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A review by terminalfin
Extinction Edge by Nicholas Sansbury Smith
5.0
Already on to book 2 of this amazing series. As is my history with Nick's writing, I am absolutely addicted to his style of storytelling (and that of Bronson Pinchot's narration as I am listened to the audible edition of this book).
Book two takes place in a situation where team ghost and the survivors across the world, to include Plum Island, must now figure out how to deal with the variants created by the bio-weapon designed by Dr. Lovato which was designed to eradicate the Hemorrhage virus. After all, “to kill a monster you have to create a monster.” The modified VX-99/Ebola virus combo which infected humanity has now been modified once more resulting in some truly terrifying sounding creatures.
The research into military culture which Mr. Smith has done for this series is truly admirable. I love the shout-out to the wounded warriors out there in this series. I also greatly enjoy the from-the-front leadership style of Beckham and how he seeks to continue to encourage his team and the other members of Plum Island to continue to fight for humanity (they fight so humanity survives. For those who have read Hell Divers, do you see what I did there?)
The details that went into the fight between those at Plum Island, the members of Team Ghost, and CENTCOM really hits home as it highlights a key aspect of military life; the battle between those on the ground doing the fighting and those making the decisions. While not taken to the extremes seen in the book, some of it hit home for me. Operation Liberty fails miserably, despite warnings from the experts who are studying the variants and those infected with the hemorrhage virus, and Team Ghost is left to pick up the pieces.
I will say the most memorable portion of this entry in the series was the opening side story which expanded later in the book. The encounter in the lair was truly horrifying and gave me an Aliens style vibe akin to when the team on LV-426 first encountered those which had been cocooned. And, once again, the way the lips/mouths morph for these creatures is perhaps one of their most terrifying characteristics.
Book two was just as good, if not better than, the first and I am really glad I got to dive into this series.
Book two takes place in a situation where team ghost and the survivors across the world, to include Plum Island, must now figure out how to deal with the variants created by the bio-weapon designed by Dr. Lovato which was designed to eradicate the Hemorrhage virus. After all, “to kill a monster you have to create a monster.” The modified VX-99/Ebola virus combo which infected humanity has now been modified once more resulting in some truly terrifying sounding creatures.
The research into military culture which Mr. Smith has done for this series is truly admirable. I love the shout-out to the wounded warriors out there in this series. I also greatly enjoy the from-the-front leadership style of Beckham and how he seeks to continue to encourage his team and the other members of Plum Island to continue to fight for humanity (they fight so humanity survives. For those who have read Hell Divers, do you see what I did there?)
The details that went into the fight between those at Plum Island, the members of Team Ghost, and CENTCOM really hits home as it highlights a key aspect of military life; the battle between those on the ground doing the fighting and those making the decisions. While not taken to the extremes seen in the book, some of it hit home for me. Operation Liberty fails miserably, despite warnings from the experts who are studying the variants and those infected with the hemorrhage virus, and Team Ghost is left to pick up the pieces.
I will say the most memorable portion of this entry in the series was the opening side story which expanded later in the book. The encounter in the lair was truly horrifying and gave me an Aliens style vibe akin to when the team on LV-426 first encountered those which had been cocooned. And, once again, the way the lips/mouths morph for these creatures is perhaps one of their most terrifying characteristics.
Book two was just as good, if not better than, the first and I am really glad I got to dive into this series.