Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime and start saving today with fast, free delivery

Kindle
$3.99

Available instantly

Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial

Paperback
$5.82

Mass Market Paperback
$9.99

$9.99

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns

FREE delivery Tuesday, May 14 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35

Select delivery location

Only 3 left in stock (more on the way).

$$9.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Ships from

Amazon.com

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.

Read full return policy

Payment

Secure transaction

Payment

Secure transaction

We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more

Details

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

$7.49

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns

Nice clean copy with no highlighting or writing. We take pride in our accurate descriptions. Satisfaction Guaranteed. Nice clean copy with no highlighting or writing. We take pride in our accurate descriptions. Satisfaction Guaranteed. See less

FREE delivery Wednesday, May 15 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 20 hrs 36 mins

Select delivery location

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

$$9.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Enhancements you chose aren't available for this seller. Details

${cardName} not available for the seller you chose

${cardName} unavailable for quantities greater than ${maxQuantity}.

Sold by Jenson Books Inc and Fulfilled by Amazon.

Other sellers on Amazon

New & Used (65) from $1.21 + $3.98 shipping

Follow the author

Jason M. Hough

+ Follow

More books from this author

The Darwin Elevator (Dire Earth Cycle) Mass Market Paperback – July 30, 2013

by Jason M. Hough (Author)

4.1 1,127 ratings

Book 1 of 3: The Dire Earth Cycle

Goodreads Choice Award nominee

See all formats and editions

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$9.99","priceAmount":9.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"9","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"lAmy9hRuzlppBuKZ85KPShHxh98JuUJjgGj7HlqSucWYzu0TS4VWtWw3a2qOW20HVol6yEfQb2dDPNxNhP%2Bk4FOe2eXjh3hnxTZMsyzNoAAuR5zYbWjWGIK3%2BLZaHcLUISuAy0LG3dWJqVI46LPlYA%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$7.49","priceAmount":7.49,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"7","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"49","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"lAmy9hRuzlppBuKZ85KPShHxh98JuUJjyQdkNzjRay%2BTLeOAvWR3K53tCicvSiBZyrH3b4N9pBv4hYvnVGR3nlcUXfKPYfgiBsAckn9cqLqZwMkrO%2BH5iEXyK5JDB6NWP%2Bfw3pQX6H7eej9N9MsZ9LFDvfJyavDT7BhB3PE9q%2BaZFvAPokkwxBtMMjnQDDJF","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Jason M. Hough’s pulse-pounding debut combines the drama, swagger, and vivid characters of Joss Whedon’s Firefly with the talent of sci-fi author John Scalzi.

In the mid-23rd century, Darwin, Australia, stands as the last human city on Earth. The world has succumbed to an alien plague, with most of the population transformed into mindless, savage creatures. The planet’s refugees flock to Darwin, where a space elevator—created by the architects of this apocalypse, the Builders—emits a plague-suppressing aura.

Skyler Luiken has a rare immunity to the plague. Backed by an international crew of fellow “immunes,” he leads missions into the dangerous wasteland beyond the aura’s edge to find the resources Darwin needs to stave off collapse. But when the Elevator starts to malfunction, Skyler is tapped—along with the brilliant scientist, Dr. Tania Sharma—to solve the mystery of the failing alien technology and save the ragged remnants of humanity.

Praise for The Darwin Elevator

“A hell of a fun book.”—James S. A. Corey, New York Times bestselling author of Abaddon’s Gate

“[Jason M.] Hough’s first novel combines the rapid-fire action and memorable characters associated with Joss Whedon’s short-lived Firefly TV series with the accessibility and scientific acumen of [James S. A.] Corey’s ‘Expanse’ series.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“The best part about alien stories is their mystery, and Jason Hough understands that like no other. Full of compelling characters and thick with tension, The Darwin Elevator delivers both despair and hope along with a gigantic dose of wonder. It’s a brilliant debut, and Hough can take my money whenever he writes anything from now on.”—Kevin Hearne, New York Times bestselling author of The Iron Druid Chronicles

