Dynamic characters headline this exhilarating fusion of action and alien horror.
Alaska becomes a battleground when alien creatures threaten the entire world in Newman and Land’s SF thriller, the first in a series.
U.S. Army soldiers are mum on details while rushing married couple Kai and Jules Bevins to Alaska’s Mendenhall Glacier. The Californian astrobiologists are there to investigate an alien ship that’s been uncovered inside a chasm in the ice. Kai and Jules, who had no choice but to bring along their 11-year-old daughter, Charlie, quickly realize that something has disembarked from the craft. In little time, they and the soldiers are facing off against strange, vicious beings. Elsewhere in Alaska, two state troopers find a seemingly deserted town and bodies that have been left in horrifying conditions. All hope is not lost—an otherworldly artificial intelligence has awakened nine towering warriors who’ve been in stasis for 1,000 years; their purpose is to defend Earth against such threats. But with the extraterrestrial creatures spawning at an alarming rate, it won’t be long before there are no earthlings left to save. Newman and Land waste no time in jump-starting this novel as troopers search for a “wayward delivery van” under Alaska’s heavy snowfall. The story masterfully builds to thrilling moments, such as the arrival of “the Nine.” Intense clashes showcase the Nine’s advanced weaponry (including nanotechnological kaelens that take on various forms) and take nerve-wracking turns (like creatures “slamming parts of themselves against the windows, spiderweb cracks appearing in the moments before the black metallic remnants of the ruined sentinels shattered the glass with violent thrusts”). Once the action decelerates, the authors add layers to the cast, such as the Nine’s gradually returning memories and a secret that Jules keeps from Charlie. It all culminates in a memorable climax that leaves several potential avenues for sequels to take.
Dynamic characters headline this exhilarating fusion of action and alien horror.Pub Date: July 14, 2026
ISBN: 9798895656891
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Permuted Press
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Suspenseful, frightening, and sometimes poignant—provided the reader has a generously willing suspension of disbelief.
A man walks out of a bar and his life becomes a kaleidoscope of altered states in this science-fiction thriller.
Crouch opens on a family in a warm, resonant domestic moment with three well-developed characters. At home in Chicago’s Logan Square, Jason Dessen dices an onion while his wife, Daniela, sips wine and chats on the phone. Their son, Charlie, an appealing 15-year-old, sketches on a pad. Still, an undertone of regret hovers over the couple, a preoccupation with roads not taken, a theme the book will literally explore, in multifarious ways. To start, both Jason and Daniela abandoned careers that might have soared, Jason as a physicist, Daniela as an artist. When Charlie was born, he suffered a major illness. Jason was forced to abandon promising research to teach undergraduates at a small college. Daniela turned from having gallery shows to teaching private art lessons to middle school students. On this bracing October evening, Jason visits a local bar to pay homage to Ryan Holder, a former college roommate who just received a major award for his work in neuroscience, an honor that rankles Jason, who, Ryan says, gave up on his career. Smarting from the comment, Jason suffers “a sucker punch” as he heads home that leaves him “standing on the precipice.” From behind Jason, a man with a “ghost white” face, “red, pursed lips," and "horrifying eyes” points a gun at Jason and forces him to drive an SUV, following preset navigational directions. At their destination, the abductor forces Jason to strip naked, beats him, then leads him into a vast, abandoned power plant. Here, Jason meets men and women who insist they want to help him. Attempting to escape, Jason opens a door that leads him into a series of dark, strange, yet eerily familiar encounters that sometimes strain credibility, especially in the tale's final moments.
Suspenseful, frightening, and sometimes poignant—provided the reader has a generously willing suspension of disbelief.Pub Date: July 26, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-101-90422-0
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
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Buckle up—fans of page-turning SF may find themselves binge-reading this novel in one butt-numbing marathon session.
Like a truck with no brakes speeding down a steep mountain road, Islington’s latest is an adrenaline-fueled SF thrill ride that follows a biomechanically enhanced assassin as he tries to understand his mysterious origins.
The chaotic opening scene gives readers a clear indication of what they’re in for: Contract killer Azure, attempting to complete a mission, is involved in a life-or-death battle with a multieyed biomachine called an Argos. “The thing’s bipedal but has six gorilla-like arms that end in half-metre-long claws,” he complains. After Azure barely dispatches the monster and kills his target, his AI assistant, Atti, informs him of his next job: protecting an elderly—and incredibly rich—woman living in a sprawling underground bunker in the middle of nowhere. “Old Woman,” as Azure calls her, isn’t forthcoming with personal details; all Azure can suss out is that she may be the target of a powerful organized crime syndicate—the same organization that employs him! Is Azure’s ultimate goal to save her or kill her? Although the worldbuilding could’ve been more comprehensive, Islington’s editing choices are brilliant—he strips away the insignificant narrative content to create a streamlined, action-packed adventure with seemingly one goal: to keep the reader furiously turning pages. The various mysteries—Azure’s murky beginnings, the tragic death of his best friend years earlier, Old Woman’s true identity, etc.—maintain the momentum and intensity. The takeaway here is the narrative potential of the characters as well as the plethora of subjects that could be explored more deeply, like immortality for the rich, cloning, and the potential to create bioengineered nightmares for “security.” Islington leaves the conclusion tantalizingly ambiguous. This novel could be the jumping-off point for a memorable series.
Buckle up—fans of page-turning SF may find themselves binge-reading this novel in one butt-numbing marathon session.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
ISBN: 9781668239247
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Saga/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2026
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