Customer Reviews

Monkey Trap (Nova Sapiens, Book 1)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
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At the Goddard Space Flight Center, the staff observes a fight between aircrafts in outer space, which end with both objects plunging toward earth. One crashes in Columbia and the other in Washington DC. Officially the government claims space debris.

In Columbia, Black Ops drug lord assassin Captain John Jacob Connard takes a bullet during a jungle fight and lies near death in a cave until an entity somehow enters his body. John quickly learns to heal himself and to use other telepathic powers. For saving his life, his symbiotic partner demands John kill the enemy who will destroy all living beings on earth unless stopped.

FBI Agent Lara Ellen Picard rides her bike when a bee flies into her mouth stinging her several times. Struggling for air she stumbles off the path and is near death below the biking path until an entity somehow enters her body. Lara quickly learns to heal herself and to use other telepathic powers. For saving her life, her symbiotic partner demands Lara kill the enemy who will destroy all living beings on earth unless stopped.

MONKEY TRAP is a terrific science fiction starring two humans who become the battle armor for aliens at war. Readers will wonder who the evil species is as the evidence is cleverly designed so that the audience keeps switching perspective to include one or the other, both and even neither. The father-daughter team Dennng opens the Nova Sapiens trilogy with an exciting, fast-paced thriller that keeps fans on the edge of their seats wondering who contains the potentially pandemic killer.

Harriet Klausner

I really enjoyed reading this book. Once I got started, it was hard to put the book down, especially towards the end and the culmination of events. The novel is categorized science fiction, but rarely there is such a deep spiritual and philosophical theme found within this genre. The topic of the evolution of a species and its consciousness was interesting. The book isn't merely a traditional aliens-invade-the earth-the humans-must fight-them, but instead pulls out questions about our own possibilities we can open up to, as well as our own demons we must fight. There are many different themes intertwined inside the story, some of them more scientific and concrete and some of them more mystical and imaginative, which is great combination, and keeps the feet of the story firmly on the ground while its head is in the couds.

I have read few science fiction books in my life (my field is modern languages) but this one certainly got me involved from the first few lines. Once I accepted the necessary "suspension of disbelief" the story seemed highly plausible...and even possible. The occasional difficulty I had with some unfamiliar scientific/philosophical terms did not lessen the enjoyment. I got caught up in the imagery, the suspense and the psychology of the characters, who I found well-developed and coherent. I had to find out: would the two lovers John and Lara save themselves from committing a terrible mistake? Would good triumph over evil, reason over instinct? It was a compelling read to the end.

Honestly, the cover design drew my eye to the book, and after that, the strong narrative and intriguing premise drew me in like moth to flame.

The novel's best features are it's characters, especially the female lead. The pace of the storyline is nearly perfect, which surprised me. Sci-Fi is a difficult genre to nail down and do well; many have fallen to overly-complex plots and undeveloped characters and storylines.

I'm pleased to report that this book doesn't suffer from any of these things. Before settling into the book, I read that the author is really a father-daughter team, so there was a chance the writing would be uneven. It didn't happen. You cannot tell from one author to the other. Well done, well worth your time. Good stuff here...

I've been an avid reader for over fifty years, and this is one of my favorite books. The character development is amazing, even in the relatively minor characters. The weaving together of action adventure, quantum physics, and spiritualism is seamless and compelling. I love this book!

Science fiction is not my usual genre but "Monkey Trap" is not ordinary science fiction. It seamlessly weaves suspense, action, fantasy and science fiction together to produce a fascinating, fun read. The authors use real cutting edge physics as the basis for extrapolations that make the implausible look probable. They make the same use of psychology to produce an aura of mysticism that reflects the genuine dilemmas of man. The characters are vivid and convincing. The titanic struggles between the reptilian, mammalian and human parts of the brain are palpable. The suspense builds to a climax that is not an end but a new beginning that promises more to come, I can hardly wait.

Two objects resembling asteroids approach earth. They collide in a flash of green and blue light. One falls on a Columbian jungle, the other on Washington.

In the Columbian jungle, John Jacob Connard, US Special Forces veteran, better known as Assasin, is on a mission to eliminate a drug lord. He is shot and mortally wounded. Upon waking, he discovers his wounds have miraculously healed and an alien voice in his mind is `talking' him.

In Washington, Lara Picard, environmental lawyer and mother, has a serious biking accident, grave enough to end her life. Yet, as she is rushed to the hospital, she can feel her own wounds mysteriously healing as if by magic. And just like Connard, she now seems to share her mind with a strange being.

Alien, intelligent entities have invaded the consciousness of the two protagonists.
One is good and wishes earth to step into the next level of consciousness. The other is evil and seeks nothing but human destruction. But which is which? What exactly are they? And why do the computers at the Global Consciousness Project suddenly seem to go berserk?

An impressive, ambitious first novel. The first of a triology, Monkey Trap is an action-packed, suspenseful, fascinating extraterrestrial story that will keep you reading compulsively until you discover the conclusion. Its originality sets it apart from the rest of SF novels being published these days. If you enjoy action stories with a strong touch of mysticism and scientific detail, you'll love this book.