The Extinction Cycle Boxed Set

By: Nicholas Sansbury Smith

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot

Length: 25 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's Summary

Here are the first three books of the best-selling, award-winning, and top-rated Extinction Cycle series.

Extinction Horizon

The worst of nature and the worst of science will bring the human race to the brink of extinction.

Master Sergeant Reed Beckham has led his Delta Force team, code named Ghost, through every kind of hell imaginable and never lost a man. When a top secret medical corps research facility goes dark, Team Ghost is called in to face their deadliest enemy yet - a variant strain of Ebola that turns men into monsters.

After barely escaping with his life, Beckham returns to Fort Bragg in the midst of a new type of war. The virus is already spreading. As cities fall, Team Ghost is ordered to keep CDC virologist Dr. Kate Lovato alive long enough to find a cure. What she uncovers will change everything.

Total extinction is just on the horizon, but will the cure be worse than the virus?

Extinction Edge

A new threat that will bring humanity to the edge of extinction.

The dust from Dr. Kate Lovato's bioweapon has settled. Projections put death counts in the billions. Her weapon was supposed to be the endgame, but it turned a small percentage of those infected with the hemorrhage virus into something even worse.

Survivors call them Variants. Irreversible epigenetic changes have transformed them into predators unlike any the human race has ever seen. And they are evolving.

With the doomsday clock ticking, the fractured military plans Operation Liberty - a desperate mission designed to take back the cities and destroy the Variant threat. Master Sergeant Reed Beckham agrees to lead a strike team into New York City, but first he must return to Fort Bragg to search for the only family he has left.

At Plum Island, Kate discovers Central Command may have considerably underestimated the Variant population in New York. As Operation Liberty draws closer, Kate warns Beckham that Team Ghost won't just face their deadliest adversary yet, they may be heading into a trap.

Extinction Age

On the eve of extinction, all seems to be lost, but there is still one final hope.

Operation Liberty has failed. Humans are losing the war. With no other option, General Kennor decides to pull back the troops and give science a second chance.

Trapped in the extensive sewer system beneath New York, Master Sergeant Reed Beckham and the survivors of 1st Platoon must battle through the tunnels - where they make a grisly discovery in their attempt to escape.

At Plum Island, Dr. Kate Lovato is working on a new bioweapon to destroy the Variants. But when a derelict Navy destroyer crashes into the Connecticut shoreline, she is forced to deal with a nightmare she thought had ended.

As the doomsday clock ticks down and military bases fall across the country, the human race enters the age of extinction.

©2016 Nicholas Sansbury Smith (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

A great twist on the zombie genre - Well worth it!

These reviews were written for Amazon.com and have been consolidated here for the first Audible omnibus. Great works all around!

EXTINCTION HORIZON

Where to begin with this fantastic story. As someone who grown to be addicted to Nick's writing, I can say that, without a doubt, this story kept up the tradition of drawing me in and leaving me wanting more. I am writing this review based on the audible omnibus edition (which included books 1 through 3, but my review for this portion only includes material, I am hoping, from book one).

While I will admit that the story started out a bit slow for my taste, I stuck through it as I have not been disappointed by Nick in the past. Man, am I glad that I did. What happens when a secret military experiment goes awry and results in mutations that seek to feed and spread? That is where this story takes you. Starting out with an experiment set back during the Vietnam War, the story gradually unfolds with what is clearly well researched science and thought. Reed Beckham leads Team Ghost through a mission to recover a sample from a gone-silent medical research facility as USAMRIID (pronounced u-sam-rid, minor nit-pick on my part as it is spelled out phonetically quite frequently during the narration).

As someone intimately familiar with Fort Bragg, I loved the details about the base as Reed leads his team to search for survivors throughout the now overrun base. The roads and locations called out easily helped me to picture what was going on and Nick clearly did his homework with regards to the base. Likewise, the details which go into Kate and Ellis's research into curing the infected fro the initial outbreak. All of the details make this story feel very real and help draw you in to the various situations which impact the human condition of each of the characters in the story.

The details on the infected and variants definitely give this a very unique feel (not typical zombies, not resident evil mutations, but a good and scary mix which also reminds me of a creature from an X-Files episode).

I am very glad I invested in this story as, like Hell Divers and Trackers, this story has me as another hooked reader (listener in my case). Great work and highly recommended!


EXTINCTION EDGE

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.

EXTINCTION AGE

Book three has already come and gone for me and I continue to be drawn into this story line. With Operation Liberty resulting in a beyond failure status, Team Ghost now faces the risk of dwindling supplies, a lack of appropriate guidance from their parent command, and the task that the science team now faces to eliminate the variant threat. Like my other reviews from the series, I am reviewing the audible edition (namely the first omnibus of books one through three).

Like in other books, Nick’s research clearly shines through in this series, as others have pointed out, with very well developed characters and well researched technology, science, and military tactics. He really has a talent for painting a story that is deep, well-developed, believable, and feels very realistic. The audio editions of these books bring the story to even greater life in my eyes and make this series that much better.

Like in the last book, I am really drawn to the leadership style of some of the characters in the book (Beckham, Jensen, etc.). Jensen is the leader every soldier hopes for as they go into combat, one that leads by example and is not afraid to join his men. Beckham has a fatherly quality about in the way that he leads his team and continues to develop them.