“Newcomer Hough displays a talent for imaginative plotting and realistic dialogue, and the brisk pacing and cliffhanger ending will keep readers enthralled and eagerly awaiting the next installment.”—Publishers Weekly

“Jason M. Hough does a great job with this huge story. The world of Darwin and the Elevator is deliciously complex and satisfying. Skyler, Tania, and all the other characters are delightfully drawn and fun to spend time with. . . . The story unfolds with just the right balance of high adventure, espionage, humor, and emotional truth. . . . As soon as you finish, you’ll want more.”—Analog

“A debut novel unlike any other . . . This is something special. Something iconic. The Darwin Elevator is full of majesty and wonder, mystery and mayhem, colorful characters and insidious schemes.”—SF Signal

“Fun, action-packed and entertaining . . . a sure contender for science fiction debut of the year!”—Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist

“Claustrophobic, intense, and satisfying . . . I couldn’t put this book down. The Darwin Elevator depicts a terrifying world, suspends it from a delicate thread, and forces you to read with held breath as you anticipate the inevitable fall.”—Hugh Howey, New York Times bestselling author of Wool

Frequently bought together

$9.99

Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14

Only 3 left in stock (more on the way).

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

+

The Exodus Towers: The Dire Earth Cycle: Two

$9.99

Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14

Only 5 left in stock (more on the way).

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

+

The Plague Forge: The Dire Earth Cycle: Three

$9.19

Get it as soon as Monday, May 13

Only 8 left in stock - order soon.

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

Total price:

To see our price, add these items to your cart.

Try again!

Details

Added to Cart

Some of these items ship sooner than the others.

Show details Hide details

Choose items to buy together.

Jason M. Hough
622
Mass Market Paperback
45 offers from $2.24

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Guest Review by Kevin Hearne

Writing a good science fiction novel these days is tricky. I have found that some authors get the science right at the expense of getting the characters right and I can’t finish, or else the opposite happens—the characters are spiffy but the science is so silly and simplistic that I can’t suspend my disbelief.

So it’s the rare science fiction book that will grab me like The Darwin Elevator did. Jason Hough is definitely the new guy to try—there’s really not much of a risk here. I loved this book and I think you will too.

With a worldwide plague and a mysterious alien space elevator to worry about, you’d think humanity would lay off each other for a while, but there is plenty of scheming and backstabbing going on between a desperate population in Darwin, Australia, and a privileged class living in orbit. The story follows Skyler Luiken and his crew on the ground (all of whom are immune to the plague), but it also follows the scientist Dr. Tania Sharma, who’s in orbit trying to figure out the true purpose of the alien elevator. Though both Skyler and Tania deal with their own insecurities as leaders and don’t particularly wish to be heroes, they fight and stumble their way through multiple crises because the cost of failure would be catastrophic.

The tension and the action keep escalating and combine to make The Darwin Elevator the best sci-fi I’ve read in many years.

Review

“A hell of a fun book.”—James S. A. Corey, New York Times bestselling author of Abaddon’s Gate

“[Jason M.] Hough’s first novel combines the rapid-fire action and memorable characters associated with Joss Whedon’s short-lived Firefly TV series with the accessibility and scientific acumen of [James S. A.] Corey’s ‘Expanse’ series.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“The best part about alien stories is their mystery, and Jason Hough understands that like no other. Full of compelling characters and thick with tension, The Darwin Elevator delivers both despair and hope along with a gigantic dose of wonder. It’s a brilliant debut, and Hough can take my money whenever he writes anything from now on.”—Kevin Hearne, New York Times bestselling author of The Iron Druid Chronicles

“Newcomer Hough displays a talent for imaginative plotting and realistic dialogue, and the brisk pacing and cliffhanger ending will keep readers enthralled and eagerly awaiting the next installment.”—Publishers Weekly

“Jason M. Hough does a great job with this huge story. The world of Darwin and the Elevator is deliciously complex and satisfying. Skyler, Tania, and all the other characters are delightfully drawn and fun to spend time with. . . . The story unfolds with just the right balance of high adventure, espionage, humor, and emotional truth. . . . As soon as you finish, you’ll want more.”—Analog

