Category: Book Review

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#BookReview: Project Hyperion by Jeremy Robinson

In the latest entrant of the NEMESIS series, we FINALLY begin seeing some things set in motion that have been rumored and hinted at for YEARS.

Jon Hudson and family are out in the bay investigating a “sea monster”. Nemesis, now controlled by Jon’s frenemy ninja Endo, is recuperating deep in the ocean hundreds of miles away. But Nemesis senses something… the Aeros are sending in their vanguard, and she is the only being that stands a chance at stopping it.

And then Maigo and Lily find a giant robot – the very robot that killed Nemesis Prime centuries ago.

Nemesis and the robot – now calling itself HYPERION – must take on the advance guard of the Aeros as the Ferox race to get to Earth before the Aeros.

Earth is officially caught in the crosshairs of intergalactic war, and this is something not even the FC-P is fully prepared for.

Yet again, the Master out does himself. Robinson effectively created the “kaiju thriller” genre, and yet again tops himself. If you’re a fan of ninjas, aliens, kaiju, or giant robots, you’re going to love this book. If you loved Pacific Rim, you NEED THIS BOOK. If you hated Pacific Rim, well, this book does what Pacific Rim *should* have done.

This review of Project Hyperion by Jeremy Robinson was originally published on September 23, 2015.

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#BookReview: Herculean by Jeremy Robinson

In this spinoff from the Chess Team/ Jack Sigler series, we see George Pierce – best friend of Jack Sigler aka King – begin working outright with the Herculean Society, taking over from where the Chess Team left that group. In this first adventure, Pierce and his allies – several characters introduced in the Chess Team series, even if it has been a few missions since they were mentioned – begin encountering strange chimeras. As they investigate, they encounter the Cerberus Group as both organizations race for the birthplace of all monsters. Cerberus to unleash untold destruction, Herculean Society to stop them.

Yet another fast paced, surprising entry from the true master of the genre, you won’t be able to put this one down – yet you don’t have to read anything that came before it to understand and enjoy all that is happening here.

This review of Herculean by Jeremy Robinson and Sean Ellis was originally published on August 26, 2015.

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#BookReview: Hunger by Jeremy Robinson

Curing world hunger sounds great, right?

That is why I did it. I wanted to be the guy that solved World Hunger.

And I did. I used genetic modification to unlock so-called “junk” DNA in plants, and with this I was able to allow them to grow anywhere that had a permeable surface. Desert? Not a problem. Marsh? Not a problem. Mountains? Not a problem. As long as it didn’t involve steel, concrete, rock, or the like, my plants would grow.

Unfortunately I never really tested my breakthrough before it got out of control, and my boss never looked at my work either.

So I wound up causing the apocalypse by solving world hunger.

Oops.

Now it is several years after my breakthrough caused the end of humanity, and my boss is on the run. She still has hope that what little remains of humanity outside of our San Francisco complex can be saved. Me, I’m not so sure – but her bosses sure seem to be intent on stopping her for some reason.

How did we do it? How did we cause the end of humanity? Will she be able to reverse what I did?

Well, you’re just going to have to read Jeremiah Knight’s debut book to find out…

Note: Hate to spoil the illusion here, but just to be clear: I am a real person who is a long time fan of the author (as in, we met via MySpace) whose name the author used for a character in this book. The above is solely my own review, my way of trying to thank the author, who is easily one of my favorites.

This review of Hunger by Jeremy Robinson was originally published on June 9, 2015.

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#BookReview: MirrorWorld by Jeremy Robinson

Jeremy Robinson has long been rumored to be building towards a world-spanning crossover event, and in this book he gives himself potentially his most powerful weapon yet for such an event.

The Dread are among us, but we can’t see them unless they *really* want us to. They are the unspeakable horrors we feel, even the uncomfortableness we feel when nothing seems to be amiss.

Crazy is also among us. Crazy claims he can see them, and even fight them. Crazy just might be right.

You see, Crazy doesn’t realize who he is or why he became what he is, but he *is*, in fact, the only person who can naturally fight the Dread on their own turf – a parallel dimension to ours, occupying our same physical realm but on a different frequency.

How can Crazy fight the Dread? Why do the Dread even want to fight at all? And who, actually, is Crazy? Well, for those answers and one of Jeremy’s wildest rides yet – which is saying quite a bit – you’ll just have to pick this book up!

This review of MirrorWorld by Jeremy Robinson was originally published on May 5, 2015.

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#BookReview: Project 731 by Jeremy Robinson

Jeremy Robinson continues to show why he is the master of the Kaiju literary genre – and deserves to see his ideas put to the big screen. This story in particular seems almost tailor-made for Hollywood – two terrifying creatures combine, and the original form of one of them has to stop the other.

Our action here picks up not long after where PROJECT MAIGO finished up, dealing with the repercussions of that book’s final battle. Meanwhile, another super secret government group is having a bit of clean up of its own – it seems some of the creatures from ISLAND 731 have made their way to the Oregon coast. These two storylines converge near LA, and LA and Salt Lake City will never be the same again.

