I received a review copy of
this book for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.
The Rose Vol. 1 is the first in
a series of dystopian sci-fi thrillers. The first thing that made me want to
read this was mostly curiosity. A description of the book includes the end of a
world war, alien vampires, gray aliens, enslaved humans, and human rebels. My
question was, how is the author going to bring all these plot points together
and make a cohesive story out of them? The answer is he did it masterfully.
This story is packed with action set in a world where there seems to be little
hope for humanity. Once one opens this book, it is difficult to set aside, and
there is no end to the thrills, twists, and turns.
Well written and edited, if you
enjoy sci-fi monster stories with vivid descriptions of brutality, this is a
book you will really sink your teeth into.
Soon after World War III,
people are gathered in "refugee camps," supposedly for their own
safety. What they are is fodder for alien vampires for genetic experimentation
and food.
Sandy Cox is taken by the
aliens and awakes in a lab tied to a table, and her unborn fetus has been taken
from her for some nefarious purpose only known to the vampires. She makes it
her sole mission to get her baby back while others work to rescue her and
others from the horrors of the alien laboratory.
Phil, a freedom fighter, is
armed with combat knowledge, and a pair of sacred alien blades, and a crew of
rogue soldiers. He fights his way through the complex feverishly to free Sandy,
her child, and others. All along the way, they run into vampires, grays, and
genetically enhanced humans and monsters.
There isn't a lot of background
on the war or the characters in this story, so there were none that really
stood out to me except for Phil. He is a soldier who has seen a lot of combat
with the aliens and knows how to kill them. But there are a lot of them to face
and his success is not assured. He and his rag-tag bunch put up a gallant
fight. There is never a dull moment in The Rose!
I would have liked to have a
little more background on World War III and the factions involved. Apparently,
the US has been invaded by both Russian and Chinese troops and there has been a
hell of a fight which left the US vulnerable to the Alien invasion. It isn't
clear if the alien invasion is an isolated thing, or a widespread problem. Perhaps
these things will be covered in future installments of the story. While I would
have liked more history, it didn't take away from my enjoyment of this
imaginative and complex story told from the human point of view and the alien
perspective.
The aliens in The Rose think
pretty well as we do. They have their agenda and pursue it. What that agenda
isn't completely clear, but it revolves around Sandy's baby and perhaps may be
revealed in future volumes of the story.
My takeaway from The Rose is
how humanity has to be ever vigilant. It would seem while people of the Earth
were busy fighting each other, it left, at least the US, wide open for an even
more horrible threat from extra-terrestrial beings who see people as a source
to gain scientific knowledge.
For me, this was more of a
Sci-Fi Horror story than anything else. It is an engaging and entertaining
story that is full of blood and guts that some readers may find disturbing.
Alleva's descriptions are quite vivid and detailed, adding to palpable visions of
violence perpetrated against not only humans, but against aliens as well. If
this story doesn't give one chills, it would make me wonder if the reader has
no feelings at all.
I recommend The Rose Volume 1
for those who enjoy a story that moves at warp speed with twists all along the
way. It is certainly a journey into the darkness that will thrill, and maybe
even cause a few nightmares.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Horror, Sci-Fi, Dystopian,
Supernatural, Dark Fiction, Thrillers and Mysteries, a little bit of sumpin
sumpin for readers who enjoy intellectual and yet over the top lets blow our
minds and rock out to amazing and extraordinary stories, heroes and villains.
PD's latest release is The Rose Vol 1, a dystopian science fiction thriller, a
series that features a sophisticated although primal and ravaging species of
Alien Vampires living in hollow earth who have conspired with alien greys and
elite humans in an attempt to subjugate the human population. Vol 1 was
published on October 7, 2020 with Vol 2 slated for publication in early
December 2021. PD will also publish his horror novel, Golem in early October
2021.
PD can best be described as a
kind hearted, compassionate, hypnotizing, mesmerizing, do good save your life
simpleton who would rather hang out all day with the characters in his books
than venture too far away from home. A lover of isolation, meditating on the
beach at sunrise, and howling at the moon after sunset, he’s either the life of
the party or the oddball sitting alone in the corner with that really strange
look in his eye as if he’s talking with people that are just not there, perhaps
receiving a few concerned stares as he laughs at himself or maybe a funny joke
one of those voices just told him. OH, All IS WELL ISN’T IT?
PD loves the creative process that
comes with writing. From the spawning of a new idea to jotting down notes or
sending a hurried email to himself even during the most off time to do so (the
book always come first), to the artful craft of editing all the way to
publication, there is nothing better than producing an exceptional book.
An avid reader who loves to
talk books, PD will write short reaction reviews for the books he has finished
and has not one issue answering questions from readers as they come.
Well, there it is...
Qapla!
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