The story is set the day before the 4th of July weekend, 1984 and follows Elliot Hoffman who has returned home from College during a break to the sleepy little town of Bell Island, a town that is on a small island and only accessible via ferry. He has returned home due to his Mum having been detained in a mental hospital as a result of a breakdown having to do with something she saw when she was younger. Elliot has taken up his old job in the video store on the island (yes, an ACTUAL VHS video store – some may have to google what a VHS cassette is, others are thinking OMG I’m so old right now!), and it is there that we get a bit of insight into his life, as he sees his best friend ‘Bones’, a Billy Idol wannabe, who lives on the island and cares for his elderly and unwell grandmother. He also sees his girlfriend Bethany, who quickly becomes his Ex-girlfriend when she dumps him.
It is then that Elliot’s life takes a rather interesting turn, as he runs into two people who will change his life. The first is the strange man that comes into the video store and hires a video camera, and he learns from Bones he is called Sarge around town, and is a bit strange. The second is a pretty blonde waitress at his favourite diner, Kimberly, who is actually more than she seems.
Whilst Elliot is trying to come to terms with the fact that his Mum is not well, he just got dumped, he is struggling at College, and the cute girl at the diner just came onto him, a strange thunderstorm hits Bell Island. And with the storm, chaos breaks lose, as it appears that Aliens have invaded the island, and are killing people. Suddenly, Elliot, Bones, this new girl from the diner he’s just met, and the strange ex-soldier, are flung into a desperate battle to save the small community on the island before everyone there is killed.
This is a story that is a combination of Predator meets Cocoon with all the humour and pop-culture references of Ready Player One as you are catapulted back to 1984. Hystad does an outstanding job with the world-building not just of re-creating the locations and the time, but the language (I don’t think I have heard the word ‘Rad’ in 30yrs!!), and so many other fun references that it is a lot of fun for anyone that was alive back then.
The story builds quickly, and you are thrown into this action-thriller, in which you really have no idea what is happening to start with, but it builds at a rapid pace. There are so many twists, turns, and plot intrigues you are left flipping pages to desperately find out what is going to happen to characters.
As with all of his books, Hystad’s character work is exceptional. Elliot is brilliant as the somewhat confused young adult, returning to his home town, worried about what others will think of him due to his Mothers illness. There is such a stigma attached to mental illness, especially back then (even still now!), and Elliot is worried not only for how it will impact him, but is also very concerned for his Mum’s welfare. As the story starts to unfold, we get to see that he is a bright person, but just struggling with his place in life, some confidence. Bones is awesome as the try hard punk-rocker, with the mohawk, outfit, and attitude. However, he has a set plan, knowing what he wants, he is just determined to look after his Nan for as long as he can, to make sure she is alright. He makes for a great character.
Kimberly is a fascinating character, really intriguing, I will let her story unfold without any spoilers. The same with ‘Sarge’, I won’t give any spoilers. There are multiple other characters, from Elliot’s sister Cindy, who is the typical teenage girl, to the cops of a small town police station, and the multitude of town’s folk.
Overall, this is a really fantastic Sci-Fi thriller, one that as soon as you start, it is really hard to put down. Hystad continues to deliver these amazing thrillers that are just extraordinary, and absolutely must reads, and this one won’t disappoint!!
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Reviews with images
Another Great absorbing story from Nathan Hystad! Book 1 of new trilogy!
I have long been a fan of Nathan Hystad since the early days. Nathan has a way to create the worlds and actually bring us into the story and into the character’s lives. I both read this book and listened to it, and I highly recommend the discounted Audible add-on as the narration is exceptionally good. If anything hearing it brings the story more to life.The story takes place on Bell Island, in 1984, over largely 1 day - July 4th. Several reviewers have said that they did not like the characterizations of the characters, but I found them to be spot on. I remember the 80’s, and as it happened I was an island dweller not far from the setting of this book in the early 90’s - about the same time. Nathan has done a wonderful job of characterizing the teens and adults in the book, and has really picked up on the authentic island experience. So he either lived it or collected the experiences and perspectives of actual island dwellers to the nth degree. That might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but he did a fabulous job of characterizing the very laise-fare and “who cares, what difference does it make” attitude. As well as everyone knows pretty much everything about everyone on a small remote island.From the VHS videos of the time, and cassette tapes to the hand-crank windows in cars, he did a great job picking up on the 80’s theme.And all was more or less okay - until another storm of the century, and we start finding out about the aliens. And not just one bunch of aliens, we are dealing with two groups of aliens. And one is hunting the other. And they really don’t care if the humans get in their way. The hunters love hunting for the sheer sport of it, and the hunted don’t want to be found.From the minute clues left, the memories that MC Elliot has from his youth, and a mom in a mental hospital due to her own alien encounters 40 years prior to when the story takes place, we start to see the real picture emerge. The aliens exist and they are out hunting. And people are dying.This is a combination story of teen life, and the trials and tribulations of that, island life, and what happens when you drop a real crisis into the mix. A crisis that no one believes is real until the bodies start collecting.I think this is a great setup for the rest of the series. My biggest problem with Nathan Hystad these days is that he is writing faster than I can read and listen. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, since he is one of my all-time favorite authors.I highly recommend this riveting, gripping story. It feels a little slow at first, just little clues here and there that there is serious trouble on Bell Island. But it then takes off like a speedboat and all you can do is hold on for the ride. One of my favorite characterizations was the alien control panels - No one was using graphical interfaces back then, they were just being invented! I also loved that absolutely no one was who they appeared to be in both good and bad ways. Lastly, that it is an uplifting story in a way which shows that ordinary people can become real heroes.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2023
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2023
The story takes place on Bell Island, in 1984, over largely 1 day - July 4th. Several reviewers have said that they did not like the characterizations of the characters, but I found them to be spot on. I remember the 80’s, and as it happened I was an island dweller not far from the setting of this book in the early 90’s - about the same time. Nathan has done a wonderful job of characterizing the teens and adults in the book, and has really picked up on the authentic island experience. So he either lived it or collected the experiences and perspectives of actual island dwellers to the nth degree. That might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but he did a fabulous job of characterizing the very laise-fare and “who cares, what difference does it make” attitude. As well as everyone knows pretty much everything about everyone on a small remote island.
