MASSIVE MONSTER BOOK REVIEW: The GFL Series (5 books) by Scott Sigler

Closing out Scott Sigler month with reviews for the five Galactic Football League books that are currently out: THE ROOKIE, THE STARTER, THE ALL-PRO, THE MVP, and THE CHAMPION.
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THE ROOKIE

Summary 

Quentin Barnes grew up on Micovi, a planet of the Purist Nationalists, and is part of a culture marked by their belief that non-Human races are spawn of Satan. Quentin Barnes is a football player, and a good one. He's just gotten his big break-- the Ionath Krakens want to buy his contract, making him a quarterback for a Tier Two team. This is Quentin's dream, a chance to play big-league ball, to work his way toward a Galaxy Bowl Championship, and maybe find his parents.

The only problem: the Ionath Krakens are a multi-race team. His teammates will only have a few other Humans, and he's going to be rubbing elbows with Sklorno, Ki, Quyth, and Creterakians. Is the potential for galactic acclaim and his dreams of football glory worth having Satanic creatures for his teammates? And will Quentin even survive the brutal contact of the Galactic Football League?

That's my summary. Here's the one I pulled from scottsigler.com

Aliens and humans alike play positions based on physiology, creating receivers that jump 25 feet into the air, linemen that bench-press 1,200 pounds, and linebackers that literally want to eat you. Organized crime runs every franchise, games are fixed and rival players are assassinated.

Follow the story of Quentin Barnes, a 19-year-old quarterback prodigy that has been raised all his life to hate, and kill, those aliens. Quentin must deal with his racism and learn to lead, or he’ll wind up just another stat in the column marked “killed on the field.”

Context

The Rookie is set in the  later part of the 27th century. Not exactly a modern-day setting. Humanity has changed. The whole galaxy has changed. But there's one strong tie that will let today's readers really associate with this series:

Football.

It's a religion to some of the characters. I mean, literally a religion. I know some people today who almost see football as a religious experience. I guess it isn't that different from the now, right?

Style

As always, Sigler's writing style is clean and easily read. Even with the introductions of whole new races and even a new form of Humans, it's easy to sink into this futuristic universe. He manages the "learning curve" well, easing the reader into the universe with snippets of sports shows and other little tidbits that flesh out Quentin's world. Even for the football-dumb (like me) it's easy enough to get through the games.

As an added bonus, the ebook version has a couple links that will help the reader understand the game. I didn't go into them myself, but it's good to know he thought of those who don't really "get" the game.

My Thoughts

I abhor football with a passion. I picked up The Rookie because I'm a big fan of Sigler's work. I thought I'd give it a chance.

I made the right choice. This was a wonderful book. Granted, my dislike of football was tested right at the beginning, with Quentin being smack in the middle of a game, but I knew the book wasn't just going to be about the games themselves. I was quickly rewarded with rich culture and conflict between races and with Quentin's internal struggles.

Honestly, I think I'd be okay watching a GFL game or two. There are no hold barred in this evolved version of the sport. True, I am far more interested in Quentin's development as a character and what's going on in the world around him rather than what's on the field, but Sigler manages to make each game mean something. GO KRAKENS!

Would I Recommend This Book?  Very much. Sigler has written the beginning of a series that has this football-hater rapt with attention. I CARE about what happens to Quentin and the Ionath Krakens. That is no mean feat, so imagine what actual football fans will get out of it. I give The Rookie a clean 4.5 of 5 stars. (Can't give a full 5 because of some typos, but one typo made the moment pretty funny. It's a technical failure, not a craft failure.)

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 THE STARTER

Summary

Quentin Barnes has led the Ionath Krakens from Tier Two to Tier One in the Galactic Football League. This is a dream come true! Unfortunately, the nature of the GFL's seasons only gives the Krakens a few weeks to rest between games. The Krakens are battered and desperate to remain in Tier One. But the offensive line has taken a few losses, and Quentin is having a hard time not getting sacked on every play. The Krakens are faltering, and Quentin is determined to keep them in Tier One.  

Is he going to keep the Krakens afloat with a shattered team?

That's my summary. Here's the one I pulled from http://scottsigler.com/

Nineteen-year-old second-year quarterback Quentin Barnes has overcome racism and unified his team. He led the Ionath Krakens to a lower-tier championship, a championship that earned them promotion into the meat grinder known as "Tier One."

Now, Quentin and his teammates have to compete against the greatest football teams ever assembled, and do far more than just survive each game. As he rebuilds the team in his own image, Quentin's true quest for a Tier One championship begins.

My Thoughts

The Starter expands wonderfully on the foundation laid down in The Rookie. Quentin still has a lot of growing to do, and he makes some amazing strides during this novel. New plots unfold, filling the world outside of the Krakens' locker room. We get a little less football play in this book, when compared to The Rookie, but it's no less intense. We get to see some real depth with Quentin and the relationships he's forming with his teammates, and he gets put into some very touch dilemmas, torn between his team, his sport, his dreams, and his friends. It is a wonderful mix of life and thought, action and desire. I can't help but applaud Sigler on this wonderful follow-up to the first book.

Would I Recommend This Book?  Yes yes yes! After reading The Rookie, I was much more comfortable with the setting, races, and even the sport in The Starter. We get to explore more of this future universe and its inhabitants. Quentin is a very real 19-year-old, and being in his head is thrilling. I give The Starter a Tier One 5 out of 5 stars!

 
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 THE ALL-PRO

Summary

The Ionath Krakens only barely avoided being sent back to Tier Two football last season. now, with six months to rest, with new players, and new determination, Quentin Barnes is ready to strive toward the Krakens' next goal, a Galaxy Bowl Championship.

But Quentin's life is getting more crazed. He's dating the frontwoman of his favorite band, his teammates are having issues with one another, and suddenly, someone new is coming into his life, someone he's been missing for a long time.

That's my summary. Here's the one I pulled from http://scottsigler.com/

Seven centuries into the future, aliens and humans compete for the greatest prize in the universe: the Galaxy Bowl trophy. Quarterback Quentin Barnes enters his third season at the helm of the Ionath Krakens.

He’s re-shaped the team in his image, and the time for excuses is over — it’s win, or be replaced. Quentin’s championship quest carries he and his teammates across the galaxy in a brutal twelve-game season fraught with injury and death. But he faces more than just on-field challenges. As he enters a free-agent year, several franchises vie for his services.

Will he play for a new team, or will he remain with his beloved Krakens. And then there’s the slight distraction that someone, somewhere, is trying to assassinate him – and he doesn’t know why. 

My Thoughts

Sigler is constantly bringing in surprises. Considering that this series is about a football player, it could be so easy to get bogged down in nothing but the football. That simply doesn't happen here. Quentin's life is the story, and while football is a huge part of it, and it's THE driving force behind Quentin, it's not the epicenter of the book. Oh, it's close, and the football games do get my heart pounding (a serious surprise for me, who is STILL not a football fan despite these books). But there's so much world going on around Quentin that it would be a crime to ignore it. No, Sigler masterfully avoids getting lost in the sports. He balances on- and off-the-field action perfectly.

As for the surprises... there are a ton of them in this book, but none of them feel out-of-place. Even the big shocker at the end of the book made perfect sense in context of the book and the rest of the universe and plot around Quentin. I cannot get enough of these books! 

Would I Recommend This Book?  Absolutely. I'm so totally drawn into this series that I am praising my kindle for already having the next one on it. The thought of having to pause between books is agonizing. I'm just glad I got into the series after the fifth book has come out so I don't have to wait between them... I'm going to hate it when I finish the fifth book and I'm forced to wait. I give The All-Pro a supportive 5 of 5 stars.

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THE MVP 

Summary

The Ionath Krakens, led by quarterback Quentin Barnes, found themselves under attack by pirates as they traveled to the next game of the GFL championship. They were only going as spectators, but this attack is doing more than just robbing them of watching another game. This could mean their lives.

Now, he finds himself facing an off-season dealing with the mysterious Prawatt, a race known largely for deep hatred of the Sklorno. There are more than a few Sklorno on the ship. Only playing along with the Prawatt's deadly game can earn the Krakens their freedom to return home in time for next season.

Even if they do get home, there are issues with the Krakens' defensive line. Quentin wants a GFL championship. Could the Prawatt be the key to getting the ring?

That's my summary. Here's the one I pulled from http://scottsigler.com/

Set in a lethal American professional football league seven centuries in the future, THE MVP puts huge humans on the field with four alien races, creating a game that is faster, stronger and deadlier than anything we know today. Star quarterback Quentin Barnes has spent three seasons putting together a hard-hitting, hard-fighting team that combines rookies, rejects, discarded free agents and seasoned veterans from all five species. He has fought against racism and bound his team together through shared sacrifice, blood, tragedy and victory.

But this season, Quentin faces the biggest challenge yet – the deadly threat of the mysterious Prawatt, who seized the ship carrying Quentin, and his teammates. As THE MVP begins, the Ionath Krakens face certain death at the hands of this unknown race.

My Thoughts

The MVP is an excellent, high-tension addition to the GFL series. Again, Sigler keeps the possible repetition of football season after football season with fresh takes on games and more than a few surprises. He is not about to let the GFL get stagnant. Tools and hidden tricks he's clearly been holding onto since The Rookie come into play here, bringing yet more intrigue to the universe Quentin and the Krakens call home. The addition of a new race, the Prawatt, who so far have only been hinted at, is a welcome addition to the lineup. Don't get me wrong, I don't think I could get bored with the already-established Ki, Sklorno, Creterakians, and the HeavyG, but it's a nice treat to get answers about this new race. Sigler has been teasing about them, and that teasing finally comes to fruition in this book.

Yet again, Sigler has managed to get this still-football-disdaining reader on the verge of cheering at the action. And here, I'm talking about the football games themselves. I keep holding my breath in the final seconds, waiting with anticipation for the last play to end. If that isn't a feat, I don't know what is. Well done, Mr. Sigler!

Would I Recommend This Book? Highly. The MVP is an addition to an already-great series that lives up to its predecessors and surpasses it. Sigler has consistently been outshining himself with each book in the series, letting even someone who did NOT come into this series for the football bask in his mastery. There could very well be something here for just about everyone. I give The MVP a romantically-confused 5 of 5 stars.

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THE CHAMPION 

Summary

Quentin Barnes may well be the most celebrated individual in the entire galaxy right now. But the victory rings hollow. Right after his crowning moment of glory, Quentin received word that his sister Jeanine and friend Fred were being forced to fly their ship into the Portath Cloud. That Cloud is the most dangerous place in the galaxy, with only seven ships out of scores that have wandered in. If Jeanine and Fred are still alive, Quentin needs to go after them.

But to do that, he's going to need a ship. And he's going to need to leave without his gangster team owner, Gredok, finding out. Will Quentin even be alive for the next GFL season?

That's my summary. Here's the one I pulled from http://scottsigler.com/

After his most successful season yet on the field, Quentin’s sister — his only family — is lost in the Portath Cloud, an area considered to be the “Bermuda Triangle” of the galaxy. To save her, Quentin and his teammates must first escape team owner Gredok the Splithead, and acquire a ship capable of surviving the unknown dangers that await. Quentin’s leadership and intelligence are put to the test as Becca, the Tweedy Brothers, Denver and more risk their lives to save his sister.

Set against the backdrop of a professional American football franchise seven centuries in the future, the Galactic Football League puts huge humans on the field with five alien races to create a game that is faster, stronger and deadlier than anything we know today. Quarterback Quentin Barnes has grown from a racist, small-town standout into a proven leader, a uniter of peoples, and the Galaxy’s most-famous athlete. Willing to do anything for his team, his Ionath Krakens have bound together through shared sacrifice, tragedy, devastating losses and thrilling victories.

The GFL series combines science fiction, crime and blistering sports action to create a non-stop, pulse-pounding adventure that you can’t put down until the last second ticks off the clock.

My Thoughts

Sigler has done it again. He's taken an already highly intense series and taken it up to yet another level. He's cruel to his characters, putting them in worse and worse situations, but he does it so skillfully that you can't help but cheer for them and wonder what miracle is going to get them out of it. This... this is, I think, the hardest of the series to speak on without giving spoilers. So

**SPOILER ALERT**

The football season DOES happen, and holy crap, is it epic. I don't know how Sigler has managed to make it even more insanely interesting than the last four seasons of the GFL books, but he has. We get taken into some serious nail-biting situations, some hopeless problems, and the gangster background of the GFL comes even more into play. And we have a new threat, a galactic one, one that makes football seem like just a game, even to Quentin. This is another fitting addition to the GFL series.

I do have one small gripe for this one. All the hubbub about saving Jeanine leads to... nothing. Don't get me wrong, the first third or so of the book revolves around rescuing her, but then... she just sort of falls to the wayside. In the last half of the book, she's mentioned maybe twice. It bothers me that she could be so suddenly unimportant to the point of not even being mentioned. There are 13 weeks of the football season where Quentin doesn't even bother to think about his sister. I know he's focused on football, but come on! She's not just part of your life during the off-season, Quentin!

Would I Recommend This Book? Very much so. Despite a gripe (see the spoiler section for info, or if you ignored it, just know I had a gripe) this was still an amazing book. It's right in line with the first four of the series, and holy cow, does it leave you wanting the next one! Each book gets taken to a new level, and this one is no exception. I give The Champion a color-changing 5 of 5 stars.

 

Book Review: Nocturnal by Scott Sigler

Summary

There are some odd murders going on in San Francisco. Bodies are being urinated on, and strange symbols are painted nearby, often in the victims' blood. Bryan Clauson and his partner Pookie Chang should be the ones on these cases, but the chief of police is insisting on pulling them off the case. Now, more determined than ever to follow up, Pookie and Bryan find themselves on a strange case that goes back decades.

Elsewhere in town, Rex Deprovdechuck, a 13-year-old bullying victim, is finding himself hitting a new stage in his life. This goes beyond puberty. He's dreaming of the people that hurt him. In his dreams, these people die. And in these dreams, though he doesn't know it, is Bryan Clauson.

That's my summary. Here's the one I pulled from http://scottsigler.com/

Homicide detective Bryan Clauser is losing his mind. How else to explain the dreams he keeps having—dreams that mirror, with impossible accuracy, the gruesome serial murders taking place all over San Francisco? How else to explain the feelings these dreams provoke in him—not disgust, not horror, but excitement.

As Bryan and his longtime partner, Lawrence “Pookie” Chang, investigate the murders, they learn that things are even stranger than they at first seem. For the victims are all enemies of a seemingly ordinary young boy—a boy who is gripped by the same dreams that haunt Bryan. Meanwhile, a shadowy vigilante, seemingly armed with superhuman powers, is out there killing the killers. And Bryan and Pookie’s superiors—from the mayor on down—seem strangely eager to keep the detectives from discovering the truth.

Doubting his own sanity and stripped of his badge, Bryan begins to suspect that he’s stumbled into the crosshairs of a shadow war that has gripped his city for more than a century—a war waged by a race of killers living in San Francisco’s unknown, underground ruins, emerging at night to feed on those who will not be missed.

And as Bryan learns the truth about his own intimate connections to the killings, he discovers that those who matter most to him are in mortal danger…and that he may be the only man gifted—or cursed—with the power to do battle with the nocturnals.

Context

This is another one of those Sigler books that is happening right now. I mean, like in the last few years. Urban sci-fi horror at its most raw and awesome. Nocturnal hits close to home in that it is true to life right now. There is surprisingly little that is out of the ordinary here. I'm not saying that some of his other works, like Ancestor or Earthcore, are impossible, but they're a little more unbelievable than Nocturnal is. Of all the Sigler books I've read, I think Nocturnal is the closest to reality. In that way, it's surprisingly scary.

Style

Sigler, as always, is knowledgeable and brings his readers along with the science that makes his plots possible. Between dark humor, absurd humor, tragedy, and real(istic) science, he's weaves a tale that's easy to read (or listen to).

My Thoughts

I don't know if Nocturnal isn't my cup of tea, if I should have read it rather than listened to it, or if the fact that the podcast version is not read by Sigler himself made this a little less than completely awesome for me. It could be any or all of those reasons, honestly. Now, this isn't to say I didn't enjoy Nocturnal. I did. it's definitely up to par with Sigler's other works. But... I think I'm more interested in the works he does that are further from the real. Earthcore and Ancestor are lower on my love-this scale, along with Nocturnal. While the GFL series, Infected, and Contagious are works I can obsess about.

Even despite my not liking Nocturnal as much as some of Sigler's other works, I still thoroughly enjoyed the book. The ending was wonderfully satisfying, particularly the very last moments. The characters are fitting and fleshed out, perfectly suited to the plot. Their actions, words, quirks, and everything are perfectly understandable. It all just fits. Sigler is a puzzlemaster when it comes to books. Nocturnal just didn't strike me like some of his other works have.

Would I Recommend This Book? Oh, yeah! While in my opinion, not Sigler's most catching work, there is a ton of awesomeness here. It IS a good book. This is just personal taste keeping the stars from being top-notch. That said, I give Nocturnal a Zed-carrying 4 of 5 stars.

For more information on the author, visit http://scottsigler.com/

Book Review: Pandemic by Scott Sigler

Summary

It's been five years since mankind destroyed the Orbital and ended the frightening infection of Detroit. Sure, it took a nuke to do it, but it's over. The source of the mind-bending infection fell into Lake Michigan and is gone. We won.

But there are scraps of the orbital left, and worse, there's one last probe containing a new, modified version of the infection. And it's just been dredged up.

Margaret Montoya is in no shape to save the world again. She did say that nuking Detroit was necessary, after all, so those deaths are on her hands. Now, she has to be called back into action one last time to save humanity. But the infection is much worse. It's even more contagious than before, and nothing seems able to stop it. In the meantime, Steve Stanton, the young genius that actually pulled up the Orbital's last probe, has been infected. The disease has a new leader with a brain that can overcome humanity. Earth is in trouble.

That's my summary. Here's the one I pulled from http://scottsigler.com/

Scott Sigler’s Infected shocked readers with a visceral, up-close account of physical metamorphosis and one man’s desperate fight for sanity and survival, as “Scary” Perry Dawsey suffered the impact of an alien pathogen’s early attempts at mass extinction. In the sequel Contagious , Sigler pulled back the camera and let the reader experience the frantic national response to this growing cataclysm.

And now in Pandemic, the entire human race balances on the razor’s edge of annihilation, beset by an enemy that turns our own bodies against us, that changes normal people into psychopaths or transforms them into nightmares.

To some, Doctor Margaret Montoya is a hero— a brilliant scientist who saved the human race from an alien intelligence determined to exterminate all of humanity. To others, she’s a monster— a mass-murderer singlehandedly responsible for the worst atrocity ever to take place on American soil. All Margaret knows is that she’s broken. The blood of a million deaths is on her hands. Guilt and nightmares have turned her into a shut-in, too mired in self-hatred even to salvage her marriage, let alone be the warrior she once was.

But Margaret is about to be called into action again. Because before the murderous intelligence was destroyed, it launched one last payload— a soda-can-sized container filled with deadly microorganisms that make humans feed upon their own kind. That harmless-looking container has languished a thousand feet below the surface of Lake Michigan, undisturbed and impotent... until now.

Context

Pandemic is happening now. Like, right now. There are only five short years between the events of Contagious and Pandemic. I don't know that I can really say anything new beyond what I've said in my reviews for Infected and Contagious (find them here). I could walk out the door and see this happening in the world. That's enough.

Style

Sigler's writing is visceral and clear without being oversimplified. I always learn some new words and acronyms when I read (or listen to) Sigler's work. That's always a pleasure. The knowledge that he really puts a lot of real research behind the science of his material makes things a little scary. It's plausible. That doesn't mean you have to be a member of MENSA to 'get" Sigler's work. He makes the science accessible and understandable, at least insofar much as the reader needs to get what's really going on. He is a pleasure to read... if you don't mind cursing and TONS of violence.

I like cursing and TONS of violence.

My Thoughts

(spoiler alert for previous books)

I don't think Pandemic lived up to Infected and Contagious. I don't know if it was a matter of the scope being too big or just the lack of the two best characters from the previous books ("best" in my opinion). I really felt the lack of Perry Dawsey and Dew Phillips in this one. The first third or so of the book really dragged for me. I think that may be due to there being such a large period of time between the end of Contagious and the beginning of Pandemic. The human race had to rev back up to get to pace with the threat. Everything had to restart, and I feel like that hurt the narrative.

After the disease started to hit again, things really jumped into gear. It did it so fast I was enthralled with the book again before I had time to blink. That's the Sigler I know. The pace kept up, and for the last two-thirds of the book, it was a blast that I think really fit in with the two previous books in the trilogy.

Then there was the epilogue. I was honestly left with the feeling of, "Wait, that's it?" And sure enough, that was the end. I was really disappointed with it. I don't know that I would say I feel like I was left hanging, as everything was wrapped up well, but the epilogue felt stilted and stale, like it was tacked on for a sort of feel-good moment. It didn't feel good. I could have done without it, really. I'm really just talking about the last exchanges of the characters 9the ones that survived, anyway). It either needed to be more definitive or left out altogether, in my opinion.

Would I Recommend This Book? Yes and no. If you look back at January 2014, you'll see that I've reviewed a few of Sigler's books. I put up all the reviews of his novels I've read so far in preparation for the release of Pandemic. I read this a lot later than I should have, but life happens. That said, I am glad I read Pandemic. There is some great material and action here, and it wraps up mankind's survival of the Orbital visitor well. But with a dragging beginning and an end that left me disappointed, I cannot justify giving this as high a rating as its predecessors. I recommend it as a closure to the series... if you want it. Ignore the tail end of Contagious, and I think you could be a happy reader, too. It can go either way. I give Pandemic a yeast-filled 3 of 5 stars.

For more information on the author, visit http://scottsigler.com/

Book Review: ALIVE by Scott Sigler

Summary

It’s her twelfth birthday, but that’s all she knows. She doesn’t remember her name, her past, and she has no idea why she’s woken up in a coffin. Her body doesn’t fit into its uniform. She looks closer to eighteen than twelve. Her only hint is what was written on her coffin. M. Savage.

Luckily, she isn’t alone. Others in the same situation are in coffins nearby. Now, with the other “children” she’s help break free of their macabre beds, Savage wants answers. Where are they? Why are they here? Why have so many of her memories been blanked out? What does the M stand for?

Most importantly, how do they get out?

That's my summary. Here's the one I pulled from http://scottsigler.com/book/alive/

A teenage girl awakens to find herself trapped in a coffin. She has no idea who she is, where she is, or how she got there. Fighting her way free brings little relief—she discovers only a room lined with caskets and a handful of equally mystified survivors. Beyond their room lies a corridor filled with bones and dust, but no people... and no answers. She knows only one thing about herself—her name, M. Savage, which was engraved on the foot of her coffin—yet she finds herself in charge.

She is not the biggest among them, or the boldest, but for some reason the others trust her. Now, if they’re to have any chance, she must get them to trust each other. Whatever the truth is, she is determined to find it and confront it. If she has to lead, she will make sure they survive. Maybe there’s a way out, a rational explanation, and a fighting chance against the dangers to come.

Or, maybe a reality they cannot comprehend lies just beyond the next turn.

Context

I’ve read a lot of Sigler’s work, and it’s common knowledge among his fans that all his books are set in a single universe. Or… Siglerverse. I did enjoy trying to figure out where and when this book takes place in the Siglerverse, but even after finishing it, I admit, I still only have guesses. That’s nice. Sigler raises hundreds of questions all through Alive, but he only answers about 2/3 or 3/4 of them. The rest are waiting for the next book in the trilogy, and I am now dying for it to come out. I’m not dissatisfied with Alive by any stretch of the imagination. It is a very fitting book and left me pleased with what happened to the characters. It felt resolved… for now. I’m just waiting for the bigger picture to become clearer.

Style

Considering Sigler’s other work [REVIEWS], Alive is almost tame in comparison. He is a very graphic author, and I wouldn’t say he’s “toned down” in this novel, but it is less gorey than say, Infected or even his GFL books. There’s a different sort of horror and violence here. Alive is more psychologically horrific than some of his other works, and I really enjoyed that about this novel. Don’t get me wrong; it is dark. Very dark, and some of the images the characters run across are grim and disturbing. But I wouldn’t say they go over the edge, at least for me.

The writing itself is clean, but I’ve come to expect that from Sigler. He paints very vivid pictures with minimal words needed, leaving the mind to create the rest. A few times, I did want a little more description, but I was never lost. There were just a few things I had a harder time visualizing than others.

My Thoughts

I came into reading Alive with no real idea what to expect of it. I knew it was a different storyline than any other books of his I’ve read, set apart somewhere else in the timeline of the Siglerverse. By the time I was done with chapter one, I was sucked in. Alive is, my friends, a sleep-thief. I could have stayed up all night and read this book (and finished it, if I wanted to. It’s a fast read.) This is a very difficult book to put down. I only did it four times. Seriously. The first time I picked it up, I read 30 pages before I had to force myself to bed (stupid adult responsibilities like work). Next session, I read 60 pages, then another 30, then 16… then I had a free day and read the last 183 pages in one sitting. It’s that good. The last 80 pages or so… I couldn’t have put the book down if I’d been forced to. I’m not being literal, but wow, that last third or so of the book was gripping! I would say this book would be very well served just read on a lazy weekend day when you have no other obligations. It’s that compelling to finish, from page one.

Would I Recommend This Book? Highly. This is a true page-turner, a book that is very infuriating to have to close so you can take care of other necessities. Take this book to the bathroom and don’t leave. Read it in bed rather than getting up someday. Have a few-hour plane ride? This would be a great one for uninterrupted reading time. It can be one to read over the course of days, but believe me, you won’t want to. I give Alive a dust-coated 5 of 5 stars.

For more on the author, visit http://scottsigler.com/