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New Frontier #2
Wild Lands
War is coming to the Wild Lands...
One month after the defeat of a rogue group of terrorists, the United States struggles to maintain control over the New Frontier. The untamed sector of America simmers as opportunists, criminals, and marauders wait to fill the void left behind. An extremist faction of the Navajo Nation called the Rattlesnakes have waited years for this moment. Their leader launches their first, brutal attack on a water treatment and power facility in Colorado.
The message is clear to Colorado Sheriff Lindsey Plymouth and her foreign allies working to keep a new enemy has risen up. Lindsey enlists Raven Spears to track the Rattlesnakes and bring their leader to justice before they can strike again. As the trail gets hot, Raven realizes this is just one of many assaults the Rattlesnakes have planned to conquer the New Frontier.
With violence spilling over the borders, America’s foreign allies begin to question the cost to their own forces and start to withdraw. Lindsey and the Colorado Rangers scramble to find new allies, but it will take more than a few friends to hold back the growing Rattlesnake army. If they fail to defeat this new evil, it will devour the New Frontier.
One month after the defeat of a rogue group of terrorists, the United States struggles to maintain control over the New Frontier. The untamed sector of America simmers as opportunists, criminals, and marauders wait to fill the void left behind. An extremist faction of the Navajo Nation called the Rattlesnakes have waited years for this moment. Their leader launches their first, brutal attack on a water treatment and power facility in Colorado.
The message is clear to Colorado Sheriff Lindsey Plymouth and her foreign allies working to keep a new enemy has risen up. Lindsey enlists Raven Spears to track the Rattlesnakes and bring their leader to justice before they can strike again. As the trail gets hot, Raven realizes this is just one of many assaults the Rattlesnakes have planned to conquer the New Frontier.
With violence spilling over the borders, America’s foreign allies begin to question the cost to their own forces and start to withdraw. Lindsey and the Colorado Rangers scramble to find new allies, but it will take more than a few friends to hold back the growing Rattlesnake army. If they fail to defeat this new evil, it will devour the New Frontier.
412 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 15, 2022
392 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas Sansbury Smith
124 books2,400 followersNicholas Sansbury Smith is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than forty novels with two million copies sold. Before his writing career, he served at Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management, a background that inspired many of his story concepts. A two time Ironman triathlete, he enjoys running, biking, and hiking. Nicholas also loves traveling, especially to his cabin in Northern Minnesota where he weaves his tales. He lives in Iowa with his wonderful wife and their son and daughter.
Note: Nicholas is no longer an active user on Goodreads and does not use the platform. If you want to connect with him on social media here are some links. He would love to hear from you.
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Instagram: instagram.com/author_sansbury/
Note: Nicholas is no longer an active user on Goodreads and does not use the platform. If you want to connect with him on social media here are some links. He would love to hear from you.
Facebook Fan Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/NSSFa...
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/nicholassans...
Website: nicholassansburysmith.com
Instagram: instagram.com/author_sansbury/
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
September 28, 2024
Better than the first one. Action and dismemberment and suspense and many grim reaper visits. Good guys, bad guys great characters. Book way better than a hemorrhoid.
September 24, 2023
Such a bleak book 😞
While I generally like this series it really suffers from just going bleak. This is probably the middle book everything sucks level of bleak, but dang 😳, you leave a reader wanting to give up the series. Sigh.
I did not like this book compared to the rest if the series. Your bad guys suck. This book makes you depressed yo read it. Not fun.
While I generally like this series it really suffers from just going bleak. This is probably the middle book everything sucks level of bleak, but dang 😳, you leave a reader wanting to give up the series. Sigh.
I did not like this book compared to the rest if the series. Your bad guys suck. This book makes you depressed yo read it. Not fun.
February 7, 2023
This review is part of a 3-part summary I've completed for the entire trilogy of "New Frontier". As a privileged member of the beta review team, I wanted to put all of my thoughts together in one overview to accompany my own final "non-stop" read-through of the finished books!
+++++
Book 2
"Wild Lands"
Welcome back to the New Frontier ... war is on the horizon.