From the VHS videos of the time, and cassette tapes to the hand-crank windows in cars, he did a great job picking up on the 80’s theme.
And all was more or less okay - until another storm of the century, and we start finding out about the aliens. And not just one bunch of aliens, we are dealing with two groups of aliens. And one is hunting the other. And they really don’t care if the humans get in their way. The hunters love hunting for the sheer sport of it, and the hunted don’t want to be found.
From the minute clues left, the memories that MC Elliot has from his youth, and a mom in a mental hospital due to her own alien encounters 40 years prior to when the story takes place, we start to see the real picture emerge. The aliens exist and they are out hunting. And people are dying.
This is a combination story of teen life, and the trials and tribulations of that, island life, and what happens when you drop a real crisis into the mix. A crisis that no one believes is real until the bodies start collecting.
I think this is a great setup for the rest of the series. My biggest problem with Nathan Hystad these days is that he is writing faster than I can read and listen. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, since he is one of my all-time favorite authors.
I highly recommend this riveting, gripping story. It feels a little slow at first, just little clues here and there that there is serious trouble on Bell Island. But it then takes off like a speedboat and all you can do is hold on for the ride. One of my favorite characterizations was the alien control panels - No one was using graphical interfaces back then, they were just being invented! I also loved that absolutely no one was who they appeared to be in both good and bad ways. Lastly, that it is an uplifting story in a way which shows that ordinary people can become real heroes.
Another Great absorbing story from Nathan Hystad! Book 1 of new trilogy!
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2023
I have long been a fan of Nathan Hystad since the early days. Nathan has a way to create the worlds and actually bring us into the story and into the character’s lives. I both read this book and listened to it, and I highly recommend the discounted Audible add-on as the narration is exceptionally good. If anything hearing it brings the story more to life.Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2023
The story takes place on Bell Island, in 1984, over largely 1 day - July 4th. Several reviewers have said that they did not like the characterizations of the characters, but I found them to be spot on. I remember the 80’s, and as it happened I was an island dweller not far from the setting of this book in the early 90’s - about the same time. Nathan has done a wonderful job of characterizing the teens and adults in the book, and has really picked up on the authentic island experience. So he either lived it or collected the experiences and perspectives of actual island dwellers to the nth degree. That might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but he did a fabulous job of characterizing the very laise-fare and “who cares, what difference does it make” attitude. As well as everyone knows pretty much everything about everyone on a small remote island.
From the VHS videos of the time, and cassette tapes to the hand-crank windows in cars, he did a great job picking up on the 80’s theme.
And all was more or less okay - until another storm of the century, and we start finding out about the aliens. And not just one bunch of aliens, we are dealing with two groups of aliens. And one is hunting the other. And they really don’t care if the humans get in their way. The hunters love hunting for the sheer sport of it, and the hunted don’t want to be found.
From the minute clues left, the memories that MC Elliot has from his youth, and a mom in a mental hospital due to her own alien encounters 40 years prior to when the story takes place, we start to see the real picture emerge. The aliens exist and they are out hunting. And people are dying.
This is a combination story of teen life, and the trials and tribulations of that, island life, and what happens when you drop a real crisis into the mix. A crisis that no one believes is real until the bodies start collecting.
I think this is a great setup for the rest of the series. My biggest problem with Nathan Hystad these days is that he is writing faster than I can read and listen. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, since he is one of my all-time favorite authors.
I highly recommend this riveting, gripping story. It feels a little slow at first, just little clues here and there that there is serious trouble on Bell Island. But it then takes off like a speedboat and all you can do is hold on for the ride. One of my favorite characterizations was the alien control panels - No one was using graphical interfaces back then, they were just being invented! I also loved that absolutely no one was who they appeared to be in both good and bad ways. Lastly, that it is an uplifting story in a way which shows that ordinary people can become real heroes.
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