An action-packed SF thriller-series installment concerning international relations on Earth and extraterrestrial contact.

In this follow-up to Thunderbird Rising (2024), Maxx King and his girlfriend Gabby Fisher are having coffee in Seattle. The year is 2002 and the United States is still reeling from the attacks of September 11, 2001. Gabby and Maxx are set to meet with Connie Xi, the daughter of a high-level Chinese scientist. Their goal is to get the elder Dr. Xi to cooperate with the U.S. government on a secret project, but before anything can be arranged, assassins shoot Connie in broad daylight. As it turns out, the project, known as Thunderbird, is named after an alien communication device, and the events of 9/11, during which Maxx was injured, were connected to a conflict between China and the U.S. over who would activate the device first. Afghanistan was invaded, according to this novel’s version of historical events, due to its proximity to China’s western border, and the American government bulked up its military based on instructions from the aliens. Ideally, the two Earth superpowers would find a way to work together in common cause because, as U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney points out, “Our national security and possibly the fate of the planet are dangling by a thin thread.” However, even this dire state of affairs does not make cooperation easy, as the different players in this game have very different goals—with some of them more ill-intentioned than others.  

This sequel’s intricate setup throws a lot of information at readers very quickly. Indeed, the historical background and the intricacies of alien communication make for dense exposition as the novel recaps events of the first book. Nevertheless, the combination of alien-SF with more conventional thriller material is intriguing. Likewise, the aliens are an interesting lot who don’t put much trust in humanity, for reasons that readers will find understandable: “It is your nature to deceive.” A revelation about midway through the story also indicates that the Earth-alien relationship is far more complex than one might initially expect. It’s clear that these advanced creatures are incredibly powerful—especially compared to humanity—and much of the excitement comes from suspense over what they’ll do next, especially after their plans to come to Earth are revealed. After all, the aliens “have been building worlds for millennia” and humankind’s “attempts at duplicity are well known” to them. The dialogue can be awkward at times, as when someone rather obviously says of Dr. Xi early on, after Connie is killed: “He is going to be emotionally distraught from the loss of his daughter yesterday, but you need to convince him that we must work together, or all is lost.” The book also sometimes relies on stock genre lines, such as “This is a dangerous game you are playing.” However, as the story progresses with locations ranging from Seattle to Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, to Kabul, it offers a welcome mix of alien and earthling hostilities.

A lively international, and otherworldly, adventure.

Soldiers and scientists fight to prevent an alien invasion of Earth in Thomas’ SF thriller, the conclusion of a trilogy.

Picking up where the author’s Masters of War (2024) left off, injured Homeland Security consultant Maxx King reunites with Green Berets in Afghanistan. With Operation Anaconda underway, the American soldiers aim to capture or kill a rogue Dense Advanced Research Projects Agency scientist. They’re also battling the Taliban, as this story unfolds just six months after the 9/11 attacks. But there’s more to Operation Anaconda, which Maxx eventually reveals: The mission includes securing “the cube,” a smooth-surfaced, metallic device used for communicating with an alien species dubbed the Others. Said aliens are plotting to invade Earth, so blocking any communication is essential. Amazingly, some humans (like that DARPA scientist, alongside a CIA traitor) side with the extraterrestrials. Those who resist the potential invasion seek a virus that may be used as a weapon against the Others, but it is currently missing. Physicist Dr. Xi, along with the mysterious Mr. Green, are in Washington state to get encrypted information (to which only Mr. Green has the encryption key) about the virus. Meanwhile, Maxx sends a couple of his old pals from his days in the military to keep an eye on his girlfriend, Gabby Fisher, in the U.S. Freelance operative Torashi Kage, whom a senator has assigned to track down the virus, embarks on a personal vendetta against Maxx—and because Kage doesn’t know where Maxx is, he first goes after Gabby.

Thomas caters this finale to readers familiar with the previous series installments. Exhilarating action opens the narrative, with multiple groups of people engaged in combat, rushing somewhere, or scheming to take someone out. Despite the series title featuring Maxx’s name, this is definitely an ensemble cast—the spotlight is shared among many characters, from Dr. Xi and Mr. Green to Maxx’s ever-reliable military friends Andres Sandoval and Glen Piper. An unexpected standout is one particular villain who struggles with an all-too-relatable emotional issue; she’s involved in a sinister plan on a global scale but has difficulty overcoming her jealousy, feeling “second best” to the scientist who’s aligned with the man she loves. Maxx makes for a terrific hero and helps to protect Earth, but so do many other characters. The Others, at least in this installment, are mostly an ominous presence—they’re often voiced via the cube, and there’s not much beyond a hint of their specific biology. This doesn’t make them any less daunting, as there seems to be no question that they have the power to devastate the entire planet. The dialogue throughout is rife with cliches (“We’re playing with fire”; “he’s already got one foot in the grave”), but it’s action that truly drives this story, and the author dishes it out in spades.

Unforgettable characters boost this energetic SF yarn.