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Stars: 5 out of 5.

I loved The Anomaly, the first book in the series, and this one was just as good. Yes, the story ended up being a little bit out there, but the cast of characters more than compensates for that.

Yes, the characters are the strongest part of this book and this series in general. I love Nolan, and Ken, and Molly, and Pierre. They feel like real people, but more importantly, they read like real friends and even found family to each other. Their interactions are genuine, and you can see that even when they are making fun of each other, there is a deep affection behind the jokes as well. And when push comes to shove, they don’t hesitate to do anything they can to save and protect each other.

Kristi, on the other hand, I could care less about. In the previous book Nolan painted this picture of her as someone brilliant, much better at this journalist thing than he is. He made it sound like she was really good with people and had lots of friends and seemed like a nice person. Well, the reality we see in this book couldn’t be farther from that picture. Kristi comes across as self-centered and unwilling to listen to anyone else’s opinion. She does things without thinking them through and sometimes even when she knows that her actions will only make things worse. She also comes across as very judgmental of others while at the same time blind to her own shortcomings. Needless to say, I wasn’t sad to see her go away at the end of the book. 

And I think this particular characterization was intentional on the author’s part. I think he wanted to show that sometimes our love blinds us to the shortcomings of the people closest to us even when those people hurt us. Nolan spent most of the previous book regretting what happened between him and Kristi and wishing they could find a way of mending this broken relationship. I think he got the much needed closure in this book, even if it wasn’t the one he was hoping for. 

The story itself was intriguing and even horrifying in a rather mind-bending kind of way. I love how the author takes a real world mystery, like the walls found all over the United States. Nobody knows who built them or when, or even what purpose they are supposed to serve. And then the author builds this elaborate story around that one real fact. And honestly, his explanation isn’t any more farfetched than a lot of other conspiracy theories out there.

All in all, this was an enjoyable book, and I wouldn’t mind following Nolan and crew for another adventure if the author ever decides to continue this series.

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Stars: 4 out of 5.

This was an entertaining story with very likeable characters. Wasn’t particularly scary, but I had a good time following our unfortunate crew, even if they didn’t have a good time at all.

This starts like one of those lost tape movies (kind of like Blair Witch Project) about a group of amateur mystery hunters filming a YouTube documentary about the Kincaid Cavern in the Grand Canyon. The location of this cavern is unknown, and even its existence has never been properly acknowledged. Plus, our crew has a bad track record when it comes to actually finding things. As in, they never do. But lo and behold, they find the cave this time, though by the end of this adventure, they will all be wishing that they never did.

As I mentioned before, this wasn’t particularly scary for me, though some situations the characters found themselves in were particularly uncomfortable. Stuck in a cave with no light? Having to negotiate a narrow passage back to the others by feel alone and in pitch darkness? Yeah, even not being claustrophobic, that had an extra eek factor for me.

But the main strength of this book is in the relationship between the characters. You can feel that they are complex individuals with their own agendas and desires. You can also tell that they worked together for a long time and really know each other well. The banter, and good-natured insults they throw each other’s way, but then they are always ready to help and support each other when needed. I grew to know and love them for that, so I was invested in their well-being. I was worried about them, and I really wanted all of them to survive this ordeal and see the light of the sun again. 

The titbits of information and conspiracy theories that Nolan shares with the viewers of his future documentary are also very interesting. I love The Unexplained series on Netflix, so this was right up my alley. 

I must admit that the conspiracy plot in this book was a bit over the top. And the villains were a lot less rounded than the main characters. They were very one-note, in fact. I still don’t understand what their motivation was behind switching on the terraforming machine ahead of schedule. Did they think they would be spared by creatures that are programmed to wipe out all of humanity? On what grounds? What made them the chosen ones to be spared annihilation? Maybe we will find out in future books, since it is mentioned that the society that financed this expedition has their hands in a lot more projects one of which directly involves Nolan’s ex-wife, so I’m sure he won’t let this slide.

In any case, this was an enjoyable read, and I am definitely excited to pick up the next book in the series.