Pulse by Craig Zerf is the last book in my alphabet challenge, and it was a good one to end on!
The blurb says:
His training prepared him for anything. This invasion will test his limits…
American Embassy, London. Master Gunnery Sergeant Nate Hogan stands for integrity. But he’s not equipped to face violent solar flares that decimate the population, plunging survivors into war and chaos. Following a strange compulsion to leave his post for Scotland, Hogan discovers massive radiation from the cosmic disaster has transformed him into a superhuman.
But after a savage army of Orcs arrives in the UK through a rift in time and space, he’s hopelessly outnumbered by the bloodthirsty horde. With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, he embarks on a desperate quest to alter the course of history.
Can Master Gunny Hogan win a one-man war against a powerful foe and prevent the end of humanity?
As I chose this book based on author's name, I hadn't read the blurb until I copied it just now. I have to say, though, that I don't think this is a good write-up, as by the end of the book, the army of Orcs haven't actually invaded yet...
To me, this is a book of 2 stories, and as yet (probably because they haven't interacted) they are almost totally distinct.
Firstly, you have the post-apocalyptic fiction: a Pulse of unknown origin, leaving the sky looking like the Northern Lights, has occurred, wiping out all electrical devices. Cars stop on the motorway, planes fall out of the sky, and humans are plunged back into the dark ages, and with that, a loss of civilisation. Master Gunnery Sergeant Nathaniel Hogan decides that his best course of action is to leave the American Embassy in London, where he was stationed, and to head north. On his way, he comes across a private boarding school and stays to help them defend themselves against potential looters and discovers that he is The Forever Man.
This story is amazing. It is really horrific in places (not graphic, but not suitable for younger teens) as you see the worst of human kind. There are some characters that restore your faith in humanity too, as they band together to help each other and those less fortunate than themselves. Some of the characters are a bit stereotypical - Americans who think they'll solve the pulse after a day or two, an Irish priest who likes his drink a bit too much... and it annoyed my unnecessarily that one of the character's name is spelled wrong (I can understand it, because I imagine a lot of people don't realise it's pronounced Keeva, but I daresay that Irish travellers would actually spell the name Caoimhe), but tbf, that is me nit-picking.
Secondly, you have the story of aliens: Stereotypical grey, humanoid aliens are in a war with an Elven army, when the Life Light disappears. The Life Light is the source of their magiks (sic) so they determine that they need to pack up and follow the Life Light across the universe, as they have many times before. The realise the Life Lights have moved to Earth, so gather together their army of Orcs and Trolls and prepare to invade Earth.
This story is just a bit random. I get, from the description, that this book is meant to be "genre-bending", but these two stories are so separate, I feel that they should be separated. What species are these aliens? Why are they in a war with Elves? Why are they using Orcs and Trolls and other created creatures? As none of these questions are answered, I feel that this first book could have not mentioned the aliens at all, and it would be better. Or, because you want to introduce them before the second book, maybe an epilogue introducing the aliens and the start of their journey to Earth.
Overall, I have really enjoyed this book, and I have added the rest of the series to my wishlist. I want to find out what happens next to The Forever Man, and see whether he helps many other people. This book hints at his destiny (and the blurb says he is to go up and fight against the invading aliens) so I do want to know what happens next.
I just need to get through the majority of the unread books on my kindle first.
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