I've been trying to come up with a good word to describe the second book in the "New Frontier" series for a while now. About the best I can do is GRITTY. But you know, not just your usual sidewalk grit or what you find during spring cleaning. No, this is a nasty, persistent kind of grit that just gets into everything and ultimately ruins all the shiny surfaces you own or the delicate workings of a fine running machine… or worse. The kind of grit that winds motors down and turns any cogs into worn out wheels by the time it's done.
Together, we will conquer the New Frontier. We will push out the foreigners and the feds. We will make these lands wild and free again.
A lot of this I attribute to just the sheer exhaustion I felt as a reader at the on-going and ever-growing troubles facing the 'good guys' of the New Frontier. Sure, they beat back the rogue Iranians in Book 1 during an amazing - but costly - action sequence. Of course in this 2nd book, the engineered Wild Fire plague continues unabated and the lack of support from the US government continues to be a huge problem (a surprise, I know). But it is the rise of Eddy Nez - a Villain (capital V) we met ever-so-briefly in Book 1 - and his Rattlesnakes Militia that's combined evil eventually becomes an almost Orwellian catastrophe (and yes, I made sure that definition applies if you're curious). Eddy's plans and the way he carries out his intended conquest can only be compared to the actions and deeds of the worst villains these authors have ever created. And if you're a fan like I am, you know that's saying a LOT. This is some serious sh!t going on and it ramps up the tension compared to the first book in this series as the level of cruelty and maniacal behavior is just off the charts, much the same as it was in the original "Trackers" classics.
Eddy enjoyed the power he held. The foreboding intensity of raw fear.
In addition, there are scenes that continue to make the 'this could really happen' aspect of Smith and Melchiorri's combined work all too deeply felt. What happens to Calvin in California is stomach churning, in no small part because I've witnessed just what kind of numbers of humans can gather there on a 'normal' day! And the on-going risk to Lindsey and her team(s) as well as the FAC allies left me stunned to say the least. Even Lindsey's nightmares are highlighted and we can't help but become ever more invested in her daily struggles and sense of frustration and loss.
I won’t sugarcoat a turd and call it a donut, so I want to be frank with you. We need your help.
The only minor aspect of all this that I was less than … enamored (again not sure if that's the best word?) with is simply that the bad guys in this chapter come in large part from the Navajo Nation. Don't get me wrong: all the Rattlesnakes allies made up of militia folks and preppers and thumpers and Neo-Nazis and all those goofballs - again just like in the original "Trackers" series - didn't either bother me or honestly, wouldn't surprise me if they did something like this even in today's REAL world. But I did find myself really questioning if Native Americans would rise up like this, even in the hellscape of the USA after the Collapse… or if you prefer 'the Great Reversal'. Maybe I'm over-romanticizing things a bit. Like fellow Navajo Jay says at one stage: 'Eddy and a few hundred nuts are going to ruin our reputation.' Again, not an overall detriment to the book but I did find myself feeling less than comfortable sometimes with the approach. Still, there's not a ton of good guys to find anywhere in this reality other than in Estes Park so take your pick about who to dislike the most.
Killing does not change the past. It only darkens the future.
Bottom-line though is that this is another absolute winner of a tale! I'm exhausted… I mean, the escape from Clayton's compound by Raven, his face-to-face fight with Eddy, the battles at Estes Park, Fort Golden and then the absolutely incredible sequence at Albany... Just holy effing wow!! And yet, I still have Book 3 ahead of me! Let's ride!
+++++
Book 2
"Wild Lands"
Welcome back to the New Frontier ... war is on the horizon.
I've been trying to come up with a good word to describe the second book in the "New Frontier" series for a while now. About the best I can do is GRITTY. But you know, not just your usual sidewalk grit or what you find during spring cleaning. No, this is a nasty, persistent kind of grit that just gets into everything and ultimately ruins all the shiny surfaces you own or the delicate workings of a fine running machine… or worse. The kind of grit that winds motors down and turns any cogs into worn out wheels by the time it's done.