As supplies begin to dwindle and the hopes of a re-supply are tarnished by General Kennor’s short-sighted vision of how this battle should be fought, key military locations begin to be overrun. An attack on Plum Island takes this threat and amplifies it as the science team seeks to research and understand the variant threat. Likewise, the threat of those infected with the original hemorrhage virus re-surfaces, requiring a re-look by Dr. Lovato. This all culminates as a rogue destroyer happens by Plum Island and opens up the next chapter in this highly addictive series.

As I’ve said in my other reviews, this series is worth every minute I have devoted to it. Easily 5 stars.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Awesome series

Absolutly terrifying, tense, and thrilling. The best sci-fi end of the world book out there. Bronson Pinchot crushed the narration.

15 of 16 people found this review helpful

the author of the book was very detailed

the author of this book was very detailed throughout some of the situations so detailed that I found myself getting scared but I love this book a lot I hope there is a book for

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Just a little graphic

I loved the overall story, it was a little graphic but I can only imagine the end of the world would be. It is worth the read!

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

good good good

was excellent. nice split between action and story. just when you start to think alright enough story, it goes straight into well written action. captivating, engrossing, found it hard to find a point to pause and do other stuff. only complaint is that occasionally the jump from story line to story line makes it feel like you are missing information. that aside , get it, listen to it, love it. also the narration is spot on.

12 of 13 people found this review helpful

Great series!!!

Can't wait to get my hands on the next book in this series. The ending of book three is awesome.

10 of 11 people found this review helpful

Nonstop action

The first three books
This series is fast paced! It gets better as it goes!

10 of 11 people found this review helpful

Guns A'Blazin

Where to start?...make sure you like some of the following : this is a 3book set for one credit, it's a cliff hanger in other words the saga goes on, medical experiments gone wrong on a world wide epidemic level, millions of rounds of ammo being shot, mutated people that are difficult to kill. Not zombies but maybe the next level up because they continue to evolve, there are heroic rescues, did I miss sex, yea there is some of that also, then there are handicapped heroes , oh and I almost forgot a dog. And in the end you find out some higher score have very questionable agendas.
This set will keep you listening for 3 or 4 days for only one credit, and it is no stopped action.
Hope you enjoy this one

26 of 30 people found this review helpful

Simply Fantastic

I'll be honest. At first I had little to no intrest. I am a little tired of zombie novels, but the monsters in this story just did not appeal to me. The story moved at a steady pace, which made it hard to focus with out interest. About 1/3 of the way through book 1 the monsters are scientifically explained and their nature are revealed. From that point on, it has been a non-stop thrill.
There are plenty of characters that you will get connected to, and some you can watch develop. The action is top notch and Bronson Pinchot bring it all life. My only complaint with Nicholas Sansbury Smith is that his novels tend to be on the shorter side, but he is a very talented storyteller. With box sets such as this and cheaper price tags his pros far out weigh the cons.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Suck a great series, I can’t stop listening!

It’s hard to get my attention. This series has it.
In fact my girlfriend is jealous of how much time I spend listening to it!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Brilliant

I read a bad review which gave me concerns about the narrator before getting this, but I found it brilliant, really well read with engaging character voices and emotions. Great job. Getting the next one asap!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

It is what it is but it's great in it's execution.

These books are gripping thrill rides from start to finish. It's pure schlock but it's great schlock! I do wish there was a bit more creature variety but in general really solid stories from an author which I am now a new fan of!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Very good

Enjoyed these books will be getting the next ones in the series great story well done

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Naive, maybe good for teenagers.

Idea for the story not so bad, but problems they encounter are naive with even worse resolution for them. In my opinion if you are 14yr old you will be content otherwise don't bother.
Regards
Tom

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Brilliant

Fantastc...
Absolutely amazing had me on the edge of my seat!! Well worth a read

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Very poor narration.

The narration made a good story boring for me. A dull monotone didn't keep my attention.

11 of 14 people found this review helpful

extinction cycle

great book, realistic characters super nonstop action, if you love military and zombie combination reads. great military detail and armourment explanation....just love this series!!!!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Terrible

The best special forces who never take any explosives with them. make lots of mistakes

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Wow Rip-roaring series

If you could sum up The Extinction Cycle Boxed Set in three words, what would they be?

A horrifying bleak view of the world when man tries to play god

Who was your favorite character and why?

Reed Beckham, not your typical grunt!! deep emotions to his team and to what is right and wrong

What about Bronson Pinchot’s performance did you like?

Excellent narration, with various pitches heightened emotions and made you believe in what you was listening to.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

No where to run no where to hide the variants will find you

Any additional comments?

Fantastic series, with a different take on zombies, think like world war Z and mix with 28 days later, it will scare the beep outta you. Excellently written and superb narration makes you really care for the characters and to what happens to them. This is definatly the series you need and want in your library! Don't forget to switch on the lights!

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Poor performance

What disappointed you about The Extinction Cycle Boxed Set?

Can't really comment on story as the performance totally killed it early on for me. No passion, monotone narration .

What will your next listen be?

Similar theme

Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Bronson Pinchot?

R.c.bray, Scott Brick, Ray Chase

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment

9 of 14 people found this review helpful