Gray Apocalypse [Hardcover]

James Murdoch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2009

In this tale of human survival and personal redemption, an alien species is positioning an enormous asteroid to strike planet Earth, eradicate the human race, and replace mankind with millions of hybrid alien creations. A flawed but determined hero, Michael Kendon, steps out of the ranks of humanity to confront the alien Goliath. A renegade assassin and sole survivor of a crushed resistance movement, he seeks to locate a powerful weapon designed to deflect the asteroid. Using his extraordinary mental capabilities and natural psychic gifts, he manages to keep himself alive and bedevil the breeders and their human surrogates. The powerful fuel of his humanity ultimately enables him to prevail.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Fast-paced tale of an alien-human conspiracy and the few humans who set out to counter it . . . should appeal to fans of UFO fiction and conspiracy theories."  —Library Journal

"James Murdoch has written a suspenseful, action-packed thrill-ride that ranks with the best of the X-Files . . . conspiracy, military SF, an intricate plot, and interesting heroes make Gray Apocalypse a genuine page-turner!"  —Mark (James Axler) Ellis, bestselling SF author and creator of the Outlanders series

"For any aficionado of apocalyptic stories, this cinematic tale must be on their shelves."  —Geoff Nelder, coeditor, Escape Velocity magazine, and award-winning science fiction author, Escaping Reality and Exit, Pursued by a Bee

"Has few wasted words and moves along with magnificent pacing . . . a rollicking good roller-coaster of an adventure."  —Blogcritics.org

"Treading cagily in the zone between the pit of deep-seated fears and the summit of knowledge, the author opens us up to what the world might look like if the UFO/alien conspiracies were true . . . a damned good adventure story."  —Daily Kos and OBrag.org

"Vivid, fast paced and imaginative."  —David Brin, Hugo and Nebula award–winning author

About the Author

James Murdoch is a writer and professional investigator. He lives in Normandy Park, Washington.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 350 pages
• Publisher: Demand Publications (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966443098
• ISBN-13: 978-0966443097
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,442,023 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reminds me of Matthew Reilly..., March 27, 2009

By 

Jeff Edwards "RadioJeff" (Twin Falls, Idaho) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Gray Apocalypse (Hardcover)

Gray Apocalypse was introduced to me by the author himself, and after a polite request that I read and review his book, I opened away and began to read. The First 12 pages or so totally caught me off guard. It grabbed me rather quickly, and yet I was in the middle of moving, so I had to put it down for several days before I was able to re-locate it packed away with all my other unfinished books...the difference being this: I gave up on most of them because they couldn't keep my interest high. I consider myself someone who suffers from RADD--Reading Attention Deficit Disorder...meaning I lose interest really, REALLY quickly in books--unless they keep me 100% engaged and entertained.

I am happy to say that Gray Apocalypse did exactly that: it kept me focused and absolutely enthralled, much in the same way Matthew Reilly did with 'Contest', which kind-of reminded me of this book...even though they really are quite different--except for the alien part. Many who read Reilly come down on him for his lack of character development in favor of a fast moving plot. Personally, I honestly don't care that much--if and ONLY if the rest of the story moves at a quick enough pace to make up for that. Reilly's books have as paper-thin characters as you are likely to find in print--but he more than makes up for that in sheer In Your Face Action, the likes of which NO other author I have personally read can come close to...that is, until I picked up this book.

To be entirely honest: it wasn't as fast-paced as Matthew Reilly, but it certainly DOES move at a rapid pace enough to keep me along for the ride. Could I tell this was a first novel? I think so--but I've read an awful lot of first novels, and the majority don't entertain me to the degree that this one did--which I see as a remarkably GOOD sign. A few others have noted some oft-used writing styles, and seriously, some may find them a burden to get through, but none bothered me at all simply for one fact: I was kept interested in what would happen next.

For those who absolutely DEMAND elegant writing and 3-Dimensional characterization from every person in a book, well you may want to consider going elsewhere...however, for those who enjoy a good X-Files type Action Oriented Sci-Fi thriller that is HEAVY on the action, consider seriously picking up a copy of Gray Apocalypse. The most important thing I can say about what I think about the book is this: I see a bright future for this author and plan to absolutely pick up his next book. Oh, and if you like Matthew Reilly, I really DO think you're in for a treat here. Kudos and good luck to Mr. Murdoch for much success with this first release and one more thing: it'd make a pretty dang fun movie should Hollywood be looking for an idea for the next Summer Blockbuster.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic New Sci-fi, July 9, 2009

By 

Brittany Leach "Bleached" (Pennsylvania, US) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gray Apocalypse (Hardcover)

I'm usually not one for science-fiction but this had me biting my lip and eager to turn the page. A true nail-biting adventure as four heroes fight to save the human race. I encourage sci-fi lovers and those who love an adventure to pick up this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Invasion From Outer Space, July 8, 2009

By 

Lady Dragoness "Lady D." (Deep South, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gray Apocalypse (Hardcover)

Gray Apocalypse is a science fiction/thriller based on the premise of aliens taking over the earth. Yes, it's been done before; the alien invasion theory is one of the oldest plots in science fiction literature. Yet, there are so many different ways to develop the premise that a different author can easily come up with a new twist on that old plot.

Character development in this book is nicely handled, the pace at which the story progresses is - for the most part - appropriately paced. I found the main characters both interesting and likable right away, but I had some reservations about Michael Kendon when I learned he had a secret Russin name that others were calling him by; thoughts of "double agent" slipped into my mind more than once... yes, I can be the suspicious type sometimes...

So, great literature, it's definitely not... but yes, a fun read and something different than the space opera/humans colonizing other planets thing I've been reading too much of lately. Despite the somewhat slow start, the suspense and the plot details kept my interest to the end. Readers looking for hard Science Fiction probably won't be satisfied with this, but for those looking for a well-written suspense thriller, Gray Apocalypse fills the bill nicely.

Great start for a new author; I'll be looking forward to his next book - on which, I hope, he is hard at work.

This review was simultaneously published on Amazon.com, Dragonviews, and Library Thing. I also reserve the right to republish this review on other sites that I may deem suitable.