“A debut novel unlike any other . . . This is something special. Something iconic. The Darwin Elevator is full of majesty and wonder, mystery and mayhem, colorful characters and insidious schemes.”—SF Signal

“Fun, action-packed and entertaining . . . a sure contender for science fiction debut of the year!”—Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist

“Claustrophobic, intense, and satisfying . . . I couldn’t put this book down. The Darwin Elevator depicts a terrifying world, suspends it from a delicate thread, and forces you to read with held breath as you anticipate the inevitable fall.”—Hugh Howey, New York Times bestselling author of Wool

“Hough writes with irresistible energy and gritty realism. His puts his characters through hell, blending a convincing plot with heart-stopping action and moments of raw terror as the world goes crazy in the shadow of unfathomable alien intentions.”—Sara Creasy, author of the Philip K. Dick Award–nominated Song of Scarabaeus

“A thrilling story right from the first page . . . This book plugs straight into the fight-or-flight part of your brain.”—Ted Kosmatka, author of The Games

“If you enjoy high adventure with a kick-ass crew, I suggest you take Hough’s Darwin Elevator for a ride.”—Warren Hammond, author of KOP Killer

About the Author

Jason M. Hough was born in Illinois, but grew up on the mean streets of suburban San Diego, California. In 1978, at age six, his parents took him to see Star Wars, and so began a lifelong love of sci-fi and all things geek. He later worked for a decade in the videogame industry as both a 3D artist and game designer. Today he lives in Seattle with his wife and two sons. In his spare time he likes to build Lego spaceships with his boys and other similarly grown-up pursuits.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter 1
Above the Indian Ocean 12.JAN.2283

Blood streamed down the inside of the tiny vial and pooled at the bottom. A finger, the source of the fluid, knocked against the glass with a dull thud.

Skyler turned the vessel over again. Fresh from its temperature-controlled sleeve, the vial felt cool against his skin. A small refreshment in the otherwise balmy cockpit.

The scene replayed again in his mind. The dead subhuman, half its scrawny body still smoldering, the scent of burned hair so strong that Skyler had retched. Then Samantha, always acting, never thinking, stood triumphant over the corpse. In one swift motionher dark combat knife flashed from a sheath on her calf, flashed again as she brought it down on the poor creature’s hand. Two fingers and half of a thumb skittered away. “Before it all burns,” she’d said.

“We only need one,” Skyler had replied when his nerves allowed.

Hair would have been simpler, cleaner, but the hair had all singed away. A messy piece of work, though the end result was all that mattered, or so he kept reminding himself.

“Visual on the Elevator,” Angus said from the pilot’s chair.

Skyler grunted acknowledgment and flipped the vial over again. The muscular digit was caked with dirt and ended in a yellow, cracked fingernail chewed to uneven length. It almost defied belief that it had been shorn from a once-human hand. Almost.

Even by subhuman standards, this creature had been extraordinarily aggressive. And part of a large pack, twice the typical “family.” Strange, yes, but thankfully in the past now.

He glanced up. Ahead, a series of lights marked the line of the Elevator cord. Eight climbers, Skyler counted, from the peaks of the clouds all the way to the stars above. He watched them long enough to discern which way they were going. Up, at the moment.Air and water then, for the Orbitals. Some spare parts, maybe. A little contraband thrown in for good measure.

He pictured the contents of his cargo bay, flush with spoils from a decaying Malay air force base outside Kuala Lumpur. Tomorrow, maybe the day after, one of those climbers would lift the items stowed back there. Paid for first, of course.

Skyler grinned. Success felt good. He’d almost forgotten the sensation. The finger alone would cover the mission’s cost, if the DNA matched.

“Do you want the stick back?” Angus asked.

The grim, hypnotic spell of watching blood slide down the glass tube vanished with the question. He slipped the vial back into its sleeve and sealed it. Out of pure habit he reached for the flight stick, then stopped himself. Old habits die hard. He balledhis fist and pulled his hand away. “You handle it this time.”

