable, too out of character, too wimpy to be the hero, an much more. Even the loony loon knew things that seemed to have me like, "How did he know that?" It just didn't work for me. I found myself growing weary as I read and lost interest.
What I did like were the aliens, though har to see in my mind's eye. I didn't know what the bugs named as descriptors looked like. Even after I tried looking them up,I simply couldn't imagine them. That made it difficult to see the attacks as they happened.
I gave the book a 3-star rating because I did like things that happened but it simply didn't have enough for me to go higher.
May 17, 2025
I’m really picky when it comes to aliens and invasions, I adored the aliens I thought they were just terrifying enough, but not overly gross and you could easily easily visualize them. The protagonists, this gang, a motley gang. I thought they were interesting, predictable, unpredictable, likable and yes, I worried about them at every turn. I enjoyed the fact that probably the toughest one was a teenage girl - yes! Oh how I began to adore these characters. Of course I became so very worried about their survival. Joshua James is new to me, but I must say I was satisfied with the ending, which is always the most important part to me. We knew it would continue, but it didn’t actually end on a total cliffhanger. I also enjoyed the two dogs. I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t mention the two dogs. Now that I’m done reading I read a few reviews and everyone kept saying on Amazon that it was gory and bloody. I thought no it’s not. I’ve definitely read gorier and bloodier. It was absolutely necessary to the story, it wasn’t gratuitous, and we didn’t wallow in it. I’m very excited to follow this group and see what happens next.
So let me say - hello it’s good to meet you, Mr. Joshua James.
So let me say - hello it’s good to meet you, Mr. Joshua James.
July 26, 2023
Loved This Book. 4 1/2 upped to 5 stars.
My favorite genre is SyFy and Armageddon stories. But I also love mysteries and thrillers and once in a while indulge in a love story. Invasion, by Joshua James, is quite the exciting alien ride. Well written, with government references that seemed too real. His grasp of human nature was also impressive. Mr. James writes clearly and his characters were relatable and familiar. This book is not for the faint of heart, however. It is a gruesome invasion of a terrible group of violent, insect-like aliens which can be difficult to read. It is quite violent and scary. But the action never stops, the characters are well written. I really liked this book! The author has great talent and a good grasp of the rules of writing. I am going to start reading the 2nd book book in this series when I finish writing this. If you are looking for a fast read, with non-stop action, good writing, and alien stories, you will like this one!
My favorite genre is SyFy and Armageddon stories. But I also love mysteries and thrillers and once in a while indulge in a love story. Invasion, by Joshua James, is quite the exciting alien ride. Well written, with government references that seemed too real. His grasp of human nature was also impressive. Mr. James writes clearly and his characters were relatable and familiar. This book is not for the faint of heart, however. It is a gruesome invasion of a terrible group of violent, insect-like aliens which can be difficult to read. It is quite violent and scary. But the action never stops, the characters are well written. I really liked this book! The author has great talent and a good grasp of the rules of writing. I am going to start reading the 2nd book book in this series when I finish writing this. If you are looking for a fast read, with non-stop action, good writing, and alien stories, you will like this one!
September 20, 2022
Enjoyable alien invasion story that seems to be somewhat inspired by War Of The Worlds (not that that is a bad thing).
Reads like an action thriller with enough character development and backstory to make you want this ragtag group that lives through the initial invasion survive to the end. The storyline, though, has other ideas so there are a couple of characters who don't make it, which makes the reader more concerned about the major characters.
It is the first book in a trilogy so I will be looking for the next two in the series.
My one issue is that the physiology of the aliens doesn't make them seem like a species that could use tools complicated enough to make spacecraft, but this may be explored/explained in books 2 or 3 of the series.
I give it 4 out of 5, but this is my genre, so if sci-fi/alien invasions is not to your taste drop it down a notch.
Reads like an action thriller with enough character development and backstory to make you want this ragtag group that lives through the initial invasion survive to the end. The storyline, though, has other ideas so there are a couple of characters who don't make it, which makes the reader more concerned about the major characters.
It is the first book in a trilogy so I will be looking for the next two in the series.
My one issue is that the physiology of the aliens doesn't make them seem like a species that could use tools complicated enough to make spacecraft, but this may be explored/explained in books 2 or 3 of the series.
