6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fast Paced and Tense...a page turner, December 20, 2005
This review is from: Species (Paperback)
In "Species," Michael McBride brings us the end-of-the-world encounter with aliens readers may find familiar from blockbuster movies like Independence Day, and novels like Stephen King's "Dreamcatcher," but with some original twists that make this work unique.
There is an obvious affinity for medicine and science in McBride's prose. There are details - sometimes more than the reader might want - backing up the premise behind the "invasion" and its release on the earth. There is at least an attempt, which most works such as this avoid, to explain WHY the invasion is taking place, how it is taking place, what is actually happening to the humans infested with this alien plague, and why others are NOT infested. While these questions are never fully answered, there is enough factual data inserted that the reader comes to believe that they have been answered, and in building fiction, that is all that matters.
This is fast-paced, page-turning action. While the plot itself takes some tire spinning to get started, each vignette that leads toward that inevitable "beginning" is action-packed and lined with memorable characters. McBride takes his time in gathering his motley assortment of knights and sending them tilting at alien windmills, at times led, and at other times goaded, screamed at, and bewildered by their leader, William, who is no more than a young boy - a boy who until the beginning of the invasion had been thought to be autistic, or slow.
William was not slow - it's just hard to respond to a single human voice when a billion bugs are babbling in your head. It's harder still when you know you have to listen closely - because they are planning to destroy your world.
McBride's prose flows smoothly and paints vivid images. His characters are a strength that carries the reader forward, despite some amazing coincidental plot twists and stretching of the threads of credulity. There are times when it seems that in a world populated by millions, only a couple who were already tangentially associated with the main characters resurface, but in the end this is only a minor annoyance. The plot is threadbare at times, but in an action adventure such as this one, plot blurs into the panoramic blur of events. You are not given a chance to stop and contemplate what is happening, because by the time the thought occurs, you are on to the next mishap or adventure, the next wild hope or squashed dream.
The ending is ambiguous, and while many see this as a flaw, it is a very common enough treatment of horror, particularly the sub-genre of sci-fi horror. This is a fast, entertaining book and speaks well of McBride's future as an author. As a first novel, it is a standout, and hopefully the harbinger of things to come.
One drawback of this book is the stiff cover price for a trade paperback format. This is no fault of the authors, but may, in the end, limit the circulation of what could become a very popular title. It certainly has movie potential, and almost seems to have been written with cinematic scenes in mind.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the scariest books I have ever read, October 19, 2004
This review is from: Species (Paperback)
I will start by saying that this book truly creeped me out. It had me hooked from the first page. Michael Mcbride knows how to write horror. I still cant believe how good this book really was. I read a lot of horror novels but very rarely do I ever get the creeps. Species gave them to me from start to finish.
The story is original and the characters are as well developed as any story as I have ever read. The suspense was the best part though. It was unbelievable. It will grab you by your throat and wont let go.
The only complaint I had was that is was to short, and it left you hanging, but I recently found out that it is going to be part of a trilogy. I cant wait for the next installment.
To whoever is reading this; if you like horror or sci-fi novels don't waste anymore time. BUY THIS BOOK NOW. I can promise you that you will not be sorry.
Mr. Mcbride you got me hooked and wanting more.
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
fabulous end of the world thriller, December 19, 2005
This review is from: Species (Paperback)
Her architectural husband Brad Morris mentioned that the hollow leg bones on big dinosaurs seems from an engineering perspective impossible; thinking about it the pregnant Jennifer begins to theorize that perhaps an external organism attacked the mallow. However, her opportunity to prove her theory goes wrong with the entire paleontology team dead, but before dying Jennifer manages to call Brad to save their child.
Several years later, pandemic destruction leaves few survivors. Brad and his son William meet a few other survivors as they make their way to sanctuary. Shannon, Jason, Nancy, her son Tim and her sister Cindy, and Trick stay alive while watching loved ones die horribly. Corpses are everywhere. None understand why they are the chosen to live when others died so horribly. In common they share a genetic mutation that has allowed them to become the survivors of the malady. The world they knew is gone and no longer safe for middle class people. One more death occurs while strange psychic powers blossom. The human SPECIES has taken the next Darwinian step of survival of the fittest.
Michael McBride provides a fabulous end of the world thriller that grabs the attention of the audience from the moment of the initial tragedy and never gives readers a moment to catch their breaths until the final tragedy occurs. The action-packed story line is at first difficult to follow as several subplots involving the survivors occur, but that also enables fans to meet the key players and sense the big picture scope of the calamity as well feel the impact on the shocked individuals. Book one of the SPECIES trilogy is a winner that will have fans seeking out the next tale, SPECIES: THE HIVE.
Harriet Klausner
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