The Extinction Series by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

I have had the pleasure of both listening to and reading the entire Extinction Series by Nicholas Sansbury Smith.  I received these books as gifts from friends and some I have purchased.

First, let me say that this author is amazing!  He has real-life experience in Homeland Security and Emergency Management, so his stories are based on what could happen should mankind take things a bit too far.  Each book is about survival in a post-apocalyptic world where decisions are being made without the full story.

Master Sergeant Reed Beckham and his GHOST team (Delta Force) have been faced with almost every imaginable mission and had never lost a single member until they ran smack dab into the Variants.  Once human the Variants devolved into vicious killing animals only to redevelop into the most vicious, deadly and intelligent killing machines!

The series covers the United States and parts of Europe where the Variants took different forms and their strength varied depending upon the environment.  Throughout the series, until the end, Smith keeps his readers and listeners riveted to the story.  Smith fully develops each character, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant – each one plays an important role in the series.

Smith’s audience will cheer for victories, cry over the deaths of characters and will gasp at the plot twists he successfully completes.  By the end, Master Sergeant Reed Beckham and Dr. Kate Lavato and their friends find themselves in a gut-twisting ending that no one foresaw.

With each book, I found myself growing more and more connected to the characters, more so when I was listening to the audiobook (see audiobookreviewer.com for individual reviews of each book in the series) because Smith built a fantastic storyline and the narrator, Bronson Pinchot performed the books as if he too were immersed in the storyline.  Pinchot gives a stellar performance that leaves the listener on the edge of their chairs.  Pinchot becomes the story, he moves it along with his voice and skill.  Putting both Smith and Pinchot together was perfect!

This series is much more than a zombie book, it is about what could happen if things don’t change.  It is about survival, humanity, choices, relationships, secrets and duty.  Nicholas Sansbury Smith provides a series that will haunt you days after you finish, you cannot help but think back and wonder.

I can only give this series a 5-star rating, but in my mind, it deserves a dozen more!

The Extinction Cycle Book Series:
Extinction Horizon
Extinction Edge
Extinction Age
Extinction Evolution
Extinction End
Extinction Aftermath
Extinction Lost
Extinction War