I give it 4 out of 5, but this is my genre, so if sci-fi/alien invasions is not to your taste drop it down a notch.
January 9, 2023
This was something that I could wrap my head around…If you think about all the insects that live on our planet,can you imagine what it would be like if they could be twice the size of what they are now,no,triple that size…Knowing how some of the insects on our planet can kill other insects and now turned them lose on us and to give them a brain to figure things out…We all wouldn’t last very long unless we find the way and the means to fight them off…
This series has me definitely glued to finding out how this is going to end…For the author to come up with a book so different from what I normally read, but I do like survival books like EMP’s,or zombie’s,etc., while this one is so different and it’s great change to have bugs come from another world to land here? It’s a breathe of stinky air…No pun intended..lol
This series has me definitely glued to finding out how this is going to end…For the author to come up with a book so different from what I normally read, but I do like survival books like EMP’s,or zombie’s,etc., while this one is so different and it’s great change to have bugs come from another world to land here? It’s a breathe of stinky air…No pun intended..lol
August 15, 2022
Fasten your seat belts.
I really mean this, fasten your seat belts because you will be on one fast ride. The story is good, and the writing is excellent. I just wish the author had shortened the story a little as long as he had a second book coming. I'm not going to start telling the story here like some reviewers do, you need to read it for your self. I was surprised at the many turns the story took. I think the author thought the story through with every day people as the characters and with today's sense of abilities in each of them. It gave the story a down to earth feel and made you the reader difficulty in putting the book down. No bathroom breaks here I'll tell you that. Want some fun read this book.
I really mean this, fasten your seat belts because you will be on one fast ride. The story is good, and the writing is excellent. I just wish the author had shortened the story a little as long as he had a second book coming. I'm not going to start telling the story here like some reviewers do, you need to read it for your self. I was surprised at the many turns the story took. I think the author thought the story through with every day people as the characters and with today's sense of abilities in each of them. It gave the story a down to earth feel and made you the reader difficulty in putting the book down. No bathroom breaks here I'll tell you that. Want some fun read this book.
December 20, 2022
As ALWAYS Joshua James comes thru with another HIT!!!
Invasion book 1 is more than a good read it's a bingeable read! An alien invasion has hit us had and our beloved politicians (NOT) have screwed us again. We're caught flat footed. A small community in the rural area of Maryland are one of the areas hit. Survivors struggle to understand what is happening to there lives.
Friends are being killed by some type of insect type of creature there never seem. A group of high school kids, an ER. DR, a strange prepper, and a couple a off beat characters start the cast. Their story of survival is a testament to Author James ability to bring a story to life.
Worth a serious look into the series.
Invasion book 1 is more than a good read it's a bingeable read! An alien invasion has hit us had and our beloved politicians (NOT) have screwed us again. We're caught flat footed. A small community in the rural area of Maryland are one of the areas hit. Survivors struggle to understand what is happening to there lives.
Friends are being killed by some type of insect type of creature there never seem. A group of high school kids, an ER. DR, a strange prepper, and a couple a off beat characters start the cast. Their story of survival is a testament to Author James ability to bring a story to life.
Worth a serious look into the series.
October 18, 2022
I loved almost all of the characters and their arcs. I loved how all of them were tied together. They were my favorite part of the whole novel. The writer did introduce new characters throughout that were very interesting. Some of them felt like they would be set-ups for the next novel, but they still served to give the reader an idea of what was going on in the rest of the world while the characters we were imbedded with continued with their struggles.
I also enjoyed the plot and the action. I loved how they worked together to reveal more and more about the aliens as the story moved along.
It was a fun read. I can't wait to dive into the next book in the series.
I also enjoyed the plot and the action. I loved how they worked together to reveal more and more about the aliens as the story moved along.
It was a fun read. I can't wait to dive into the next book in the series.
February 23, 2023
This book has Everything!
Going backwards I read part two first. So part one gave me a much clearer understanding of each character in part two. I don't recommend that you do the same but I did pay particular attention to each person's background in part one which made me want to read the entire series. What would you do in these scenarios and could you survive with the most basic of skills. The will for fight or flight against insurmountable and unknown conditions with no government or police to depend upon is what the characters have to endure in this page turner, up all night read. I loved it !!!
