An often-gripping alien invasion tale starring an extraordinary creation.
In Ganzberger’s SF thriller sequel, the truth is out there—and it’s dangerous.
The idea that unidentified aerial phenomena exist has long been a nuisance for governments worldwide. U.S. Marine Col. Scott Jennings hires an illusionist, the Amazing Adriano, to come up with a holographic trick that will “prove” to the public that UAPs (commonly known as UFOs) are an elaborate hoax. Jennings’ real plan, code-named Sapient Quest, is more complicated; he and others in the government believe that UAPs are real, and they’re planning to use the illusion to help them uncover an actual alien object. Added to this secret team are famed astrophysicist Miles Pierce and Kim Harrod, creator of drones called Naturally and Artificially Intelligent Chimeras, or NAIMERAs. These bioengineered beings are described as “living, versatile, high-tech ‘brain[s].’” It turns out that a synthetic alien species, the Ocets, plan to leave their dying planet and resettle on Earth after their advance party eradicates all life there. The extraterrestrials whom the task force seeks have been studying humanity for decades. As Miles is dying of cancer, Kim uses his recorded memories to create his NAIMERA heir, Niles, who discovers the Ocet scouts and the threat they pose to Earth. Using Miles’ scientific knowledge, he determines the best way to fight them, although suspicion and misunderstanding among nations could stop the plan in its tracks. Ganzberger deserves credit for developing a new twist on the alien invasion plot. The most intriguing character is easily Niles, since the NAIMERA-human hybrid gets the best of both species. The rest of the characters, though, be they human, Ocet, or NAIMERA, are less memorable and never quite come to life. When the obnoxious Ocet leader opines that the “bipeds” (humans) are destroying their planet, many readers may nod their heads in agreement, even as they hope for the aliens’ defeat. The narrative speeds along nicely, even though only Niles is aware that he’s racing against the clock. Overall, it’s an engaging adventure, although readers may be able to predict where it’s all headed.
An often-gripping alien invasion tale starring an extraordinary creation.Pub Date: Nov. 8, 2023
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 286
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.
Are we not men? We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z(2006).
A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn’t know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for “injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you.” Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to “immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System,” and there’s always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.” Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.
A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.Pub Date: June 16, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-2678-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
A fresh and clever whodunit with an engaging twist.
A 16-year-old savant uses his Groundhog Day gift to solve his grandfather’s murder.
Nishizawa’s compulsively readable puzzle opens with the discovery of the victim, patriarch Reijiro Fuchigami, sprawled on a futon in the attic of his elegant mansion, where his family has gathered for a consequential announcement about his estate. The weapon seems to be a copper vase lying nearby. Given this setup, the novel might have proceeded as a traditional whodunit but for two delightful features. The first is the ebullient narration of Fuchigami’s youngest grandson, Hisataro, thrust into the role of an investigator with more dedication than finesse. The second is Nishizawa’s clever premise: The 16-year-old Hisataro has lived ever since birth with a condition that occasionally has him falling into a time loop that he calls "the Trap," replaying the same 24 hours of his life exactly nine times before moving on. And, of course, the murder takes place on the first day of one of these loops. Can he solve the murder before the cycle is played out? His initial strategies—never leaving his grandfather’s side, focusing on specific suspects, hiding in order to observe them all—fall frustratingly short. Hisataro’s comical anxiety rises with every failed attempt to identify the culprit. It’s only when he steps back and examines all the evidence that he discovers the solution. First published in 1995, this is the first of Nishizawa’s novels to be translated into English. As for Hisataro, he ultimately concludes that his condition is not a burden but a gift: “Time’s spiral never ends.”
A fresh and clever whodunit with an engaging twist.Pub Date: July 29, 2025
ISBN: 9781805335436
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Pushkin Vertigo
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
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