Together, we will conquer the New Frontier. We will push out the foreigners and the feds. We will make these lands wild and free again.
A lot of this I attribute to just the sheer exhaustion I felt as a reader at the on-going and ever-growing troubles facing the 'good guys' of the New Frontier. Sure, they beat back the rogue Iranians in Book 1 during an amazing - but costly - action sequence. Of course in this 2nd book, the engineered Wild Fire plague continues unabated and the lack of support from the US government continues to be a huge problem (a surprise, I know). But it is the rise of Eddy Nez - a Villain (capital V) we met ever-so-briefly in Book 1 - and his Rattlesnakes Militia that's combined evil eventually becomes an almost Orwellian catastrophe (and yes, I made sure that definition applies if you're curious). Eddy's plans and the way he carries out his intended conquest can only be compared to the actions and deeds of the worst villains these authors have ever created. And if you're a fan like I am, you know that's saying a LOT. This is some serious sh!t going on and it ramps up the tension compared to the first book in this series as the level of cruelty and maniacal behavior is just off the charts, much the same as it was in the original "Trackers" classics.
Eddy enjoyed the power he held. The foreboding intensity of raw fear.
In addition, there are scenes that continue to make the 'this could really happen' aspect of Smith and Melchiorri's combined work all too deeply felt. What happens to Calvin in California is stomach churning, in no small part because I've witnessed just what kind of numbers of humans can gather there on a 'normal' day! And the on-going risk to Lindsey and her team(s) as well as the FAC allies left me stunned to say the least. Even Lindsey's nightmares are highlighted and we can't help but become ever more invested in her daily struggles and sense of frustration and loss.
I won’t sugarcoat a turd and call it a donut, so I want to be frank with you. We need your help.
The only minor aspect of all this that I was less than … enamored (again not sure if that's the best word?) with is simply that the bad guys in this chapter come in large part from the Navajo Nation. Don't get me wrong: all the Rattlesnakes allies made up of militia folks and preppers and thumpers and Neo-Nazis and all those goofballs - again just like in the original "Trackers" series - didn't either bother me or honestly, wouldn't surprise me if they did something like this even in today's REAL world. But I did find myself really questioning if Native Americans would rise up like this, even in the hellscape of the USA after the Collapse… or if you prefer 'the Great Reversal'. Maybe I'm over-romanticizing things a bit. Like fellow Navajo Jay says at one stage: 'Eddy and a few hundred nuts are going to ruin our reputation.' Again, not an overall detriment to the book but I did find myself feeling less than comfortable sometimes with the approach. Still, there's not a ton of good guys to find anywhere in this reality other than in Estes Park so take your pick about who to dislike the most.
Killing does not change the past. It only darkens the future.
Bottom-line though is that this is another absolute winner of a tale! I'm exhausted… I mean, the escape from Clayton's compound by Raven, his face-to-face fight with Eddy, the battles at Estes Park, Fort Golden and then the absolutely incredible sequence at Albany... Just holy effing wow!! And yet, I still have Book 3 ahead of me! Let's ride!
September 5, 2022
The United States of America is slowly recovering from an EMP attack. With power off coast to coast and Washington DC a huge crater, America's neighbors, Canada and Mexico, and England stepped up helping with food, supplies and manpower to rebuild. But the New Frontier, stretching from Colorado to California, was basically a lawless land teeming with hunger and illness. A pandemic plague called Wild Fire was spreading like its name, an illness ending in death. A cure had been found, but it was a difficult and time consuming process to manufacture in the quantity needed.
The Rattlesnakes, a group led by ex-Navaho policeman Eddy 'Ahiga' Nez spread rumors that Commander, the cure for Wild Fire, was poisonous, meant to get rid of the population of New Frontier. Eddy spread his terror, seeking to make the New Frontier a home for Native Americans without a government telling them what to do. Sam 'Raven' Spears and his canine sidekick Creek worked to keep Estes Park safe. With help from Sheriff Lindsey Plymouth and Raven's friend Jay Wauneka, A Navajo policeman who had worked with Eddy Nez, Raven and Creek wanted to help the people of the New Frontier. Between Raven and Secretary of Defense Charlize Montgomery, they are determined to free the New Frontier from the Rattlesnake's influence, and see an end to Eddy Nez!