“Sure?”

“You’re ready. Just take it slow.”

Angus turned in the pilot’s seat, trying to see Skyler over his shoulder and failing. A few seconds passed before the kid flashed a halfhearted A-Okay.

The Melville tilted forward and began to descend. Skyler leaned to his left and looked down, watching mountainous clouds rise toward them. Lightning danced beneath the purple morass, which grew and grew until finally the aircraft slipped into the thick haze.

A ghostly fog roiled around the cockpit window for less than ten seconds and then they were through. Once below the storm, monsoon rain pelted the cockpit window and hammered against the fuselage.

Another minute went by before they passed under the storm. Over Darwin itself the sky was clear, such a rare thing in wet season. A nice welcome to their return.

“Aura’s Edge,” Angus said. “In ten, nine . . .”

Skyler closed his eyes. Some small part of him wanted to feel it, wanted to know the Elevator’s strange aura on a physical level. The invisible field emanated roughly nine kilometers out from the space elevator before abruptly ending. It protected thosewithin from the alien disease that had laid waste to the rest of the planet. How, or why, the aura did this was as much a mystery as the Elevator itself.

“. . . five, four . . .”

The shifting, rippling effect ended in a zone coined Aura’s Edge. A no-man’s-land where the protection faded.

Skyler leaned his head back against the copilot’s seat. He would feel nothing. He never did; nor did the rest of his crew. The disease had no effect on them.

They were immune, an inescapable fact. A blessing and curse, a trait few others shared. Very few.

“. . . three . . .”

Though immunity allowed him to leave the city at will, there remained that small part of him that wanted to be normal, to be trapped like all of the rest of them. He didn’t want to be special. Or sought after. Truth be told he’d rather be back in the Netherlands, flying mundane patrols for the air force, living a good life. But that was a long time ago, in a different world.

“. . . two, one . . . mark.”

The aircraft bucked.

Not much, but Skyler felt it. Damn fine timing for a spell of turbulence, he thought. An embarrassed laugh escaped his lips.

Below, out the window, trash fires dotted the city’s edge. Small crowds huddled around the flames for protection more than warmth. The worst-off lived here, so far out from the Elevator, so close to the Clear. Skyler thought it must be like living on theedge of a cliff.

“Weird. Did you feel that bounce?” Angus asked. Then, “Oh, shit. Look at this.”

Skyler glanced up. The kid’s voice had shifted from wonder to fear.

Something had changed, ahead of them. Skyler couldn’t decide what—

“Where’d the climbers go?” Angus asked.

The lights on the cord were gone. “What in the world?”

The wireless crackled. “Melville, this is Nightcliff control,” a panicked voice said over a hiss of static. “What the hell did you do?”

Skyler’s throat went dry. He could only stare at the thin strip of sky where the climbers had been.

“Melville! Answer or be shot down!”

“Angus,” Skyler said, ignoring the radio. “Hover here.”

The kid nodded and tilted the aircraft back, switching to vertical thrust.

“Think, think,” Skyler whispered to himself. He leaned forward in his seat, as if a few extra centimeters would give him a better view. Squinting, Skyler traced a line from the tip of Nightcliff’s tower.

There, against the dim clouds, he saw the black shape of a climber, motionless on the cord. Not vanished, then, just dead.

Loss of power? he thought. It shouldn’t be possible. Something about friction with the atmosphere, he remembered. The Elevator couldn’t help but generate power. In the five years since he first came to the city, he’d never seen Darwin’s skyline withoutthe awe-inspiring sight of climber vehicles gliding their way along the cord, taking fresh air and water up to the Orbitals, or bringing food back down.

“Melville,” came the garbled voice again. “Last warning.”

Skyler absently tapped the transmit button. “Nightcliff, this is the Melville. Don’t fire. We’re holding position. What happened?”

Even as he waited for a response, Skyler saw the beacon lights on the climber cars flicker, then come back on at full brightness.

A few seconds later they turned off again. One by one this time, in perfect sequence from space down to the fortress.

