Extinction Evolution

The Extinction Cycle, Book 4

By: Nicholas Sansbury Smith

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot

Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

There's a storm on the horizon....

Central Command is gone, the military is fractured, and the surviving members of Team Ghost, led by Master Sergeant Reed Beckham, have been pushed to the breaking point. While the strong return to the battlefield, the wounded are forced to stay behind on Plum Island and fight their inner demons.

Betrayed by the country they swore to defend and surrounded by enemies on all sides, Team Ghost has one mission left: protect Dr. Kate Lovato and Dr. Pat Ellis while they develop a weapon to defeat the Variants once and for all. But after a grisly discovery in Atlanta, Kate and Ellis realize their weapon might not be able to stop the evolution of the monsters.

Joined by unexpected allies and facing a new threat none of them saw coming, the survivors are running out of time to save the human race from extinction.

©2015 Nicholas Sansbury Smith (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Audio book causes physical reaction...

This book was effing awesome. Nick Smith writes a story so vivid, you find yourself physically jerking as if you can help the characters by punching monsters. Bronson Pinchot, again, adds his amazing talent to just blow your mind with this story. Nick Smith fan for life.

OMG!!! Couldn't stop listening!

This series is gripping, exciting, terrifying all at the same time. Almost passed it up, as I tire of zombie stories... This isn't a zombie story, love the suspense. Hopefully, there won't be too long of a wait for the next one. Love the characters, especially Fitz, a wounded veteran...

Can’t get enough....

1 week and 4 audiobooks in....... I’m addicted! I can’t believe there are more!

Best series around...

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Good- Action, action and more action... The Bad- more than enough self-serving pity... The Ugly- overall Brilliant story, falls apart with lack of Military Discipline...

Best one so far out of the series

And one of the best, out of hundreds that I've ever listened to in this genre.

Good book!

I'm enjoying all of the Extinction books but I get tired of Kate sounding like a whipped dog when the reader reads her parts. There's room for her to be a stronger character and instead she almost sounds whiny. Otherwise, I love the characters and the story is still interesting.

Human Potential on Display; Good and Bad.

I am writing this after listening to the first five books in the series.

Yes this is a zombie apocalypse series but it is not just another zombie apocalypse series. If you have read my reviews you will know that no fan of zombie books am I; but a fan of Bronson Pinchot I am. Having recently finished listening to The Anubis Gates I was hungering for more Pinchot. This series had many good reviews, so many that I felt it might be worth a chance. From the start the story pulled me in with its realistic characters and Sci-Fi based verisimilitude. The epigenetic justification for humans becoming hungry monsters is at least in the realm of science and not unexplainable magic. The battle scenes are well done, reminiscent of the best military science fiction scenes I have heard. Zombie novel fans may find that the character development and plot development sequences get in the way of the non-stop action they are used to, but fans of military science fiction will find familiar ground here.

Each volume in the series escalates the development of the infected and the desperation of the remaining humans to the point where the survival of the race is in serious question—hence the title: Extinction Cycle. Desperate times are ahead for the listener if you decide to take on the variants in this series. The writing is terse and tight with little opportunity for humor. This is the end of the world as we know it, that’s no laughing matter you know!
Just a little mention of the so-called science behind this piece of science fiction: The zombie-like creatures in this piece of fiction are deliberately created in a military lab as a weapon of war. The designers tapped into the hidden capabilities locked in the DNA of humans and unleashed them through means of epigenetic triggers. When the infected manifest these hidden characteristics it is explained in the novels as evolution. This is typical of the thinking of neo-Darwinians, that any change is evolutionary change. Actual epigenetic change requires the capabilities waiting to be manifested be already present in the DNA sequence of the organism; a preexisting condition. When these capabilities are switched on new capabilities are manifested in the organism, and may even be preserved in the offspring. But these new capabilities are not new as in, never have been seen before; they are only new to the organism. The fact that the DNA stored this information, that the DNA had retained these hidden capabilities in its database, means that these capabilities were already there waiting to be triggered. Epigenetic DNA expression is the evidence of prior planning—dare I say design—and not the evidence for evolution.

Need I mention that Bronson Pinchot delivers a wonderful performance? Okay then, Bronson Pinchot is amazing! His voice is always clear and precise. Every character voice rings true. You always know immediately who is talking. This is such an advantage to understanding a book that it makes any book whole degrees better since the listener is able to engage with the story so easily when the narrator gives the proper queues. Pinchot does everything perfect. His pacing is just right; escalating when things get moving and slowing when things are tense. This is just the Pinchot fix I was hoping for.

The Extinction Cycle:
ENTINCTION HORIZON
EXTINCTION EDGE
EXTINCTION AGE
EXTINCTION EVOLUTION
EXTINCTION END
EXTINCTION AFTERMATH is due to be published October 13, 2016. If Bronson Pinchot narrates watch this space.

enjoyable engaging series

very good,ready for the next book, good story line and narrator did an excellent job.vet engaging

Fantastic!

This series is great! The variants are horrible creations by the military in their efforts to create an unstoppable soldier but it went horribly wrong. Those creations are now evolving into even more horrible monsters. It's up to Kate and Beckham to try to turn the tide. Engrossing characters and story that will keep you on the edge!

Outstanding

Great listen. Really enjoyed it I love anything written by Nicolas Smith I highly recommend you follow this great writer