Amazing characters, a storyline filled with perfidy, betrayal and suspicion, and outstanding storytellers made this terrifically hard to put down! A couple sleepless nights and I finished a really great read! Now I can't wait for book 3!
The Rattlesnakes, a group led by ex-Navaho policeman Eddy 'Ahiga' Nez spread rumors that Commander, the cure for Wild Fire, was poisonous, meant to get rid of the population of New Frontier. Eddy spread his terror, seeking to make the New Frontier a home for Native Americans without a government telling them what to do. Sam 'Raven' Spears and his canine sidekick Creek worked to keep Estes Park safe. With help from Sheriff Lindsey Plymouth and Raven's friend Jay Wauneka, A Navajo policeman who had worked with Eddy Nez, Raven and Creek wanted to help the people of the New Frontier. Between Raven and Secretary of Defense Charlize Montgomery, they are determined to free the New Frontier from the Rattlesnake's influence, and see an end to Eddy Nez!
Amazing characters, a storyline filled with perfidy, betrayal and suspicion, and outstanding storytellers made this terrifically hard to put down! A couple sleepless nights and I finished a really great read! Now I can't wait for book 3!
November 1, 2023
Beginning to think the other reviewers were right- 2nd in a trilogy, but does everyone have to die ?
To be honest, i probably wont read #3. Im more into agreement with the foreign people in the book and would feel the same with the other way around. Perhaps walling off the settlements beyond Colorado is what has to be done
And I understand the EMP taking out weaponry, but bombing the compounds of these people seem wiser than sending in more and more people to die. The leads were not that bright and not that likable. They seem to stand there instead of doing something preventative. Many sentences have them describing someone getting beaten or a gun slowly being taken out, and they dont do anything to prevent it.
To be honest, i probably wont read #3. Im more into agreement with the foreign people in the book and would feel the same with the other way around. Perhaps walling off the settlements beyond Colorado is what has to be done
And I understand the EMP taking out weaponry, but bombing the compounds of these people seem wiser than sending in more and more people to die. The leads were not that bright and not that likable. They seem to stand there instead of doing something preventative. Many sentences have them describing someone getting beaten or a gun slowly being taken out, and they dont do anything to prevent it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2024
Iranian terrorists engineered the Wildfire Virus, they have been stopped but unfortunately the spread has not. The extremist faction of the Navajo Nation called the Rattlesnakes led by the cruel Eddy Nez in his plan to take the New Frontier back for his people are taking more territory and attacks against Estes Park and other communities have resulted in so much loss of innocent lives. Raven, Lindsey, Charlize, Calvin and his Steel Runners, Jay a former member of the Navajo Police Dept plus teams from the UK, Canada, Mexico and the US are doing their best to stop him but so far he keeps getting away. Will they stop the slaughter and bring peace and the feeling of safety to the survivors and at what cost?
September 10, 2022
I am so glad Nick listened to his fans and along with Tony Melchiorri is giving this awesome addition to the Tracker series. The story moves along so fast and smooth with almost non-stop action. There is great character and story development that keeps you turning the pages rooting for the heroes. Raven, Creek, Sheriff Lindsey and Calvin are just a few of the amazing heroes. Eagerly awaiting the third and final book in this series.
October 24, 2022
A great listen from start to finish! Smith and Melchiorri make a fantastic team along with the narration from Pinchot. In my opinion, the New Frontier series is turning out just as good as the original series, Trackers! And I love revisiting old characters I love with new stories! Us readers/listeners often wonder what's going on with our favorite characters after the storm ends. Thank you Nick and Anthony for bringing them back!
February 15, 2025
This is the second book in the New Frontier series. The story picks up one month after the defeat of a rogue group of terrorists, with the United States struggling to maintain control over the New Frontier, an untamed sector of America.
I lost interest midway through the book but regained it by the end. Post-apocalyptic stories are getting tiresome, but at least there were no zombies. It feels more realistic that the true enemies would be other people.
