Iowa author Nicholas Sansbury Smith is a movie star handsome young man whose extracurricular activities include a passion for racing (he is an Ironman triathlete). He entered the literary world after serving in the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management, working in disaster planning and mitigation. His genre is science fiction with an emphasis on post-apocalyptic tales. His initial short story SOLAR STORMS was written in 2013 and was prescient: our history remembers when we were put on alert for a large solar explosion (fortunately it didn't affect our power grid) so we were attuned to the title. Nicholas has published the following series - THE EXTINCTION CYCLE (seven volumes), TRACKERS (four volumes), OBS (four volumes), THE SONS OF WAR (three volumes), E DAY series (two volumes), and HELL DIVERS, of which Radioactive is volume nine. He is the recipient of many major awards in addition to having developed a devoted reading audience.
Thanks to the provided recap of volume VIII we have more of an appreciation for the cast of characters and the chills they face. Smith opens this novel with an atmospheric Prologue, set 12 years ago: ‘At an hour to midnight, Kade Long stood in front of his three sons, zipping up his jumpsuit. They were all wide-awake and packed into the small living room of their two-bedroom quarters. “Dad, do we actually get to touch the ground tomorrow?” Sean was only four, far too young to know what there was down there or what had happened to the Old World. But his older brothers, Jack and Rich, knew the truth. Monsters were real, and the Old World was gone…’
Nicholas respects ‘first-timers’ to this series, providing substantial background in the plot synopsis: ‘The battle for Panama is over, and King Xavier Rodriguez secretly deploys the airship Vanguard to Queensland. The hunt for the Coral Castle is on. The rest of the fleet returns to the Vanguard Islands with new ships and supplies, but tensions rise with rumors of a hidden food cache. When two sky people are murdered, Chief Michael Everhart knows the stage is set for mutiny. And with King Xavier off in search of the Coral Castle, he feels the target on his back. At Panama, a new leader emerges as an ancient evil threatens Outpost Gateway. The only hope of defeating it is a youth who has learned to survive in the deadly ruins. On Australia’s Sunshine Coast, King Xavier leads the search for the Coral Castle while Captain Rolo deploys the Hell Divers to hunt for a new source of seeds. As losses from both missions mount, the king wonders if finding this place is worth the cost. But turning back to the Vanguard Islands without a new food source could doom all humanity to starvation. Or to all-out war.’
Pure steampunk science fiction is delivered by the master chef! Nicholas Sansbury Smith has this jargon and admixture of science and speculation down well - he has the talent to maintain interest and fascination for a long series. Grady Harp, June 22
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From the Publisher
The Hell Divers Series
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A Postapocalyptic EarthTwo hundred and fifty years after World War III went nuclear, the surface of the planet is still uninhabitable. Devastating weapons left behind a barren, radioactive wasteland. Electrical storms block out the sun, and cities have been reclaimed by nature. No one remembers how the war started, or why, but the survivors living in the sky have seen the aftermath and know the truth—there’s no returning to the surface any time soon. “If this was turned into a movie, I’d be there on opening night.” — Scott Sigler, New York Times bestselling author |
The AirshipsWhat remains of humankind exists on two massive flying airships: the Hive and Ares. The ships circle the globe, the crews tirelessly searching for areas to raid on the ground and holding out hope that someday they will find a habitable place to set down. Betrayal and sacrifice in the skies... On the Hive, there is tension among the lower decks, where the passengers face starvation and disease. A militia is tasked with keeping order, but growing unrest threatens the fragile peace. |
The Hell DiversThey dive so humanity survives... Hell Divers are the courageous few that accept the dangerous duty of sky diving to the surface, where they search for the parts essential to keeping their floating homes in the air. After diving twenty thousand feet through electrical storms, they face further danger as they navigate the deadly ruins of civilization, in order to save what’s left of humanity and recover fuel so desperately needed by the airships. The surface is a deadly place, but the Hell Divers think they are trained for anything—until they encounter a threat no one has survived to describe. In a race against time, the Hell Diver teams must fight their way across the surface and uncover mysteries from the past. The very future of the human race will depend on their bravery. “I couldn’t stop reading.” — Orson Scott Card, New York Times bestselling author |
“Put on your helmet, you’re about to dive into the apocalypse in the award winning and bestselling Hell Divers saga..."
- New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Series
- 2016 Indie Forward Review Gold Winner for best Science Fiction
- 2016 Audible Science Fiction Best of 2016
- Audible Editor’s Pick
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Once again, NSS delivers. Just when you think the HD universe couldn’t expand, it does! With twists and turns, further development of old characters, and the addition of new ones, NSS keeps the reader turning pages with his latest edition to the epic series! This is a must have for readers of HD! If you haven’t started the series, now is the time! With 9 novels and no signs of ending, jump into this immersive universe!
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Mrs. N. Raynard
Brilliant next installment, waiting for the next.
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