Minutes passed. Skyler felt a trickle of sweat run down the side of his face and he mopped it away with the back of his hand.

A blast of static from the tiny speaker preceded the controller’s voice. “You will reroute to Nightcliff and submit to inspection. Failure to comply will result in the destruction of your vessel. Any delay will result in the destruction of your vessel. You have thirty seconds to acknowledge.”

The order rattled Skyler like a sick joke. The mission had been flawless, a masterpiece, until this. Inspection. He shook his head. All their hard work, dashed with that loaded word.

“What do I say?” Angus asked. He strained against his harness to glance over his shoulder at Skyler.

The young man’s brown eyes pleaded for reassurance. Skyler could only shrug. “Stall,” he said. “I’m thinking.”

He tried to conjure a memory of the last inspection. It must have been two years ago. More than that. They’d claimed fear of a flu epidemic on that occasion. A case of vodka had settled the matter, if he remembered right. He’d been the pilot then, stuckin the cockpit, uninvolved. This time it would be his neck on the chopping block.

The first successful mission in months, since Skyler took over the captain’s chair.

And now this. Inspection. Goddammit.

They probably just wanted a handout. The pick of the litter from a returning scavenger ship. Maybe they’d blinked the climbers’ lights on purpose, now that he thought about it. A clever ploy, really.

He ran through a mental tally of the Melville’s cargo bay. For two days they’d rummaged through the abandoned complex, and they’d packed the old girl full. There’d be no shortage of goods to bribe Nightcliff with. The trick would be steering them awayfrom the high-value items. The specific requests.

The neoprene sleeve hanging from the back of the pilot’s seat caught Skyler’s eye. He thought of the morbid contents within, and the commune that had pooled their money to have the evidence recovered. A lot of money, in fact, along with the promise ofsix crates of fresh food. Even after Prumble’s cut, it was too tempting a reward to pass up. “All we want is to know the fate of our father. Bring us something, anything, that we can give a proper burial.”

Like a finger. Skyler yanked the container from its cord and slipped it into his inner jacket pocket.

He activated the intercom. “Sam, Jake, I need you to bury that welder.”

A few seconds passed before Samantha replied. “We could toss it overboard. Pick it up later.”

“Negative. We’re over the Maze.”

“You’re not going to land, are you? Call their bluff,” she said. “They won’t waste a missile on us.”

Skyler bit back an urge to argue. The welder, a special model suitable for work aboard a space station, had a large reward associated with it. The highest out of everything they carried. Trying to wrestle it back from the occupants of the slum below them would be difficult, and very dangerous.

Angus interrupted the thought. “Five seconds. We’d better answer them.”

Unhappy with the alternative, Skyler sighed. “Acknowledge it. Change course for Nightcliff, and drop to two hundred meters.”

Within seconds the aircraft began to turn and descend. The fortress of Nightcliff, which surrounded the Elevator’s base, came into view.

Samantha’s voice crackled over the speaker. “I guess we’re playing along then?”

“We can’t risk our lift privs, Sam. Can you and Jake go through the crates and put anything valuable at the bottom?”

With a frustrated groan, she said, “Aye, aye,” and clicked off.

Skyler grunted. He thought of placing a few choice items near the door—an unspoken bribe—but that might backfire.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Del Rey; First Edition (July 30, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0345537122
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0345537126
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.2 x 1.14 x 7.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,012,444 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #6,422 in Hard Science Fiction (Books)
- #25,521 in Thriller & Suspense Action Fiction
- #31,107 in Science Fiction Adventures

Customer Reviews:
4.1 1,127 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Jason M. Hough

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Jason M. Hough (pronounced 'Huff') is the New York Times bestselling author of The Dire Earth Cycle and the near-future spy thriller Zero World, which Publisher's Weekly said is "a thrilling action rampage that confirms Hough as an important new voice in genre fiction.” In a former life he was a 3D artist, animator, and game designer (Metal Fatigue, Aliens vs. Predator: Extinction, and many others). He has worked in the fields of high-performance cluster computing and machine learning, and received a patent for an invention related to location-based content licensing.