Solid Three Stars
I lost interest midway through the book but regained it by the end. Post-apocalyptic stories are getting tiresome, but at least there were no zombies. It feels more realistic that the true enemies would be other people.
Solid Three Stars
October 14, 2022
so very frustrating and grief-producing
How bad can humans be to one another? So much is heart-shattering in our current universe, to live through the hate, cruelty and selfishness in fiction is a bit much for me at the moment.
I might feel differently come January 2023, but this installment made me cry.
How bad can humans be to one another? So much is heart-shattering in our current universe, to live through the hate, cruelty and selfishness in fiction is a bit much for me at the moment.
I might feel differently come January 2023, but this installment made me cry.
January 31, 2023
Pretty great sequel
I really enjoyed Book 1 of this series, and Wild Lands did not disappoint! I love the Native American lore, the exciting action sequences, and the "band of brothers " sentimentality. Raven and his comrades have a big job and they face it bravely. Bring on Book 3!
I really enjoyed Book 1 of this series, and Wild Lands did not disappoint! I love the Native American lore, the exciting action sequences, and the "band of brothers " sentimentality. Raven and his comrades have a big job and they face it bravely. Bring on Book 3!
February 10, 2023
Things got dark on the new frontier
This might be the darkest book in the series since the original. Nick and Anthony spin this tail so well. What I love and hate about their books is just about anyone can die an just about any disaster can happen just like real life. I could easily see this being a real world tragedy. Can't wait to read the next in the series!
This might be the darkest book in the series since the original. Nick and Anthony spin this tail so well. What I love and hate about their books is just about anyone can die an just about any disaster can happen just like real life. I could easily see this being a real world tragedy. Can't wait to read the next in the series!
February 15, 2023
Wild Lands (New Frontier Book 2)
Nicholas Sansbury Smith and Anthony J. Melchiorri are both powerful writers, together they are explosive. I loved the Trackers series. I've read it at least 6 times. While the New Frontier series can be read independent of Trackers, I highly recommended beginning with Trackers book 1.
Nicholas Sansbury Smith and Anthony J. Melchiorri are both powerful writers, together they are explosive. I loved the Trackers series. I've read it at least 6 times. While the New Frontier series can be read independent of Trackers, I highly recommended beginning with Trackers book 1.
September 15, 2022
Another thrill ride from NSS and A. Melchiorri. An edge of your seat, action packed continuation of "Wild Lands" filled with characters you love and characters you love to hate! Can the New Frontier survive? I CAN NOT wait to read Book #3 to find out. GREAT READ, GREAT SERIES!!
Read
October 4, 2022The book does seem a little far fetched, though it could become reality if we let it. It is amazing how fast they get from point A to point B in the book if you know the area.
The ending, ah never mind. I won't tell you!
The ending, ah never mind. I won't tell you!
January 26, 2023
Entertaining
Another entertaining novel with plenty of action. Book 2 in the series has the cast of characters dealing with an influx of refugees from the badlands with the new strain of plague. Were they deliberately infected by the Eddy?
Another entertaining novel with plenty of action. Book 2 in the series has the cast of characters dealing with an influx of refugees from the badlands with the new strain of plague. Were they deliberately infected by the Eddy?
April 29, 2023
Wild Lands
Once again the Trackers universe shines. Nicholas Sansbury Smith and Anthony J Melchiori have written another epic novel. If you like post apocalyptic fiction, snatch this trilogy up.
Once again the Trackers universe shines. Nicholas Sansbury Smith and Anthony J Melchiori have written another epic novel. If you like post apocalyptic fiction, snatch this trilogy up.
September 30, 2022
Another great read!
Wild Lands was another great book, good series all the way around and I cannot wait until the next book. Keeps you on the edge of your seat, awesome story line.
Wild Lands was another great book, good series all the way around and I cannot wait until the next book. Keeps you on the edge of your seat, awesome story line.
October 23, 2022
Think, "Out of Control" for this WILD ride. This series, along with the Trackers, reminds me of S. M. Stirling's Dies the Fire and its sequels.
