When Alyssa Durham is contacted by an old friend with world changing information, she did not expect to find herself on a Ferris wheel with that same friend sporting a bullet in the head. Determined to find out why he died and why people are trying to kill her she is drawn to a government black project. While the world appears to be tearing itself apart in a series of natural disasters Alyssa discovers that the answer to what is happening is both more rational and terrifying...

Extinction (388 Pages) is a new thriller by J. T. Brannan and is only his second novel since Origin.

Reviews like this are very difficult as the ending of the book contains a WTF moment which changes your perspective on everything you think you’ve just read. The turnaround is deftly executed and elevates the book above the usual run of thrillers.

Our heroine is Alyssa, a ballsy reporter, who also just happens to have well developed climbing skills, useful if you have to make a quick exit from a Ferris Well, this aspect could have been a bit clunky, forcing a specialist skill for the sake of the plot, but its ordinary enough to seem realistic.

It’s a pacey read and will probably be read in one sitting. After a little set-up the book rarely lets you draw breath. The action sequences are well choreographed, but more important than that the book remains a nuanced read. The pseudo religious elements are included for some very good reasons which don’t pay off until the closing third of the book.

Pushed to the extremes, the characters motivations for their action make perfect sense. A combination of fear and patriotism drives the secret cadre of governmental types who are willing to cut a bloody swath across the country in an effort to secure their secret. Alyssa's motivation is obvious, there are not many times that you can try and kill an investigative journalist without piquing their interest. The other main characters appear to have obvious motivations for what they do, but remember that this is a novel of wonderful misdirection. This all means that there are always new, surprising things to discover in the story.

With birds attacking planes and whole islands disappearing beneath the sea, Brannan portrays the end of the world in a convincing manner. Against this background Alyssa’s desire to learn the truth is both compelling and engrossing.

The book represents probably the most perfect example of the well written apocalypse genre.

9

Charles Packer