Customer Reviews

Vaders

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

What more can I say? The INCREDIBLE number of inconsistencies RUIN this book in just the first 40 pages!!!!
Gates' inability to keep track of exactly how big the monstrosities are in relation to surrounding items, including humans, is astounding.
First they are large enough to throw cars then they can't even knock down a door.
They are so large that a dog can land on one of their noses yet a simple single bullet from a handgun blows away one of their faces "from eye to jaw"??? That would happen if a human shot another human with a shotgun, but something so massive (20 feet tall) wouldn't even flinch.
Another bullet spun one of them around when hit in the arm????

One changes relative size so many times in about three pages that I just stopped reading the book.

What he should have done was draw out a monster, then cars, buildings, animals, streets in relative size to the monster so he could keep track of what items are what sizes them. Simple.

It pisses me off when writers don't take the time to think things out carefully before starting to write.
What a waste of money it is to buy a book of such incompetent writing.

Joe Burton is out jogging one morning when the world comes to an end. Glowing orbs descend on the world. They pop into people through mouths and other openings. The people instantly transform into giant monsters (twenty-feet tall or more). These monster immediately start devouring the humans around it. Within minutes life as we know it is over even if the characters don't accept it yet. Joe helps a young boy and a drug-addicted young woman. They start running and keep staying just ahead of the monsters. Eventually they manage to find a hiding place and catch a breather. Their group grows with the addition of a young woman who is an artist. Together they try to make their way out of the city and to safety.

Along the way we meet many other characters and survivor groups. We also see more and more different types of monsters. Trials and tragedy are met at almost every turn until it is discovered what the monsters and orbs are up to. They do seem to have a plan and are not just mindless eating machines. In the end the book sort of stops and one has to wonder if there will be a sequel so we can find out what happens next.

This reminded my of a Brian Keene novel. The world ends in the first few pages and we watch some survivors deal with it. But unlike Keene, this one is silly. The size of the monster is based on the original size of the victim we are told. But starting with the monster pigeon we see many cases where that just is not true. At one point our characters drop three or more stories, in a car, onto a flat warehouse roof. They survive and the roof holds. This is not the only case of physics going out the window but it is one of the biggest. The monsters are bother super strong and easily damaged. When eating people, the people's bodies act like the have been as well cooked as a roasted chicken with all the part separating easily. The globes had be destroyed with buckshot but can survive the heart of a massive explosion. The silliness goes on and on. With a little tweaking this could have been pretty good but it comes off like an issue of the Monsters Unleashed comic (or similar title). Good in a comic book sort of way but hard to take seriously.

This is my first book I've read by R. Gates. I'm a fan of all horror, specifically Laymon, Koontz, Keene, Rollo and McCammon. This book is what you should expect it to be...a book about aliens taking over the world. It's in your face and takes only about 3 pages to get going. The only real problem with this book is it's length. It's 500 pages long and really could've been 350. I was starting to get a little bored with seeing the same four main characters escape near death over and over through the first few hundered pages before we get to meet some other characters and start seeing some twists. I'm not going to give anything away, but I give this author two thumbs up for the ending. Soooo many times you read books where the end is a just a let-down...particularly in horror novels. Not the case here....of course you're going to be angry that there's not a sequel for you to pick up and read right away....
My only other major complaint about this novel is about a very small detail that the author let me down on. Mr. R. Patrick Gates,(if you should read this) you make reference to some prescription narcotic medications in your novel. Unfortunately, the dosages that you describe of the various different pills are COMPETELY far off from what they really come in. This wouldn't bother the average reader, except me, as I'm a Pharmacist and wonder why you didnt just take 5 minutes to Google the various strengths of medications like Vicodin or Valium so that your book can be accurate. Other than that minor detail...I'm a fan and plan on ordering another Gates book off of Amazon!

This book reminded me of a cheap syfy movie, with the worst ending I've ever read. I only paid a Dollar for this book, worst dollar I've ever spent!

I bought this off the book shelf at the dollar store where it sat next to ghostwritten autobiographies and books about scientology. After reading it, I now know why it was there.

Oh wow where do I begin. How about the commercialization? There are so many references to products it ruins the book. They drink coca cola® while eating doritos® and twinkies® and heal their cuts with neosporin® while using band-aids® and walk past a "brand new lexus®" and later on a "brand new honda civic®" while the one guy's "brand new sony vaio®" can't connect to the net. That's just a few of the hundred+ references. I wonder if he got paid for every one of them?

This guy writes like a movie script writer. The main character is a "struggling actor who works as a waiter". It's like he wrote this after a trip to planet hollywood. Where's the depth and substance Mr. Gates? There's no backstory to any of the characters and they're all extremely stereotypical, the black men are a drug dealer, hardass vice cop, or a janitor. The white girls are either pregnant mothers, "girl next door" or drugged out hookers. The fat sweaty shady guy? He's italian. The characters show no range of emotion, they're either crying or somber or angry, pick two at any time. Gates sure does like to be in depth and graphic in how various characters die however.

I will admit that it was funny though. I don't think he was trying to be funny but with the overall fog of bad writing, the lighthouse that is humor shines through. Unfortunately, the grossness and humor appeal to the younger crowd but the books mentioning of sex, extreme drug use and profanity, it's highly inappropriate for them.

A great alien invasion novel that is unrelenting (action driven) yet also has good characters. 480 pp. but could have been more. Hopefully there will be a sequel.
This book is only marred by some typos and continuity errors in the last third. (Did the proofers get too caught up in the story?)
Pegleg

Synopsis:

When billions of pellet-sized spores are unleashed on our world, transforming humans into flesh-eating monsters who feed on those closest to them, Joe Burton discovers that it is the survival of the fittest when the invaders turn on each other, creating a deadly new threat.

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Saw that there was no description of the book listed so I thought I'd add a bit for those un-aware of what the book is about.

Reading this at the moment. About 1/3 of the way through and really enjoying it. It's fairly fast paced and witty in a dark-comic way. Graphic in it descriptions, but not overly so imo.

I'll edit this post or add a new one when finished, with a more thorough review.

btw - 1st time reader of Mr. Gates :)

Regards & Good Reading All

I am a big fan of horror alien invasion type novels,pass on this one trust me.At one point a boy turns into a 10 ft tall monster and has a beanie on his head?Please!

I bought this book (wait for it) at a dollar store for $1.00 and I wasted my money. I got to page 62 and I have no obbsession to want to even pick up the book and read more. I can usally read a book this size in about 3 days but this book would take me months to read because I just can't get into it.

Honestly one of the worst books I've ever read. So bad it stays with you! I rarely say this about a book, but please don't waste money on it. If you must read it, borrow it. I'd lend you mine, but I discarded it - something I never do with books!

I like some of the author's other books and I would suggest you read those, but stay away from this one!