Going backwards I read part two first. So part one gave me a much clearer understanding of each character in part two. I don't recommend that you do the same but I did pay particular attention to each person's background in part one which made me want to read the entire series. What would you do in these scenarios and could you survive with the most basic of skills. The will for fight or flight against insurmountable and unknown conditions with no government or police to depend upon is what the characters have to endure in this page turner, up all night read. I loved it !!!
June 4, 2023
READ THIS!
This is an alien invasion/survival story. A real page-turner. Great characters. Creepy aliens.
The structure reminds me of vintage Stephen King, where we get introduced to the characters in a chapter each, pre-invasion, so we like them and want them to live when the SHTF.
I have indie writer friends, but Joshua James isn't one of them. What I mean is, this is not a "read my pals" reviews... it's honestly, please, for your own sake, read this page-turner of a survival story. Great fun! Solid writing skills.
Thanks to indie SF writer Julia Huni for the rec.
This is an alien invasion/survival story. A real page-turner. Great characters. Creepy aliens.
The structure reminds me of vintage Stephen King, where we get introduced to the characters in a chapter each, pre-invasion, so we like them and want them to live when the SHTF.
I have indie writer friends, but Joshua James isn't one of them. What I mean is, this is not a "read my pals" reviews... it's honestly, please, for your own sake, read this page-turner of a survival story. Great fun! Solid writing skills.
Thanks to indie SF writer Julia Huni for the rec.
July 25, 2023
What a pleasant surprise
Really enjoyed this book. First time reading this author and I am impressed. Nice writing style. Economically pleasing. Fantastic imagination driving this tale of small town folk taking on invading monsters. Great characters. Lost some already but happily liking this group regardless. They will press on, undoubtedly on to the next book in the series. Good action. Again, really a fun mix of characters here. The beasties are excellent. Scary and difficult to imagine. I'm going with insect like with a splash of spider and a whole lot of ugly. Damn scary. Will look forward to the next book. I highly recommend this one. Enjoy!
Really enjoyed this book. First time reading this author and I am impressed. Nice writing style. Economically pleasing. Fantastic imagination driving this tale of small town folk taking on invading monsters. Great characters. Lost some already but happily liking this group regardless. They will press on, undoubtedly on to the next book in the series. Good action. Again, really a fun mix of characters here. The beasties are excellent. Scary and difficult to imagine. I'm going with insect like with a splash of spider and a whole lot of ugly. Damn scary. Will look forward to the next book. I highly recommend this one. Enjoy!
January 28, 2024
It's pretty good...
...not necessarily my favorite type of story, but good and well-written. Obviously, from the title, Earth is invaded by aliens and that's not a problem. I mean alien invasion is not why it not my favorite type of story. It's the results of the overwhelming devastation of that invasion that wears on me after a while. Of course some people survive, but survival is hard and brutal and exhausting.
But I will say also, that the characters are all very well developed (and there are a lot of them in the very beginning) and the plot is believable, if sometimes gruesome. Give it a shot it's pretty good read.
...not necessarily my favorite type of story, but good and well-written. Obviously, from the title, Earth is invaded by aliens and that's not a problem. I mean alien invasion is not why it not my favorite type of story. It's the results of the overwhelming devastation of that invasion that wears on me after a while. Of course some people survive, but survival is hard and brutal and exhausting.
But I will say also, that the characters are all very well developed (and there are a lot of them in the very beginning) and the plot is believable, if sometimes gruesome. Give it a shot it's pretty good read.
March 21, 2024
A Tale of Insects
The story is well written but seems to be aimed at a younger demographic who are into blood and gore. The world has been overwhelmed by insect like creatures of indiscriminate sizes who are crablike or lobster like. They invade earth by arriving in spaceships, the world governments are all aware of their arrival but don’t seem interested in stopping them. They reproduce like ants with a King/Queen laying eggs which quickly produce lava so we are all part of their food chain. It’s rubbish really so l for one won’t bother with the sequel. Thanks but no thanks
The story is well written but seems to be aimed at a younger demographic who are into blood and gore. The world has been overwhelmed by insect like creatures of indiscriminate sizes who are crablike or lobster like. They invade earth by arriving in spaceships, the world governments are all aware of their arrival but don’t seem interested in stopping them. They reproduce like ants with a King/Queen laying eggs which quickly produce lava so we are all part of their food chain. It’s rubbish really so l for one won’t bother with the sequel. Thanks but no thanks
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