Jason's latest novel, Mass Effect Andromeda: Nexus Uprising, released on March 21st, 2017 from Titan Books. The book is co-written by K. C. Alexander.

He lives near Seattle, Washington with his wife, two young sons, and a dog named Missbuster. When not writing, reading, or playing with his kids, he spends his time exploring virtual reality or trying to coax his 3D printer into doing something useful.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5

1,127 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Neil Hepworth

A Great Beginning

Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2014

Verified Purchase

***Update Number 2***
My students and I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Hough this morning, and y’all should be jealous. It was an excellent, educational and very entertaining conversation. We got to talk with him about his background, his writing style and success, and, of course all about the plot, characters, science, and future books. We learned a lot, and we will all be keeping a very close eye out for the next books to hit the shelves by Jason Hough.

***Update Number 1***
As of today (January 2014), I have had thirteen students read The Darwin Elevator (I teach high school English, btw.), and most of them have finished the entire trilogy. These were not honors students (well, a couple were) or students who read on their own anyway (well, some were), but normal students who have a hard time finishing a sentence let alone an entire novel. My students love these books! I only wish there were more...

***Original Review***
I was given an ARC book by the publisher for me to promote in my high school English classroom.

A review from the side of my brain that will be handing this book off to nerdy students in my classroom. (As always, I use the “nerd” moniker to indicate a student who is clearly the best of the best. As the benevolent dictator of nerds in my territory, I love all my subjects.):

Pros
Post apocalyptic/dystopian setting
Zombie-esque things
Action and intrigue
Characters who can (and do) actually die
Space stations
Cliff-hanger ending, but the rest of the trilogy is due very soon
Easy to read

Cons
Some sequences are slow and/or difficult to follow
The cover (the UK covers are much better)

Oh, that cover. Holy crap, that cover. I’m kinda torn on it: on one hand, it actually works very well because it indicates a summer action-movie/video game kinda vibe, which is pretty much accurate. One the other hand, the cover does not do the book inside justice. With a cover like this I expect a cringeworthy, read-a-hundred-pages-and-chalk-it-up-to-a-why-did-I-buy-this-book? kinda experience. But it’s not that at all. It’s a good, fun ride, and I will be buying the entire trilogy. And my students will thank me for it.

I don’t think I would call this entry-level science fiction. I don’t see myself handing this book to a student who has never read science fiction before (although I could be wrong), but the students who are avid readers and who know science fiction well, I think they will eat this stuff up.

Finally, I should mention that my Science Fiction Lit. class is going to be interviewing Jason Hough this fall. I was excited before, but now I’m all kinds of pumped up!

A review from the slightly more mature, adult side of my brain:

It took me a little while to warm up to this book, I admit. At times it felt like something I read before in other books, and at times I could really feel the video game hiding just beyond the shadows, if you know what I mean. Having said that, for a debut novel, I really did like the book.

The plot was nothing earth shattering (Well, actually I guess it was in a literal sense, but I’m talking in a figurative sense.), and some moments seemed forced, but the plot developed naturally, and I liked it. Hough feels more comfortable writing about scavengers picking through the wastelands than he does writing about action on the various space stations.

The characters themselves were typical scifi tropes but enjoyable and worked well; however, some decisions and actions towards the end were way, waaaay out of character, IMO. I have seen some reviews complain that too many characters die, and while I was sorry to see several of them go, I loved the fact that their deaths made it difficult to tell where the plot was going. (Though there was one death that made me sit up and say “Good! Die, you!” Not because the character was badly written, I just didn’t like his personality.)

As you can tell, I have many nitpicks with this book, but I find most of them fading away in my brain behind all of the things about the book that I liked. Oh, except these two: Mr. Hough, please stop using the phrase “truth be told” and stop choking back emotions or fighting urges. Some of the characters in the book, truth be told, spend way too much time fighting to hold in their man-motions (man + emotions = man-motions, see?). I understand that some situations make characters angry (especially when it is the evil villain making dirty remarks about the love interest), but you don’t have to point out each and every internal grimace.