November 15, 2022
Great book! Hard to put down.
January 7, 2023
This is believable. Ands it's scary.
January 12, 2023
Edge of your seat, heart wrenching, thrilling post apocalyptic series. Fantastic
March 9, 2023
Great Book
I thoroughly enjoyed this 2nd book in the series. You guys knocked it out of the park again carrying on the storyline smoothly from the 1st book.
I thoroughly enjoyed this 2nd book in the series. You guys knocked it out of the park again carrying on the storyline smoothly from the 1st book.
June 11, 2023
Really Wow
It does not make the book better by almost killing off all the characters!
There will be no one left at the rate it is going!
Get the books and leave your reviews.
It does not make the book better by almost killing off all the characters!
There will be no one left at the rate it is going!
Get the books and leave your reviews.
August 29, 2023
Another good book in the series
I enjoyed this next book in the series. Great story and great characters. Now onto the next book. I can't wait for another page turner.
I enjoyed this next book in the series. Great story and great characters. Now onto the next book. I can't wait for another page turner.
February 28, 2025
Outstanding
Another outstanding Book in the New FrontierSeries,I found it hard to put down and a very exciting read and hard to put down
Another outstanding Book in the New FrontierSeries,I found it hard to put down and a very exciting read and hard to put down
September 23, 2025
Good book
Well worth reading, Exciting has a pretty good pace, and is a fun read. So I gave it a 4.
Well worth reading, Exciting has a pretty good pace, and is a fun read. So I gave it a 4.
March 22, 2024
Good series. Extremely interesting.
September 6, 2022
Post-apocalyptic seems very close at hand….Spot-on thriller writing!
Two blockbuster authors team again for a new series, the New Frontier. Iowa author Nicholas Sansbury Smith, whose activities include a passion for racing (he is an Ironman triathlete), serving in the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management, working in disaster planning and mitigation, writes best selling books. Texas author Anthony J Melchiorri, originally from Normal, Illinois, holds two degrees - Biomedical Engineering and English from the University of Iowa and eventually completing his doctoral in Bioengineering at the University of Maryland. As a Biomedical Engineer he develops cardiovascular devices for tissue engineering to treat children with congenital heart defects, working with 3D printing technologies among other aspects of this scientifically advanced and advancing arena of study. The literary interaction between these talented men is outstanding.
For those new to this series, the authors summarize the events in Book 1 – a fine bow to their committed audience. While of course it is preferable to read that first volume before WILD LANDS, but the writing is so strong and the events covered so spellbinding that this novel could be considered a standalone. Check out the synopsis to get an idea of the direction.
Memorable characters carved out of the military mode bring this post-apocalyptic story into the realm of feasible, as issues of climate change and the ever-evolving pandemic are considered. That makes this novel not only immensely entertaining but also thought provoking! Very highly recommended!
Two blockbuster authors team again for a new series, the New Frontier. Iowa author Nicholas Sansbury Smith, whose activities include a passion for racing (he is an Ironman triathlete), serving in the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management, working in disaster planning and mitigation, writes best selling books. Texas author Anthony J Melchiorri, originally from Normal, Illinois, holds two degrees - Biomedical Engineering and English from the University of Iowa and eventually completing his doctoral in Bioengineering at the University of Maryland. As a Biomedical Engineer he develops cardiovascular devices for tissue engineering to treat children with congenital heart defects, working with 3D printing technologies among other aspects of this scientifically advanced and advancing arena of study. The literary interaction between these talented men is outstanding.
For those new to this series, the authors summarize the events in Book 1 – a fine bow to their committed audience. While of course it is preferable to read that first volume before WILD LANDS, but the writing is so strong and the events covered so spellbinding that this novel could be considered a standalone. Check out the synopsis to get an idea of the direction.
Memorable characters carved out of the military mode bring this post-apocalyptic story into the realm of feasible, as issues of climate change and the ever-evolving pandemic are considered. That makes this novel not only immensely entertaining but also thought provoking! Very highly recommended!
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews