#bookreview ~ Ivellians #scific #fantasy @larrydshack

Ivellians

By

Larry Shackelford

Ivellians is a fast-paced, science fiction romance story.  The Ivellians possess human characteristics and have come to earth in a last effort to preserve their species.  Unfortunately for the human race, the Ivellians are carnivorous and their soldiers feast on human flesh.  Their ruthless leader, A'Vu, has commanded his soldiers to eliminate the human males and capture females and children.  The Ivellian males believe their females are no longer capable of reproducing, so they intend to mate with the genetically comparable human females. 

Gower Gee is an accomplished Drug Enforcement Agent who is struggling with his professional and personal lives.  When the invasion begins, his commercial airplane inexplicably crashes near a small, secluded island in the Caribbean.  He is one of only a handful of survivors who encounter a marooned Ivellian female, M'ala, who provides them with the key to eliminating the Ivellians.  He is assisted by a unique cast of characters, which include a gay couple, responsible and pragmatic Michael and the flamboyant and endearing Jules.  They are also accompanied by a beautiful school teacher, Sasha, and they collectively believe they will have a better chance of survival if they sail back to the United States. Before they reach land, they meet up with feisty Tabitha and another Ivellian female, P'upi, who assists them.

The castaways are alarmed by the unprecedented destruction they encounter when they arrive back in Miami.  Time is running out. If the human race is going to survive, Gower realizes that he will have to sacrifice his life.  His unselfish task will result in losing the woman of his dreams, Sasha, whom he has fallen deeply in love with.  Gower embarks on a difficult journey to Washington, D.C., where he implements his plan, and he never imagined his efforts would end so tragically.

What did I think of the book?

When a plane goes down in the Bermuda Triangle, it was easy to jump to conclusions. But the reality was something far worse than the passengers who survived the crash could ever imagine.

Hostile aliens have come to Earth to harvest humans for meat and something even more sinister. They are aggressive, brutal and unfeeling. Well, most of them are anyway.

Gower Gee was supposed to be on vacation, taking some time away from his job as a Drug Enforcement Agent. What he didn't expect to be doing was having to fight for the future of humanity.

Wow! Was this book hard to put down or what?! I was gripped from the very first page, and Mr Shackelford held my attention right until the end. The book was super fast paced, and I soon found myself completely immersed in this dystopian world that Mr Shackelford has created.

There are some really memorable characters in this book — Immediately Jules come to mind, you will have to read the book to find out why! The hero of the story is Gower, who is a smart and likable. If an alien invasion really happened, I would want to be his friend! He doesn't panic in the face of adversary, but keeps a cool head and tries to find a way to save, not only his friends and those he loves, but the whole world.

The aliens were a complex species, who had their silent internal war going on at the same time as the invasion. The female of the species is nothing like the male, and I like the contrast, it gave the story a lot of depth.

Ivellians is a terrific read and one I could easily envisage on the big screen. Well done, Mr Shackelford for bringing us yet another great read.

I Highly Recommend.

Links for Purchase

Amazon US

Amazon UK

About the author

Larry was raised in southwest Missouri where he received his college degree, but he received his education after he graduated and began working in a maximum-security federal prison. After spending two years behind bars, he continued his law enforcement career as a criminal investigator, residing and working in eight states and two foreign countries. Larry retired from law enforcement after twenty-five years of service and resides in Salt La

#bookreview ~ Quincunx I #scific #fantasy @larrydshack

Quincunx I

By

Larry Shackelford

 

Quincunx I is a fast-paced urban fantasy/science fiction romance story that takes place in the small town of Neosho in Southwestern Missouri, where classified military research was conducted on prisoners of war detainees at nearby Camp Crowder during WWII. Unbeknownst to the locals, the abandoned military base is home to a subterranean species of human mutants. When local students suddenly go missing, law enforcement officials are alerted to the presence of thousands of violent creatures that quickly manifest to the surface and wreak havoc on the military and the American Midwest. The terrifying creatures carry a mysterious virus that is highly contagious and lethal. Scientists and military experts must work furiously against the clock to unravel government secrets and contain the bloodthirsty mutants. Dr. Judy Davis is a professor of Genetics and Anthropology at a University in St. Louis, Missouri. Over fifteen years ago, she was tasked by the government to complete a top-secret research project at Camp Crowder. Her findings were alarming and unprecedented; however, her report was never released to the public and she was led to believe that the human test subjects did not survive. When the Camp Crowder specimens present an immediate global threat to human health and safety, she is partnered with a humorless FBI Special Agent, Max Guthrie, to assist in the investigation. One of the missing students, Brian, is the teenaged son of a local high school English teacher, Paul Cameron. Paul is frustrated by the local sheriff's apparent apathy and goes to search for his son. Meanwhile, Brian escapes with Judy, Max, and a medical examiner, Dr. Janet Wiggins, after a failed attempt by the U.S. military and FBI to eliminate the formidable creatures from the area's underground caves. The survivors take refuge at Paul's great-grandpa Jake's farm house, located a few miles outside of Neosho, where the family is reunited. The creatures soon surface. Social media warns the general public about the pending epidemic and chaos ensues. It is soon discovered that the virus carried by the creatures is not only transmitted by contact, but after a brief incubation period, the virus becomes airborne. Troy Miller, another FBI agent, convinces everyone to travel to the west coast where his brother is waiting with a boat. They determine they have a better chance of survival if they flee to the Hawaiian Islands. The government shuts down all media communication in an attempt to control the flow of information. Paul and the others embark on a cross-country road trip from Neosho to Los Angeles to meet up with Troy's brother before it is too late.

What did I make of the book?

Think The Walking Dead but with mutants!

Do not go to Camp Crowder, strange things have happened there. That is what the teenagers of the small town of "Neosho" in Southwestern Missouri, have been told. But hey, that is just a story to frighten little kids from hurting themselves in the dilapidated buildings…isn’t it?

The local law enforcement is used to prank calls from board teenagers ~ it is a small town, after all, ~ so when they get a call from a young girl, screaming down that phone, and begging them to come to Camp Crowder, they do not take it seriously. They do not send out a patrol. But when worried parents contact them the next day about their missing teenagers, they decided to take a quick look at Camp Crowder. It is then, they realise, their grave mistake.

Dr Judy Davis ~ a professor of Genetics and Anthropology at the University in St. Louis, Missouri ~ hoped never to hear of Camp Crowder again. For she is one of those unlucky few who knows the truth. Judy knows about the secret experiments that took place there. Fast-forward fifteen years ~ Judy mistakenly believes that the past is behind her. Judy had thought that all the test subjects had been destroyed. She realises now that she was wrong.

I have never read a book so fast in my life! The action in Quincunx I was non-stop, and the storyline was gripping. This is a sit-on-the-edge of your seat read that turns Midwest America into a dystopian world of nightmares.

I was a little concerned, initially, about the tense in which this story is told ~ it switches from First to Third Person. This is a difficult thing to pull off without losing the momentum of the story, but Shackleford nailed it, and in this book it totally works.

The characterisation is fantastic. I particularly liked Grandpa Jake ~ he may be in his eighties, but he wasn't going to go down without a fight, and some of the things he came out made me chuckle.

Quincunx I is a great read, and it is definitely on my repeat to read list.

I Highly Recommend.

Links for Purchase

Amazon US

Amazon UK

About the author

Larry was raised in southwest Missouri where he received his college degree, but he received his education after he graduated and began working in a maximum-security federal prison. After spending two years behind bars, he continued his law enforcement career as a criminal investigator, residing and working in eight states and two foreign countries. Larry retired from law enforcement after twenty-five years of service and resides in Salt Lake City with his wife and cat.