Books like this one can take me in one of two directions: sometimes I read a book like this, with similar personal critiques and I walk away hating the book. This one, though, left me with a smile, and a quick run to the computer to find out when the next book is being released. Mr. Hough, keep ‘em comin’!

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Timothy Masters

A rare delight in SciFi

Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2013

Verified Purchase

I've devoured SciFi since I was a child, beginning with Tom Swift, swiftly progressing to Asimov, and going on from there. The vast majority of what I read turns out to be mediocre. Occasionally I'll even stop reading after just one or two chapters. So it's always a delight when I encounter one of those rare books that is truly outstanding. The Darwin Elevator trilogy is such a delight.

I suppose I should mention that literary purists will find much to fault in the prose. The author has no concept of consistent POV. In one page we may find ourselves in the thoughts, feelings, and perceptions of three different characters, with a healthy dose of omniscience thrown in for good measure. This drove me crazy for a while, as I love the deep immersion created by perfect POV control. But then the numerous other qualities of the writing came to the forefront and I was hooked.

I am at heart a plot person. If a book has a good plot I can forgive a multitude of writing sins, and this book has a plot right up there with masterpieces like Asimov's Foundation Trilogy. He keeps several complex threads going simultaneously, and pulls them all together in the final book. He is a master of consistency and detail.

The other wonderful aspect of this trilogy is the author's incredible imagination. He comes up with concepts that repeatedly made me say, "Wow!" There is nothing mundane about this story. It is filled with one delightful surprise after another.

Also, the pace managed to be edge-of-the-seat from start to finish. I was never bored in a slow spot.

Finally, he does a great job of characterization. The main characters all have unique, interesting, and consistent personalities. I don't often find a writer who is simultaneously good at plot and characterization. Most writers shine in one or the other. This author shines in both.

Just be aware that the three books in this trilogy are not separate entities. In effect they make up one very long book. One book stops in mid-plot and the next picks up there. You absolutely must read them in sequence. Also, you will want to have the next book handy as you approach the end of one, as you will want to keep going!

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English

André

Good read, good story, weak science

Reviewed in Germany on September 10, 2015

Verified Purchase

I was gripped by the story and the characters that the author has scattered throughout the plotscape and is slowly pulling together (or kills offhand, another good trait in an author). The way the stations and ships keep floating around in space though.. and the haphazard localization an description of the elevator itself, and the supercapacitors that are never used creatively, combined with the never-questioned seeming immunity from famine of the infected (Zombies! call them Zombies!) must cost this book its fifth star, in my eyes.

Lynn

Interesting premise.

Reviewed in Canada on September 29, 2013

Verified Purchase

I have read the first two books in this series. The premise is interesting, and the characters well drawn. By this time in the series I am looking forward to seeing how the various story lines play out.

I think the book will appeal to people who like lots of action.

Amazon Customer

5* for the book, 3* for the trilogy

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 12, 2014

Verified Purchase

The book itself is worthy of 5*, it's your standard zombie apocalypse fare, with the shotgun armed protagonists eking a living by scavenging the remains of civilization and headshotting any feral plague infected zombies they meet along the way.
But it is very well executed and the addition of details like parajumping into zombie infested locations via sub-orbital military dropships give it a nice futuristic feel. The story is fleshed out with a potential extra-terrestrial origin for the zombie plague and a mysterious alien built space elevator that has an unknown but pivotal role in the whole affair.

Unfortunately this isn't a stand alone book. It's part of a trilogy - and the trilogy ends itself on a note which could lead to future novels. Unfortunately the quality of the books drop as the story progresses and by the end the whole narrative just feels tired and limps to an unsatisfying conclusion.

It almost feels like the author has spun two books worth of plot out into three (quite long) books and in the meantime hasn't paid enough attention to how he was going to end the whole thing. Despite the fact the trilogy is (arguably) too long the ending feels rushed and many plot points are left hanging and unexplained. It reminds me a bit of the TV series Lost - the author gives us lots of cool scenes which pose more and more questions about the whole ET/Zombie mystery but then in the end all the questions are dismissed/ignored and no satisfying answers are given.

