Customer Reviews

Area 51 (Area 51, Book 1)

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Bob Mayer (AKA Robert Doherty AKA Greg Donegan AKA Joe Dalton AKA Bob McGuire) is truly one of the more masterful newcomers to the sci-fi genre in many, many years. Intermingling sci-fi with edgy military techo-thriller action, Mayer weaves some of the most enjoyable and imaginative fiction I've ever read with each novel. I look forward to every book he writes and have yet to be disappointed. The Area 51 series has been one of the most exciting I've ever read and just when I thought it couldn't get any better, along came the Atlantis series, which is equally as good, if not better.

For those in the know about government secrecy on UFOs and the various black projects and secret operations that they have undertaken over the years, you'll find that Mayer truly did his homework on this series. Mayer name-drops numerous actual military projects from Operation: Paperclip to Project Aquarius as bits and pieces of a puzzle that the government has been piecing together since the accidental discovery of an alien mothership hidden in the Nevada mountains so many years ago.

From clues hidden in the most remote locations on Earth for thousands of years to new discoveries on the Martian landscape, the complex story continues to unravel the true origin of humankind and each subsequent saga is more fascinating than the last. Being a special forces trainer himself, the attention to detail as far as the military aspect in Mayer's stories is phenomenal as well. Bob Mayer is very quickly making a name for himself as one of the finest action authors of the modern age.

If the Area 51 series intriques you, be sure not to miss his Atlantis series (under the Donegan pen name) and his military thrillers such as The Omega Missile (Dalton pen name), The Gate (McGuire pen name) and Psychic Warrior (Doherty pen name). All smashingly good reads!!

Doherty has managed to tie together just about every aspect of UFOlogy from abductions to crop circles to the Great Pyramid of Giza to the statues on Easter Island in a coherent tale. Even if you don't have much interest in this topic I recommend this book simply because it's a fun, fast paced story. Then go and get the sequel, AREA 51 THE REPLY. Can't wait for publication of AREA 51 THE MISSION next March. In the author interview it says that Doherty is the pen name for Bob Mayer. Checked out some of his books-- interesting also and much more down to Earth in his special forces series-- he was a former green beret. If you like this book, you might want to read any of the six books in that series-- try Dragon Sim-13, Eternity Base, or Cut Out. This is action with a realistic edge from someone who's been there.

This book is a compelling tale built on a conglomeration of some of the world's most fascinating mysteries and conspiracies . Those interested in UFOs and government secrets will have no trouble understanding the basic premises, but readers without such a background may have trouble immersing themselves in the story. In this novel, Majic-12 is the group of individuals working inside the secret government to oversee all matters of alien technology, specifically the one mother ship and nine UFOs which have been found and stashed away at Area 51 in Nevada. The leader of the group, Gullick, is determined to undertake a test flight of the mothership within the next four days, despite the fact that no one knows how to control it or how it works. Von Seeckt, a transplanted German scientist "acquired" by the U.S. in 1942 after taking part in a secret Nazi SS mission that entered the bottom chamber of the Great Pyramid in Egypt (years before the chamber was officially discovered) and took possession of a mysterious, important black box housed in the sealed sarcophagus, is convinced that a flight of the mothership will bring disaster to earth, but Gullick ignores his concerns. The President has sent his scientific advisor, Dr. Lisa Duncan, to join Majic-12 and find out what is really going on, and she in turn has recruited a Special Forces operative named Turcotte as a mole within Area 51. Meanwhile, a Brooklyn scientist has managed to decipher some of the prehistorical high runes found in the Great Pyramid, among Mesoamerican ruins, and on Easter Island. The scientist eventually joins forces with Von Seeckt, Duncan, Turcotte, and a freelance reporter, and the group embarks on a mission to save mankind from an unknown catastrophe. It is a riveting story, full of action and daring, and makes for an exciting read. This is important because this is only the first in a series of novels based on these converging storylines.

The one weakness I find in the book is probably a result of the author needing to provide background information to those unfamiliar with the sorts of conspiracy theories which have been floating around the UFO community for years. For instance, I almost fell out of my seat when one of the members of Majic-12 asked what foo fighters were. Anyone interested in ufology knows these were strange orbs which often flew around both Allied and German warplanes in WWII. Also, the idea that the President has a representative on the Majic-12 board goes against most speculation that the President himself does not have adequate clearance to even be informed of such a project. Such plot points are necessary, however, in order to inform any reader of the basics. This is just a novel, after all. It is important to note that there are elements of this story that are purely invention, so one should not read this book hoping to discover a UFO conspiracy book cleverly disguised as a novel. I imagine that the majority of people interested in these Area 51 books will be UFO buffs already, but those who scoff at or know nothing about ufology can still find great enjoyment in this fast-moving, action-packed novel because the author does provide all of the background information you will need in order to understand what all of the action is about. This isn't literature, but it is certainly a fun read.