Fans of Robinson will be thrilled – there is quite a bit here for the long time fan. Newbies to Robinson will get a prototypical Robinson story – wildly imaginative action, with humans fighting humans, humans fighting creatures, creatures fighting creatures, and just about everything in between, along with genuine character development, particularly in Hudson and Maigo. So pick this book up – you really can never go wrong with this author!

This review of Project 731 by Jeremy Robinson was originally published on December 1, 2014.

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#BookReview: Cannibal by Jeremy Robinson

CANNIBAL picks up shortly after the events of SAVAGE, with the Team facing some doubts for the first time in a long time. Meanwhile, they don’t know it yet but they are about to face one of their greatest, and gravest, challenges yet. Along the way, the Team will be rocked to its very core unlike ever before… So sit down, strap in, and get ready for one of the wildest rides yet from the master of the wild ride.

Oh, and unfortunately you will never look at BBQ the same again – a true shame, if you are a Southerner like me who eats it regularly… 😀

This review of Cannibal by Jeremy Robinson and Sean Ellis was originally published on February 10, 2015.

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#BookReview: Descendant by Sean Ellis

I read Ascendant when it first came out a couple of years ago, and I’ve been begging Sean Ellis to write the next books ever since. He finally has, and WOW.

Some people might get tired of the Atlantis story being rehashed over and over, but I guarantee you one thing: You have NEVER seen an Atlantis-based story quite like this!

Mira Raiden, our heroine from Ascendant, returns as the Trinity comes back to life… and instead of a final monster fight in a remote cave in the Himalayas, this time we get one in the National Mall in Washington DC!

Hold on to the seat of your pants – you are in for one wild ride with this story!

This review of Descendant by Sean Ellis was originally published on November 27, 2014.

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#BookReview: Flood Rising by Jeremy Robinson

Robinson and Ellis attempt to out-Bourne Robert Ludlum, and in the process not only do that (and much more enjoyably!) but also out-Scarecrow Matthew Reilly. If you’re looking for an action packed thrill ride full of mystery and suspense, look no further! The explosion on the cover is basically the first scene of the book… and the book never really stops from there. From the Florida Keys to Arecibo to Arizona, we jump over quite a bit of the US as Jenna Flood begins to realize nothing is as it seems. And I do mean *nothing*. Pick this book up – you won’t be disappointed, and you’ll most likely be hooked on Robinson and Ellis!

This review of Flood Rising by Jeremy Robinson and Sean Ellis was originally published on October 7, 2014.

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#BookReview: Savage by Jeremy Robinson

This is the first Chess Team book to occur post-Ridley Saga, and is designed to be much more stand alone. As such, it makes a good entry point into the series for new fans – and they will be fans by the end of the book, mark my words on that one.

The back story here starts with Henry Morton Stanley trying to find the money to get back to Africa. It seems that Dr. Livingstone had told him a fantastical tale that he just had to go see for himself…

Flash forward nearly a century, and a man running from the constant wars of mid 20th century Africa finds a mysterious cave that two of his friends quickly die in.

And then we come to the modern era, where we are quickly introduced to a bunch of tourists in Egypt. One is Chinese, two appears to be a German couple, and two more appear to be tourists from some other Arab country. Of course they are none other than Shin Dae-jung, call sign KNIGHT, Stan Tremblay, call sign ROOK, Zelda Baker, call sign QUEEN, Erik Sommers, call sign BISHOP, and the man who has now lived through millenia, Jack Sigler – call sign KING. Yes, all of these tourists are our Chess Team, and they are on yet another mission to set up yet another book.

The tale this time mostly centers in Africa, but with a couple of side trips – QUEEN and ROOK only – to Europe to save a President and kill some bad guys, CHESS TEAM style. Along the way, we get a spin on the Team that is becoming somewhat the norm in these later books with the story splitting the team up in different objectives before bringing them all back together for the final battle. Along the way, we encounter at least a couple of people who are holdovers from the Ridley Saga, we get some great action, some funny humor… and a gut punch about mid way through.

But that midpoint gut punch is NOTHING like the haymaker that lands in the final 12% of the book. To the tune that I actually sent Jeremy this message via Facebook:

NO. I’m 89% in. If you do what it looks like you’re about to do, there *will* be cursing involved. A lot of it.

Hence the title of this review. But I have to admit, it is *because* of this haymaker that this story stands head and shoulders above any CHESS TEAM book before it. Because of this haymaker, I recommend reading at least a few of the previous books first, just to get the full weight of what is happening, though it isn’t strictly necessary. (But seriously, who starts reading a series with Book 6?? Seriously – you’ll have a LOT more fun if you start off with PRIME or PULSE, then skip ahead and read this one if you must. Hell, go ahead and buy all three!

This haymaker will change the course of the team forever… Or will it? As with Marvel’s Avenger Series movies, make sure you stay through the end credits. Or in this case, the “Coda” after the Epilogue…

This review of Savage by Jeremy Robinson and Sean Ellis was originally published on July 24, 2014.