Perhaps these are to come in a future trilogy but by now I no longer trust the author to deliver them and am unwilling to invest the time to find out. For me a drip feed of answers to at least some of the questions and an indication that the book is more than a load of cool scenes strung together - that there is a satisfying overarching story that is going to link it all together - is needed.

So 5* for the book itself and the concept but I couldn't really recommend anyone who wasn't a massive space zombie fan taking on the trilogy as a whole - so 3* for the trilogy, 4* overall.

Finity's end

C'est un bon roman d'action avec un univers assez original .

Reviewed in France on October 7, 2013

Verified Purchase

Voici un roman vraiment pas mal , le premier d'une trilogie ( pour l'instant ) de Jason M. Hough ..

C'est un bon roman d'action avec un univers assez original .
L'univers a du souffle et de l'ampleur , car il est bien décrit et parce qu'il est intensément « agi « par les personnages .

Un contact s'est produit avec une espèce étrangère , ce contact a débouché sur l'expansion d'un virus vorace à la surface du globe , au sein des populations humaines .
Au moment où le lecteur découvre ce monde , le notre mais au vingt-troisième siècle , la population planétaire est en effondrement absolu .

La société s'est effondrée en même temps que la population , les survivants sont partout en fuite et en errance .
Ils tentent de rallier Darwin , en Australie car c'est la seule cité encore debout , de ce monde ravagé par la « peste « .

Cette ville ultime abrite donc tout ce qui est fonctionnel sur ce monde détruit radicalement , et notamment l'ascenseur spatial qui est le point d'entrée privilégié pour accéder à l'espace ..
Elle est donc le lieu de l'exode ultime , vers le ciel car l'humanité quitte son monde natal du fait de l'infection implacable .

L'action alterne donc entre l'outback , les espaces orbitaux et Darwin au gré des missions d'une équipe de choc ...

Ce roman est une étape dans l'histoire du genre car il fusionne des thèmes de manière inhabituelle .
Nous avons un pan rationnel , avec les aspects épidémiques et transfert en orbite dans ce futur pas si proche . Il y a aussi le volet contact alien qui foire et se passe mal avec celui des « transferts « de technologies alien . Et puis avec le très en vogue thème des zombies , car les malades présentent indiscutablement des analogies avec ces bestioles , même c'est ici une rationalisation approfondie de ce thème .

De plus ce monde ravagé et en lambeau est un monde post-apocalyptique , mais vous vous en doutiez je pense .

Le « pitch est judicieusement « agrémenté de facteurs dynamisants , très opérants au fil des pages , tel que de rares statuts d'immunités face à la maladie , ou bien les imprévus en matière de maintenance de technologies aliens ...

Le texte est bien construit , le suspense est au rendez-vous , de même que l'intensité des élans de l'intrigue et du rythme de façon générale .
C'est un roman où le lecteur risque d'être confronté à des seuils qui peuvent rendre difficile l'adhésion à l'univers , comme les malades , le contact alien .
A ce propos , je dirais que la bonne qualité du style et de la caractérisation font que ces freins potentiels sont dépassés sans l'ombre d'une difficulté .

A la fin de ce premier tome on est un peu dans la nécessité de lire la suite donc ce n'est pas tout à fait un stand alone .

One person found this helpful

Translate review to English

Peter Eerden

I am a believer

Reviewed in Australia on March 14, 2016

Verified Purchase

The Darwin elevator is the first in a series, I have wanted to read for a long time. The trouble with reviewing books is that it gets in the way of reading the books you want rather than the books the publishers send.

Jason has a strong grasp of narrative prose and keeps the tension just so. I was a little disappointed in some of the character renderings that were a little shallow. My hope is that in the next in the series these will be fleshed out a little more so as to add additional depth to the storyline. All in all though I am glad I took a break from my list but will endeavour to get back to it as soon as I have finished books two and three in this series. A good read that promises more. I will keep you posted.

One person found this helpful

See more reviews

Return this item for free

Return this item for free

Follow the author

Image Unavailable