Ok, so Area51 isn't great literature, but that doesn't mean it's worthless. Sure I've read books with better plotting and writing, but that's not what I expected when I picked up this book. It was a great escape and a very fun ride. It's not meant to reveal anything grand or tell you something didn't already know. It's simply entertainment and there's nothing wrong with that. I stayed up late to finish the book because I couldn't put it down and now I want to read the rest of the series. Sometimes it's fun to just read something that won't broaden your horizons or change your life. I recommend this book for those who want something to read on a plane or on the beach. It's light reading at its best.

While I found the beginning of this book a bit slow for my tastes it soon turned around and went to warp with the action and intrigue surrounding Area 51 and other things. Once that was accomplished I couldn't put it down. Great read and good plot. I just ordered the next three books in the series. Can't wait for them to arrive.

I read Area 51 for a class project and I would have to say that I am very impressed. Robert Doherty does an excellent job at blending the alien culture into the government and military cultures. I was immediately fell under the book's spell as I began to read about the sci-fi facility known as Area 51 and what goes on there. I loved how Doherty used a lot of military actions in his book that reflected his own past of being in the Green Berets. It was particularly fascinating how Doherty set up his books so that certain historical facts reflected those of the diverse alien cultures and how the aliens influenced our own history. I would definitely recommend this book to anybody who loves a completely gripping sci-fi book because it holds onto you until you finish it and even after because it continues into a whole series of books which are just as equally great to read too. I felt that the plot was very creative and wasn't just about aliens at all. The plot mostly had to do with our government and how they keep secrets from the citizens. This book will take you all around the globe as its characters travel to different places in their quest to save the world from complete destruction. Robert Doherty is a brilliant writer and now has become one of my favorites after reading 5 books of many others in his Area 51 series. This is the one of the best alien sci-fi books out there so if you are looking for a good sci-fi, get this book and brace yourself for the fascinating thriller that's ahead of you.

I have read Bob Meyer's "Atlantis" novels and I thoroughly enjoyed them. But this novel is even more thrilling. Rarely have I read such a gripping tale, the plot is breathtaking in its turns and twists. I disagree with some of the critics: the characters are believable. They may be stereotypes in a way, a journalist is a journalist, a soldier is a soldier etc., but I think they are of flesh and blood and very conceivable.
Meyer likes to pick up ancient and modern myths and give them a new fictitious meaning and it is always exciting when esoteric theories are turned into SF-thrillers, or inexplicable phenomena are explained by using the unlimited fantasy that fiction allows. For all those who like this kind of writing, this book is an excellent read.

I've read the first four books of this series and while I find it a good read and nice escapist fantasy, it does tend to drag a bit in parts--too many long explanations on the same subject in each book, cardboard characters and minor, yet noticeable, oversights (Captain Turcotte becomes Major Turcotte then Captain Turcotte again). On the other hand Doherty does manage to break up the seemingly constant downturns (the aliens and their Earthbound agents seeming to get the upperhand, for example) with small but significant triumphs. All in all it's a really fun read, and if you're not looking for more than that, these books are for you.

But the scale would't let me! This is one of the best, most awesome and astounding books I've read in a long while. The story revolves around the mysterious goings on in the secret base of the title as the military experiments with alien technology. But what is the secret with the mother ship, the Pyramids of Giza, Atlantis and the statues on Easter Island, and how is it all linked? Some amazing theories are featured which are extremely plausible. I mean, having been to Egypt myself twice, where did an advanced civilisation like those portrayed in hieroglyphs come from? This part of the book was well thought out. As a special forces operative tries to uncover the secrets with an assortment of characters drawn into the conspiracy, he makes some startling discoveries. And technothriller fans will love the airborne scenes featuring the supersecret AURORA hypersonic plane. My only criticism was the ending being rather hurried after a spuerb build-up, but I eagerly look forward to the follow-ups. Forget the X-Files, Area 51 rules!

The President's science advisor wants to know what is going on in Area 51. She enlists the aid of a marine and then the slurm hits the fan.

Fast-paced adventure mas our main characters uncovering the secrets hidden at Area 51 while trying to avoid being killed.

Excellent suspense, good characters, and a believable plot make this one of the best "Area 51" novels to come along. A nice companion to the author's THE ROCK, which is seemingly composed of every science fiction cliche except Area 51/Roswell.

Reader should beware that this is the first of a seven-book series and that the others are not quite the same style.